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Free Malaysia Today
06-05-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Don't compare us with retailers, GPs tell govt
MMA president-elect Dr R Thirunavukarasu addressing general practitioners outside Perdana Putra. PUTRAJAYA : Doctors have urged the government not to compare professional services like private general practitioners (GPs) with retailers and sundry shops in implementing the mandatory display of drug prices. Speaking at a gathering of over 400 GPs near Perdana Putra here, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president-elect Dr R Thirunavukarasu reiterated that the new rule should be enforced under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998. 'Doctors provide professional services, they have to go through five to six years of medical school, two years of housemanship, and compulsory public service, which means it would take up to 10 years before they can open a clinic of their own. 'Additionally, there's a process for patients to be treated – they have to be registered, consult the doctor, and do a physical test before medicine is given. 'You can't compare professional medical services with opening a grocery store,' he said after entering Perdana Putra with nine other representatives to submit a memorandum on the issue to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). In their memorandum, the GPs demanded that the government remove private clinics from the purview of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and review the consultation fees of GPs. Consultation fees have remained unchanged for the last 30 years. They also want the health ministry to regulate third-party administrators' control over private clinics and reassess foreign ownership in the healthcare sector. Earlier, more than 200 doctors and private GPs gathered near the PMO to protest the mandatory display of drug prices under a law unrelated to the health sector. The number of participants swelled to over 400 over the course of the day, although the head of MMA's private general medical practitioners section, Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh, claimed that more than 600 doctors were present. They were initially going to march from the health ministry's headquarters to the PMO, but it is understood that they decided to gather at Perdana Putra directly as some participants were elderly. The health ministry previously announced that medicine price displays at clinics would be mandatory from May 1. The ministry said it would not impose fines or take action during the first three months of the new rule, to educate the public and monitor the policy's implementation.
Daily Express
06-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Express
Over 200 doctors gather near PMO over drug price display rule
Published on: Tuesday, May 06, 2025 Published on: Tue, May 06, 2025 By: Howard Tsen, FMT Text Size: The doctors started gathering at Laman Perdana near Perdana Putra at about 9.30am while a representative is expected to submit a memorandum to the PMO. PUTRAJAYA: More than 200 doctors and private general practitioners (GPs) have gathered near the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) here to protest the mandatory display of drug prices under a law unrelated to the health sector. The doctors started gathering at Laman Perdana near Perdana Putra at about 9.30am, holding signs that read, 'Healthcare workers are undervalued', 'Unfair policies keep current and future doctors away', and 'Doctors have families, too'. Ten representatives were escorted into the building to submit a memorandum at around 10.30am. They were initially going to march from the health ministry's headquarters to the PMO, but it is understood that they decided to gather at Perdana Putra directly as some participants are elderly. The protest is organised by the Malaysian Medical Association's (MMA) private general medical practitioners section. Its chairman, Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh, said the protesters present included doctors from Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan, as well as some who flew in from Sabah and Sarawak. MMA has repeatedly said that it is not against the mandatory drug price display rule in itself but its implementation under a non-health related law. The doctors argue that the rule should fall under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998, not the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011. MMA president Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira also said health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad had promised that the price display rule would only be implemented after a review of GP consultation fees. Consultation fees have remained unchanged for the last 30 years. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Doctors not against mandatory price display, object to use under Act 723
PETALING JAYA: Doctors are not against price transparency for medicines but object to the enforcement of the recent mandatory price labelling move under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said in a statement today. Ahead of the planned march from the Health Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Tuesday, titled 'Doctors Betrayed: The Long Walk to Putrajaya, MMA's Private Practitioners Section (PPS) chairman Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh said the symbolic walk aims to express the medical fraternity's deep disappointment over the application of Act 723 — a law not originally intended for the medical profession. The march would highlight concerns about the various unanswered questions on the medicine price display and the unresolved issue of stagnant private general practitioner consultation fees, a longstanding issue since 1992. 'We wish to reiterate that doctors are not against price transparency but strongly oppose Act 723 being used in the medical profession,' he said in a statement. Dr Parmjit said the march would go ahead as planned if there are no objections, as MMA have submitted all necessary documents to inform the relevant authorities about the gathering. He said a memorandum will be handed over to the PMO through a joint effort between the association and other doctors' associations during the march. Last week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced that the mandatory price labelling would take effect on May 1. In a joint statement, they said the move aims to ensure the public can make informed choices by knowing, comparing, and selecting the best prices when managing their medication expenses. 'This initiative is being introduced in line with the Madani Government's commitment to promoting price transparency through the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU). 'It will be enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Medicines) Order 2025, pursuant to the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723),' they said. The price labelling requirement applies to all medicines for human use, including prescription and non-prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, traditional remedies, health supplements, and extemporaneous preparations. It covers all private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies regulated under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 [Act 586] that sell, supply, or administer medicines. Following this, MMA called for the suspension of the policy's rollout to ensure that the association's concerns were adequately discussed and resolved.
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Doctors not against mandatory price display
PETALING JAYA: Doctors are not against price transparency for medicines but object to the enforcement of the recent mandatory price labelling move under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said in a statement today. Ahead of the planned march from the Health Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Tuesday, titled 'Doctors Betrayed: The Long Walk to Putrajaya, MMA's Private Practitioners Section (PPS) chairman Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh said the symbolic walk aims to express the medical fraternity's deep disappointment over the application of Act 723 — a law not originally intended for the medical profession. The march would highlight concerns about the various unanswered questions on the medicine price display and the unresolved issue of stagnant private general practitioner consultation fees, a longstanding issue since 1992. 'We wish to reiterate that doctors are not against price transparency but strongly oppose Act 723 being used in the medical profession,' he said in a statement. Dr Parmjit said the march would go ahead as planned if there are no objections, as MMA have submitted all necessary documents to inform the relevant authorities about the gathering. He said a memorandum will be handed over to the PMO through a joint effort between the association and other doctors' associations during the march. Last week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced that the mandatory price labelling would take effect on May 1. In a joint statement, they said the move aims to ensure the public can make informed choices by knowing, comparing, and selecting the best prices when managing their medication expenses. 'This initiative is being introduced in line with the Madani Government's commitment to promoting price transparency through the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU). 'It will be enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Medicines) Order 2025, pursuant to the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723),' they said. The price labelling requirement applies to all medicines for human use, including prescription and non-prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, traditional remedies, health supplements, and extemporaneous preparations. It covers all private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies regulated under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 [Act 586] that sell, supply, or administer medicines. Following this, MMA called for the suspension of the policy's rollout to ensure that the association's concerns were adequately discussed and resolved.
Malay Mail
04-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
‘Not against transparency, but against Act 723': MMA confirms private doctors' march on Tuesday
PUTRAJAYA, May 4 — The Malaysian Medical Association's (MMA) today said that it has submitted to authorities the necessary documents for its protest walk scheduled on May 6 in Putrajaya. MMA private practitioners section chairman Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh said the walk, which addresses the government's new medicine price transparency policy, will proceed lawfully unless objections arise. 'We wish to reiterate that doctors are not against price transparency but are strongly opposed to Act 723 being used on the medical profession,' he said in a statement today. He said that the gathering will be attended by other doctors' associations and will culminate in the handing over of a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office. MMA had previously said that it was against the use of a non-medical act — the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723) — on medical practitioners. It said that it preferred medicine price transparency laws to be put under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586). The protest is also set to address the 33-year stagnation of private general practitioner (GP) consultation fees. The mandatory display of medicine prices at private healthcare facilities, enforced under Act 723, came into effect on May 1, following a joint announcement by the Health Ministry and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry.
