Committee defers decision on easier access to drugs

The parliamentary health committee is facing criticism over its decision to delay until next year the handling of a bill that would allow supermarkets to sell over-the-counter drugs.

Proponents of the revision claim that ruling and opposition lawmakers on the committee defied public demands, fearing that a group of some 60,000 pharmacists would campaign against their re-election in April.

The legislators argued that more caution should be taken, as the revision could trigger a set of problems such as drug misuse, when they decided Thursday not to handle it during the current regular session, which ends Dec. 9.

The government submitted a revision bill to the National Assembly in September to allow supermarkets to sell cold medicines, painkillers, pain relieving patches and other non-prescription drugs.

The committee’s decision means the bill will not be deliberated on until an extraordinary session in February. But observers said that the lawmakers are unlikely to pass it during the special session either, with parliamentary elections in April.

If the Assembly does not pass it before its four-year term ends in May, the bill will be scrapped automatically, meaning the government would have to resubmit it.

Opinion surveys show that most of the public support the revision,

In a September poll conducted by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 83.2 percent of respondents approved of the revision. In a January survey by the Korea Consumer Agency, 71.2 percent were in favor.

Despite public sentiment, lawmakers at the committee appeared to be reluctant to displease the national pharmacists’ association, which has threatened to campaign against lawmakers’ reelection should they approve of the revision.

The committee members were accused of putting their interests before those of the public.

“About five nights ago, I was very sick with a cold, but could not find any place to buy cold medicines. It is really inconvenient that even such simple medicines should be sold only by pharmacists,” said Shin, an office worker in Seoul, declining to give her full name.

“It is not a surprise to me that politicians make decisions based on their self interests and political gain rather than on the benefits of the citizens, particularly ahead of major elections.”

Public anger was also vented online.

“The lawmakers failed to handle the bill just to protect their rice bowls (their interests.) They are scared of what pharmacists say, but not of what the majority of the people care about,” a Twitter user said.

There are also some citizens who said that only a limited number of drugs should be allowed to be sold at supermarkets.

“Children, for example, could suffer from side effects should free access to cold medicines and others be offered at places other than pharmacies. I think we should be careful and more discussions should be carried out before the bill’s passage,” Park Geun-il, an office worker in Seoul, said.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)