The public’s knowledge of the use of medicines still needs improvement if a policy to allow convenience stores to sell medicines is to be implemented, the Taipei City Government Department of Health said, citing the result of a survey it conducted on the public’s knowledge of medicine use.
The department had the Taipei Pharmacists Association and Taipei Medical University conduct a survey on the public’s knowledge of medicine use. The survey was conducted from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15 last year, with 1,093 respondents at randomly chosen MRT stations, the department said.
The survey showed that up to 30 percent of respondents and nearly 40 percent of respondents above 61 years old, who more often use refill prescriptions for the treatment of chronic diseases, did not know that prescriptions issued by hospitals could be filled at local pharmacies.
In addition, about 25 percent of the respondents did not know they could ask pharmacists about drug usage and information before buying the medicines, the department said, adding that some people might risk drug misuse.
As online purchasing has become more popular in recent years, the survey showed that 28.5 percent of the respondents did not know drug sales on the Internet were illegal.
As for the use of over-the--counter (OTC) medicines that contain menthol, camphor and methyl salicylate, often used in balms for relief of migraines or mosquito bites, 56.8 percent of the respondents said they did not know they should be used with caution for babies under two years of age.
The department said the results showed that the general public still needs to improve its knowledge of medicine use, the department said, urging the public to ask pharmacists about drugs or carefully read drug instructions before taking them.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS