Speed up Cabinet approval for GP consultation fee hike, says MMA
On May 6, the MMA and other GP groups submitted a memo that included a call for a consultation fee review before enforcement of the mandatory drug price display rule. (Freepik pic)
PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has renewed its call for the government to urgently approve a long-delayed hike in consultation fees for general practitioners (GPs), saying stagnant rates for over three decades are pushing clinics to the brink.
The call follows a joint memorandum submitted by MMA and other GP organisations to the Prime Minister's Office after a peaceful assembly on May 6.
The memo urged the government to review outdated consultation fees before enforcing the mandatory drug price display rule.
Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira.
MMA president Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira said they had since met health ministry officials and presented a clear, evidence-based justification for fee adjustments.
While the government's final decision will consider all views, he called for the justification they had provided be taken seriously and for the Cabinet to expedite the review.
'The 33-year-old unchanged consultation fees have taken their toll and will only worsen the survival rate of GP clinics,' he said in a statement today.
Kalwinder also expressed hope that the National Action Council on Cost of Living, chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, would urgently address the issue and allow GPs to present their challenges.
He said the delay in increasing GP fees was threatening the survival of primary care clinics across the country.
'The long-awaited fee revision is not about profit. It is not about worrying about its effect on healthcare inflation, which occurs predominantly in secondary and tertiary care.
'It is about ensuring the survival of primary care, which is the most cost-effective arm of our health system,' he said.
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