Public education on medicine price transparency will persist despite judicial review by doctors, says health minister
In this case, Dzulkefly said the ministry supports the right to pursue judicial review, but advocacy efforts must continue while the legal process takes its course.
'As a minister, I welcome and respect the judicial process. We were also previously subjected to judicial review under the Medicines (Price Control) Act 852.
'As such, I support the idea of allowing the process to proceed. In the meantime, our educational and advocacy efforts must continue. We cannot afford to pause just because a judicial review is underway,' he told reporters in a press conference after officiating the National Health Technology Assessment Conference 2025 here.
He explained that suspending all enforcement would create a gap, emphasising that the ministry's educational enforcement must continue until the court reaches a decision.
Yesterday, seven medical associations and a general practitioner from Sabah applied for a judicial review against a government directive requiring private clinics to display retail drug prices, arguing that the directive oversteps ministerial authority and may undermine professional medical practice.
The application was filed in the Kuala Lumpur High Court last Thursday by the Association of Private Practitioners, Sabah (APPS), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), the Malaysian Association for the Advancement of Functional and Interdisciplinary Medicine (Maafim), the Organisation of Malaysian Muslim Doctors (Perdim), the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM), the Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners' Association (MPDPA), the Society of Private Medical Practitioners Sarawak (SPMPS) and Dr Saifulbahri Ahmad.
The applicants, who named Dzulkefly, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, and the federal government as respondents, argued that the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Drug) Order 2025 exceeds ministerial powers, as Section 10 of the Act does not cover medications administered during treatment under Section 19 of the Poisons Act 1952.
Gazetted on May 1, the Price Marking for Drug Order 2025 came into force with a three-month window before full enforcement begins on August 1.
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