Our Campaign in the West Coast

This is the West Coast district. Our consumer education campaign here started back in 2003 targeting business wholesaler and retailers. In 2004, we shifted our target group to the general consumers or should we say the plain Joe and Jane of the community. With our Regional Headquarters situated in Kota Kinabalu City and the towns being within reach of the office, it is only natural that these neighbouring towns should be eradicated from unregistered products. Although we can't claim that we manage to achieve 100% eradication but it is not too much to state that most licensed premises in this locality don't sell unregistered product openly.

The lady owner seems happy and she's very cooperative even though her unregistered medicine was seized

A Tamparuli grocery store that we inspected, look at the colonial-era wooden shop house design.. difficult to find such shop in the city..

The eye said it all... this Indian national according to the travel documents issued to him is allowed to work as a Restaurant helper... instead he became a medicine peddler in a makeshift stall in Ranau... go figure

These are the unregistered product containing schedule poison that he was peddling. Clariderm Astringent and RDL Tretinoin Babyface Solution (the red and the orange box respectively) contain hydroquinone, a hair dye bleaching agent that can harm the skin if used without proper professional medical advice Even a clothing store is getting into the act of selling unregistered medicine

Toiletries and medicine section of the clothing store in Ranau

Unregistered skin ointments from China (the boxes in the middle) labelled as containing scheduled poisons anti fungals

The lack of pharmacy and a limited number of medical clinics.. medicine shop such as above is thriving in the rural area. Don't be surprised if they sell controlled medicines just like in any pharmacy or clinic.