Big mistake should medical profession be described as ‘trade', say practitioners
PETALING JAYA: Regulating the doctor profession as a trade will be a big mistake, say a group of medical practitioners.
In a statement on Monday (April 22), they said general practitioner clinics are not retail outlets.
'Treating the sick is not a commercial transaction.
'Doctors and their practice of medicine is a strictly licensed profession, governed by a social contract of trust, statutory mandated ethical responsibility, duty and continuity of care between the doctor and patient.
'It is not a trade,' they said in a joint statement.
Additional layers of regulation, they said, will only drive up healthcare costs and counter national efforts aimed at controlling the cost of living.
'If the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry intends to bring doctors' professional services under the scope of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, proper procedure must be followed.
'This includes gazetting the medical profession as a trade, which will have far-reaching future implications, including the formation of trade unions and trade protective practices,' it said.
The group said this will then make one-to-one personalised patient-doctor experiences a thing of the past.
'Union rules and business-oriented standard operating procedures will prevail much to the detriment of today's tailored patient-centred clinical care,' it said.
They said one-stop general practitioner clinics have been the cornerstone of healthcare for all Malaysians, across generations.
They also said Malaysia's general practitioners system is widely recognised as one of the most affordable, efficient and patient-centred in the region.
'However, this vital healthcare pillar now faces increasing pressure from unnecessary and disruptive regulatory proposals,' they said, adding that these efforts risk compromising both the safety of patient care and integrity of the medicine supply chain.
They stressed that general practitioners already operate under robust regulatory oversight through the 'Good Dispensing Practice Guidelines' of the Malaysian Medical Council, which governs ethical and evidence-based choices and the dispensing of medicines within clinics.
'Patients' rights and choices are also clearly stated,' read the statement.
'This is a testament to the medical profession's self-regulation and ongoing commitment to transparency, patients' rights, choice, patient safety and ethical care,' it added.
The statement was jointly issued by DRSforALL founding chairman Dr Steven Chow, who is also part of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations, Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation's Tan Sri Robert Phang Miow Sin, Malaysia Society for Harm Reduction chairman Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, Malaysian Psychiatry Association fellow Prof Dr Mohamad Hussain Habil, Persatuan Insaf Murni Malaysia president Dr Mohd Khafidz Mohd Ishak and Dermatological Society of Malaysia president Assoc. Prof. Tan Wooi Chiang.
Also included are the Addiction Medicine Association of Malaysia, Medical Practitioners' Coalition Association Malaysia, Penang Medical Practitioners' Society, Perak Medical Practitioners' Society, Private Medical Practitioners' Society Kedah/Perlis, Private Medical Practitioners' Society Selangor/Kuala Lumpur, Pahang Private Medical Practitioners' Society
Association of Private Practitioners' Sabah.
This comes after the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living ministry said the government will proceed with the implementation of the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism on May 1.
It said the draft order, which, among others, will require private healthcare facilities to display medicine prices, is currently under review by the Attorney General's Chambers.
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