Price display: Doctors decry 'betrayal' as enforcers descend on clinics
A private doctors' group has decried 'betrayal' amid reports that authorities have begun enforcing the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Drug) Order 2025, despite a supposed grace period.
The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations of Malaysia (FPMPAM) said enforcement officers from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry have begun visiting clinics today as the mechanism comes into effect.
It claimed the officers are...
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Focus Malaysia
06-06-2025
- Focus Malaysia
Delay on GP fee review: 'Face realities on the ground,' NACCOL told
A DOCTORS' group has expressed disappointment over the government's failure to to revise private general practitioners' (GP) consultation fees as promised. 'We note with deep disappointment that the Health Minister's promise to finalise the long-overdue review of private GP consultation fees within a month has now passed without action,' said Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) president Dr Shanmuganthan TV Ganeson. 'Private GPs have been self-funding the essential primary care system for decades. Yet we remain shackled by consultation fees that have not changed in 33 years, while regulations and compliance costs continue to rise.' Recall that Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad told reporters on May 3 that the issue about GP consultation fees would be resolved 'within one month at the latest', adding that he had already prepared a Cabinet memorandum and circular. During Dzulkefly's May 3 press conference, the Health Minister claimed that the National Action Committee on the Cost of Living (NACCOL) had already agreed to a review of GP consultation fees. 'The Malaysian Medical Association and other GP bodies have presented a clear, evidence-based case for a fee update that ensures the sustainability of primary care clinics and the quality of care for our patients,' Dr Shanmuganathan said. 'We understand that NACCOL has raised concerns about the impact of the fee update. We want to remind NACCOL that these concerns are misplaced. 'Patients who visit GPs choose to do so for immediate, quality care—often to avoid hospital queues and costly specialist visits. They are willing to pay a fair fee for this timely service. 'Past analyses by NACCOL itself showed no significant impact on the Consumer Price Index, even with proposed fee updates as far back as 2019.' Moreover, Dr Shanmuganathan noted that third-party administrators have for too long suppressed GP consultation fees for corporate profit, while the Pharmaceutical Services Division, certain pharmacy groups, and even Pharma Corporations have lobbied to undermine the integrated GP clinic model that has served Malaysians well for over 60 years. 'The government must not hide behind a narrative that keeping GP fees artificially low somehow serves the public good,' he stressed. 'In reality, it threatens the survival of primary care—the most cost-effective part of our healthcare system—and shifts costs to patients in other ways. 'NACCOL must face these realities. It must not deny GPs the means to sustain their practices and continue serving communities effectively. 'We call on the Health Minister to honour his promise and on NACCOL to remove its obstacles and allow this long-overdue correction. Anything less is a disservice to GPs and the communities we care for daily.' ‒ June 6, 2025 Main image: The Straits Times
New Straits Times
27-05-2025
- New Straits Times
MMA calls for clear legal framework on medicine pricing
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the government to act swiftly on issues affecting private general practitioners (GPs), stressing the need for clear legal frameworks and fair consultation fees to ensure the sustainability of Malaysia's primary healthcare system. MMA president Datuk Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira said the association looks forward to the government's firm decisions following its joint memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier this month. He said among the top concerns were the appropriate regulation of medicine price display policies and the long-overdue revision of GP consultation fees. He welcomed Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad commitment to place the medicine price display policy under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998, a move the MMA has long advocated, rather than the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, which was never designed to regulate professional healthcare services. "To avoid disputes and legal ambiguities that may arise from overlapping legislation, the government must immediately de-gazette clinics from the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723) once the decision is made to place the medicine price display policy under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586). "Keeping clinics under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act after the policy shift would only create unnecessary legal ambiguity," he said in a statement. He said the government must act swiftly to ensure regulatory clarity and prevent jurisdictional overlap by formally de-gazetting clinics from Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 once the other Act comes into effect. "While doctors fully support price transparency, we strongly maintain that all healthcare-related policies must be implemented and enforced under the purview of the Health Ministry (MOH). "While we respect the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry's role in regulating the retail sector, it is important to recognise that healthcare is not retail." He said clinics provide essential, expert-driven services built on trust and ethical duty, not commercial transactions. Applying retail-based policies to medical practice risks compromising the quality and integrity of care Malaysians deserve, he said. Dr Kalwinder also called on the government to address the longstanding issue of stagnant consultation fees for private GPs. He said fees under the 7th Schedule of Act 586 have remained unchanged for over 33 years, despite significant increases in operating costs. "GP clinics are the front line of Malaysia's primary healthcare system. "For them to remain viable and continue delivering quality care, consultation fees must be reviewed and adjusted to reflect current realities," he said. He said the MMA has submitted a detailed proposal justifying the fee revision and hopes for a fair outcome that supports the long-term sustainability of private clinics. "These issues must not be delayed.
Rakyat Post
21-05-2025
- Rakyat Post
Private Clinic Fees Could Rise Up To 30% Under New Price Ruling
Subscribe to our FREE Treatment charges at clinics and hospitals could hike up by as much as thirty percent in the near future thanks to a new pricing directive that's being enforced, private medical practitioners warned. The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) said clinics are now required to itemise charges that were bundled under single fee, and this means patients would bear the brunt of the cost increase, New Straits Times FPMPAM's president, Dr Shanmuganathan T.V. Ganeson explained that the new price display rule has disrupted the current billing system – consultation, treatment, and medication were all charged together previously. 'Clinics now have to unbundle costs, including operating expenses, which must be separately listed on the bill,' he said. An Utusan Malaysia report said the estimated patient charges could go up by 10 to 30 percent depending on the type of treatment and medication. Essentially, a standard consultation may cost RM10 to RM30 more than before. Private medical practitioners were not happy that the new rule was placed under an Act made for retail goods On 6 May, about 200 general practitioners (GP) gathered in front of the Prime Minister's office, seemingly to protest against a new rule that requires private clinics to display prices of medicine. The regulation was part of a broader set of anti-profiteering laws. That was the real reason behind the protest. The GPs were unhappy that the rule was being enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), and was calling for the government to put it under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586) instead. In a statement, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said the consequence of being subjected to both Act 723 and Act 586 could result in enforcement overlaps. They also noted that Act 723 was designed for retail businesses, and are concerned that the overlap may cause confusion. READ MORE: Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
