Latest news with #DrShanmuganathan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Private clinics accuse health minister of ‘complicity or absence' in face of NACCOL ‘overreach'
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) has accused the health minister of failing to defend doctors against policy overreach by the National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL). FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan Ganeson criticised Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad for keeping silent when the deputy minister of domestic trade and cost of living cited NACCOL's 'mandate' in Parliament to justify new rules for private clinics. 'These were policy suggestions, not legally binding directives, but the way they were presented has caused widespread confusion,' Dr Shanmuganathan said in a statement. He said the minister's failure to speak up during NACCOL meetings showed either 'complicity or absence' in protecting the medical profession. 'The full responsibility — and the failure — lies with the minister of health himself,' he said. FPMPAM also criticised the government for pushing mandatory drug price displays and prescriptions without proper legal authority or consultation. Dr Shanmuganathan said clinical decisions such as issuing prescriptions or itemised billing fall under the Ministry of Health and Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), not NACCOL. He argued that forced itemised billing could increase healthcare costs for patients. 'We are not NACCOL's subjects. We are the custodians of patient care,' he said. The association then demanded that the minister publicly state his position and take steps to restore trust among private medical professionals.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Private clinics accuse health minister of ‘complicity or absence' in face of NACCOL ‘overreach'
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) has accused the health minister of failing to defend doctors against policy overreach by the National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL). FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan Ganeson criticised Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad for keeping silent when the deputy minister of domestic trade and cost of living cited NACCOL's 'mandate' in Parliament to justify new rules for private clinics. 'These were policy suggestions, not legally binding directives, but the way they were presented has caused widespread confusion,' Dr Shanmuganathan said in a statement. He said the minister's failure to speak up during NACCOL meetings showed either 'complicity or absence' in protecting the medical profession. 'The full responsibility — and the failure — lies with the minister of health himself,' he said. FPMPAM also criticised the government for pushing mandatory drug price displays and prescriptions without proper legal authority or consultation. Dr Shanmuganathan said clinical decisions such as issuing prescriptions or itemised billing fall under the Ministry of Health and Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), not NACCOL. He argued that forced itemised billing could increase healthcare costs for patients. 'We are not NACCOL's subjects. We are the custodians of patient care,' he said. The association then demanded that the minister publicly state his position and take steps to restore trust among private medical professionals.
Malay Mail
29-06-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
SST on outpatient care for foreign workers could backfire, say private GPs pushing for urgent exemption
KUCHING, June 29 — The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) has proposed for the government to fully exempt primary care services for foreign workers from the Sales and Services Tax (SST). FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan Ganeson said that as an alternative, the government could implement a temporary moratorium on the tax to allow time to explore a fair and sustainable healthcare financing mechanism. 'We have formally submitted an appeal to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), urging an urgent exemption from the upcoming six per cent SST on primary healthcare services provided to foreign workers, scheduled to take effect on July 1,' he said in a statement. Dr Shanmuganathan said although the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomena) screenings remained exempt, many foreign workers would still require outpatient care for common illnesses, injuries, and chronic conditions — essential services typically paid for out-of-pocket by the workers themselves, or arranged through employer or Third-Party Administrator (TPA) programmes. Under the new SST rules, such services would be taxed once a clinic's annual revenue exceeds RM1.5 million. Dr Shanmuganathan said: 'The foreign workers are already vulnerable and underserved, and the SST to basic medical treatment risks deterring them from seeking timely care, delaying diagnosis, and ultimately compromising public health. 'We are also concerned about the eight per cent SST on commercial property rentals, which would further escalate operating costs for clinics renting shoplots, medical suites, or office units. 'These taxes compound the strain on solo and small-group practices that have seen no fee adjustments for decades.' Dr Shanmuganathan also highlighted that the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM) recently called for a broader reassessment of the SST expansion, citing its potential to harm the business environment and consumers. 'FPMPAM echoes this concern, urging the MoF to prioritise public health and service sustainability. 'FPMPAM also notes a policy anomaly where beauticians and cosmeticians, which are not related to essential health, now have no tax, whilst tax is imposed for essential health and medical services.' Nonetheless, Dr Shanmuganathan said the federation stood ready to work with the MoF to ensure that tax policies would not inadvertently undermine access to essential healthcare or threaten the survival of community clinics. — The Borneo Post
Free Malaysia Today
17-05-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
No policy change on itemised billing, says health ministry
The health ministry said itemised billing is only required if requested by patients, as outlined under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998. PETALING JAYA : The health ministry has confirmed that there are no new policy changes regarding itemised billing for private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies. The clarification follows confusion caused by a ministry officer's comments during a TikTok Live session, where private general practitioners (GPs) and specialist clinics were told to issue itemised bills. In a statement, the ministry explained that itemised billing is only required if requested by patients, as outlined under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998. 'Patients have the right to request an itemised bill, which must be provided without additional charges,' said the ministry. 'This helps patients understand the breakdown of charges for services, treatments and medications.' On May 15, the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) criticised the ministry for issuing instructions through social media. During the TikTok session, Redzuan Rizal, a senior officer with the ministry's pharmaceutical services division, said patients were entitled to clear information on healthcare charges. He also encouraged clinics to issue itemised bills, aligning with the mandatory drug price display rule introduced on May 1. FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson had called the statement an 'overreach,' stressing that no formal directive or legal amendment had been made. He added that billing falls under clinical governance, not the pharmaceutical division, and noted that itemised bills were already available on request.
Free Malaysia Today
15-05-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Stop giving instructions through social media, private GPs tell health ministry
The private doctors' group said that unbundling services to comply with forced itemised billing could drive up costs for patients. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A private doctors' group has called on the health ministry to stop issuing instructions to medical practitioners through social media. This follows a TikTok Live session in which Redzuan Rizal, a senior officer with the ministry's pharmaceutical services programme, instructed private general practitioners (GPs) and specialist clinics to implement itemised billing. The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) described the announcement as 'a gross overreach' made without any formal directive, circular, or legal amendment. 'It disregards the established regulatory framework that governs private medical practice in Malaysia,' its president, Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson, said in a statement today. 'Doctors are not retailers. We are licensed under the Medical Act 1971 and regulated by the Malaysian Medical Council, while private medical clinics fall under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586), not the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723).' Shanmuganathan said billing matters fall under clinical governance, not pharmaceutical jurisdiction, and pointed out that itemised bills are already available upon request under existing guidelines. He warned that enforcing itemised billing without a clear legal mandate could force clinics to break down charges for every tool, consumable and procedure — driving up costs for patients. In the TikTok session on the @MyHealthKKM channel, Redzuan reportedly said patients have the right to detailed information about the charges imposed on them. He encouraged clinics to issue detailed bills in line with the mandatory display of drug prices that took effect on May 1. The rule has received pushback from various doctors' groups that have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office. In their memorandum, the GPs demanded that the government remove private clinics from the purview of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act and review the consultation fees of GPs. The health ministry had said the use of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act for drug price displays aimed to promote transparency and affordability, not disrupt the work of private GPs.
