The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) recently announced that Malaysia will experience continuous heavy rainfall from mid-November, leading to probable major flash floods in several states. The monsoon season will last until early next year. 

Alpro Pharmacy, Malaysia’s largest prescription pharmacy chain, would like to outline several precautionary measures for residents in flood-prone areas to proactively mitigate any potential damages ahead of the flood period and in the aftermath.

Prior To A Flood:

• Closely monitor your surroundings to stay up-to-date on weather forecasts and warnings. 
• Assemble disaster supplies, including long-term medications and first aid kits in waterproof bags in case of evacuation.  
• Patients with chronic diseases, especially the elderly, are advised to visit their nearest pharmacy along with their regular medications in order to have a record kept in the pharmacy and have an up-to-date medication list.  

Patients who have lost their hard-copy prescription and are facing difficulty retrieving their medication list will benefit from storing their medication history at their nearest community pharmacy.

Regular medications, in particular, require compliance and consistency for an optimal health outcome. 

In The Aftermath Of A Flood: 

Due to poor sanitation and hygiene in flood areas, flood-borne diseases such as leptospirosis, cholera, and dengue fever could spread in the aftermath. Flood survivors should be aware of general symptoms such as fever, headache, diarrhoea, muscle aches, and vomiting to help identify possible infections.

In the case of any such symptoms, please visit your nearest health care facility immediately. 

For those who had their regular medication contaminated or washed away by the flood, Alpro will provide a one-time supply for up to seven days for free.

Communities affected by the flood can visit any of the 200 Alpro Pharmacy outlets nationwide to obtain more details. A police report copy of the flood is required for verification purposes.  

The free medication and medical assistance are initiatives under the Life-saving Medication Care Programme, a long-standing commitment by Alpro and DOC2US to provide health care support to communities affected by natural disasters.

As a precaution, the public is welcome to save the phone number of our Customer Care Line (019-612 9006) for further advice and support. Alternatively, you may reach our professional pharmacist via the e-pharmacy WhatsApp hotline at 019-702 1923.   

• This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.