Don't deregulate GP fees without floor price, warns doctors' group
PETALING JAYA : The Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia (MPCAM) has warned the government against deregulating general practitioner (GP) consultation fees without setting a minimum rate.
MPCAM president Dr Soo Tai Kang said such a move would lead to unhealthy competition in the industry, particularly in urban areas where 80% of GP clinics operate and depend heavily on panel patients.
'Deregulation may seem market-friendly, but in reality, it gives too much power to large corporate payers.
'This could lead to price undercutting, threaten clinic sustainability and ultimately compromise patient care,' he said in a statement today.
Soo said MPCAM supported setting consultation fees at between RM50 and RM80, with reviews every three years.
The current rates of between RM10 and RM35 have remained unchanged for 33 years.
Soo also criticised the role of third-party administrators (TPAs), which manage corporate-panel arrangements between companies and clinics. Soo said their practices are harming the clinics' viability.
'TPAs deduct up to 15% in administrative charges, impose strict limits on medication pricing and often delay payments — all of which strain clinic cash flow,' he said.
Soo dismissed claims that raising GP fees would significantly increase healthcare costs. Instead, he argued it would reduce clinics' reliance on medication mark-ups. Competition in the saturated private clinic sector would help keep fees reasonable, he added.
On June 5, the Malaysian Medical Association also called on the government to approve a long-pending increase in GP consultation fees, warning that delays were threatening the survival of primary care clinics nationwide.
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said on May 3 that the matter would be resolved 'within one month', and that a Cabinet memorandum and circular had already been prepared.
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