Doctors gather near PMO to protest display of medicine price rule
PETALING JAYA: A group of 300 doctors and private general practitioners have gathered near the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to protest the new law which requires the display of medicine prices at private healthcare premises.
According to TheStar, the doctors started gathering at 9am today (May 6) and were holding placards that read 'We will not be silenced', 'Healthcare workers are undervalued', and 'Unfair fees and policies keep current and future doctors away'.
The group had initially planned to march from the Health Ministry to the PMO, but it was reported that they decided to gather at Perdana Putra directly as some participants are elderly.
Organised by the Malaysian Medical Association's (MMA) private general medical practitioners section, MMA has said that it is not against price transparency for medicines but its implementation under a non-health related law.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced that the mandatory price labelling would take effect on May 1.
In a joint statement, they said the move aims to ensure the public can make informed choices by knowing, comparing, and selecting the best prices when managing their medication expenses.
'It will be enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Medicines) Order 2025, pursuant to the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723),' they said.
ALSO READ:
No summons during grace period for medicine price display, says MOH
Medicine prices: General practitioners need to empower public with informed choices based on fact-based data
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
16 hours ago
- New Straits Times
APHM offers clinical data to support DRG system pricing rollout
KUALA LUMPUR: Member hospitals under the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) have offered to share clinical data essential for developing the Diagnostic-Related Group (DRG) pricing model. In a statement today, APHM said its member hospitals will provide the relevant data to the Health and Finance Ministries, as this foundational data is currently unavailable and poses significant challenges to the timely and effective implementation of the DRG system. "APHM is heartened to hear (Health Minister) Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad shared in his opening speech at the APHM International Healthcare Conference & Exhibition 2025 today that a basic medical and takaful health insurance product will be introduced this year, while the DRG will be rolled out in phases. "For the DRG or any DRG-type mechanism to work, accurate clinical data and a national electronic health record system are needed. "At present, this foundational data is not yet available, which presents significant challenges for timely and effective DRG implementation," it said. APHM said implementing the DRG system properly will take more than six months, as the data collection and analysis process is both complex and time-consuming. The association also advocates allocating sufficient time and resources to ensure that the DRG model is well conceptualised, thoroughly piloted, and effectively executed to bring long-term improvements to Malaysia's healthcare system. On April 18, Dzulkefly said the ministry plans to implement the DRG syste m in stages this year, starting with common illnesses. On April 21, APHM's president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said the DRG pricing model presents a major challenge for Malaysia, primarily due to the lack of a universal healthcare financing system. The DRG model is a billing system under which hospitals charge a fixed fee for treating specific illnesses or conditions, aimed at curbing medical inflation.
Free Malaysia Today
17 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Private hospitals to supply clinical data for diagnosis pricing system
The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia pointed out that the process of gathering and analysing clinical data is complex and time-consuming. (Envato Elements pic) PETALING JAYA : Members of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) have offered to share with the health and finance ministries relevant clinical data for the implementation of the diagnosis-related group (DRG) pricing system. In a statement, APHM said for the DRG or any DRG-type mechanism to work, accurate clinical data and a national electronic health record system was needed. 'As the process of gathering and analysing such data is complex and time-consuming, APHM anticipates that a proper rollout will require considerably more than six months. 'To support this national initiative, APHM member hospitals have offered to share relevant clinical data required for the set up of a DRG system with the ministries,' it said. The association added that adequate time and resources must be allocated to ensure that the DRG initiative is thoroughly conceptualised, piloted, and implemented, to ultimately deliver sustainable improvements for all Malaysians. Earlier today, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the DRG pricing system – to standardise the costs for certain groups of patients according to their ailments and encourages cost containment initiatives – would be a key driver for value-based healthcare. The initiative, targeted to be rolled out by the end of the year, aims to provide fairer pricing for those with pre-existing conditions, especially with Malaysia becoming an ageing nation where the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) is high. According to Dzulkefly, the government's introduction of a basic medical and health insurance and takaful (MHIT) product marks the first step in the phased implementation of the DRG pricing system. He said the product would broaden private sector financing options and steer private healthcare towards a value-based healthcare model.
![[UPDATED] Malaysia's health spending jumps 4 times in 20 years](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FDzulkefly_Ahmadwe_1749435876.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
18 hours ago
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Malaysia's health spending jumps 4 times in 20 years
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's per capita health expenditure nearly quadrupled between 2000 and 2020. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the figure surged from RM600 in 2000 to RM1,600 in 2020, driven by rising demand for healthcare and advances in medical technology. "Private sources accounted for RM40 billion, or 47 per cent, of total health expenditure in 2024. "Out-of-pocket spending remains high, at around 36 per cent of total health expenditure. "Our vision is to sustainably expand fiscal space while ensuring healthcare remains accessible, high-quality, and equitable," he said at the launch of the 31st Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) International Healthcare Conference & Exhibition 2025, here, today. Dzulkefly said the Health Ministry was working with the Finance Ministry, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to develop a health insurance and takaful product. This product will support the rollout of the new Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) system, which aims to transform the way healthcare services are paid for. He also dismissed speculation of a delay in the DRG implementation, adding that the initiative remained on track to be introduced in phases by the end of this year, starting with the "Rakan KKM" project. "This is not privatisation. It is publicly owned and developed for public benefit, offering optional value-added services within the Health Ministry's hospitals. "We are already seeing proof-of-concept through the Hospital Service Outsourcing Programme (HSOP), which applies bundled payment principles. "For example, waiting times for arteriovenous (AV) fistula creation for haemodialysis patients have been reduced by over 75 per cent," he added. Turnaround times for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Angiography (MRI/MRA) services have also improved by more than 20 per cent, Dzulkefly said, saying these value-based models demonstrated that system efficiency and clinical outcomes could be enhanced. Meanwhile, APHM president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh highlighted the lack of a national electronic health record system, which he said was a critical gap in the DRG implementation process. "The absence of such a system makes DRG implementation more complex," he said. Nevertheless, he expressed appreciation for the ministry's commitment to collaboration and its data-driven, evidence-based approach to the DRG rollout.
