Latest news with #Consumers'AssociationofPenang
The Sun
02-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
CAP welcomes new law on transparent medicine pricing
GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has hailed the enforcement of the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU), which came into effect yesterday, as a significant move towards greater transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of consumers in the healthcare sector. Its president Mohideen Abdul Kader said consumers have the right to access information, make informed choices, voice their concerns, and feel secure when using any product. 'The enforcement of this law indirectly upholds the universal rights of consumers to information and choice. 'It also allows consumers to compare medicine prices, plan their healthcare spending, and avoid being overcharged. This is crucial given the rising cost of living,' he told Bernama today. He added that Malaysian consumer groups share this view, describing the new law as a crucial step towards addressing opaque pricing practices and inconsistencies between healthcare facilities that have long posed challenges for consumers. In a joint statement with the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations, the Malaysian Rural and Eco Consumer Association, Teras Pengupayaan Melayu, and the Kuala Lumpur Consumer Safety Association, Mohideen stressed that the law is a price display mechanism and should not be mistaken for price control. 'By mandating price display, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has taken a step to uphold the universal right of consumers to access information and make informed choices, allowing Malaysians to compare medicine prices, plan their healthcare budgets, and avoid excessive charges. 'Moreover, with Malaysia's medical inflation rate reaching 15 per cent, far exceeding regional and global averages, transparent price labelling is a crucial first step in curbing unjustified price increases and protecting household budgets,' he said. Regarding claims that displaying medicine prices could negatively impact doctors' income or the sustainability of private clinics, the consumer groups said such concerns were misplaced, as the policy focuses solely on medicine prices and not on healthcare professionals' fees or earnings. 'Therefore, we urge all healthcare providers to comply with the law to uphold consumer rights and public interest, while also supporting this important initiative that empowers consumers to report any non-compliance to the authorities,' he added.
New Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
Consumer groups hail drug price display law as major win
GEORGE TOWN: Consumer groups have welcomed the enforcement of a new law requiring the display of medicine prices, describing it as a major step towards transparency and accountability in Malaysia's healthcare sector. The regulation, which came into effect yesterday after more than five years of public consultation and negotiations, aims to prevent consumers from being overcharged. Advocacy leaders, including representatives from the Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) and the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA), lauded the long-awaited initiative as crucial for protecting patients from excessive pricing and ensuring fairer access to essential medicines. The new regulation, the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Drug) Order 2025, requires all private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies to clearly display the prices of all human medicines, including prescription, over-the-counter, traditional, and health supplements. Consumer protection groups said the new law was a crucial step towards addressing longstanding issues of price variation that had disadvantaged consumers. "This new law is a price display mechanism, and must not be confused with price control. It is the fundamental right of a consumer to be informed, to be heard, to choose, and to be safe in relation to the goods they consume," they said. By mandating price display, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has taken a step towards upholding consumers' universal rights to information and choice. "This enables Malaysians to compare medicine prices, plan their healthcare spending, and avoid being overcharged," they said in a joint statement. With Malaysia's medical inflation rate reaching 15 per cent — well above regional and global averages—consumer protection groups said transparent pricing was a necessary first step in curbing unjustified price hikes and protecting household budgets.
New Straits Times
22-04-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
Student's seizure in school toilet sparks renewed vape ban calls
GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has renewed its call to the Health Ministry to impose a total ban on the sales of vapes and e-cigarettes, citing their contribution to increasing social issues among students. This follows yesterday's incident where a Form Three student from a school on the outskirts of Kangar was rushed to the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital after reportedly suffering a seizure, believed to have been triggered by vaping. Preliminary investigations revealed that the student had been vaping in the school toilet with friends. However, the specific type of vape device used has yet to be identified by medical staff. CAP senior education officer and anti-smoking activist N.V. Subbarow also urged the ministry to take heed of what Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay had to say on vaping. According to him, Ayob said state governments could take action to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes or vapes, which are now contributing to the abuse of new synthetic drugs. He said the growing trend of schoolchildren, some as young as 13, being found using vapes containing drug-related substances was an issue that, if left unchecked, could pose a new national threat. Subbarow said CAP had seen many young people falling into the trap of e-cigarettes and HTPs (Heated Tobacco Products), and becoming addicted to them. He said the liquid used in these items contained many harmful chemicals, such as nicotine, glycerine, glycol and propylene, which can cause respiratory illnesses, lung cancer and heart damage. "We call on the government to take action. We also call on educators, parents, carers and the community to continue to educate the children about the risks of vaping. "More delay in imposing a total ban on these items means more vape injury incidents in schools, as seen in Kangar yesterday. "The ministry should not practice the wait and see on attitude on this issue. Do not play with the students' lives," he told the New Straits Times. Elaborating, Subbarow said e-cigarettes also carried the risk of leaking and exploding, which could cause serious burns. He said during CAP's anti-vape, e-cigarettes and smoking talk programmes, it was found that many students were addicted to this culture. He said CAP was conducting counselling for students who confessed to being addicted. "Even though students are bared from bringing these items but they still continue to do so using various tactics. "CAP's survey found that many students use toilets as their smoking and vaping area. "This was confirmed from yesterday's case in Kangar. In another incident in March last year, a Form Two student at a secondary school in the Kangar district injured his leg after falling from the first floor roof of the school building. The incident is believed to have been caused by the student becoming delusional after smoking a vape he brought to school. "It is pointless to punish students who vape in the school. We need a total ban of the items. If nobody sells them, there will be no issue," he added, noting that many teachers had reported that vaping had a significant impact on students' behaviour and was disruptive to the learning environment.
