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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.
Malay Mail
17-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Health Ministry says private clinics must only give itemised bills if requested, after backlash over TikTok Live remarks
PUTRAJAYA, May 17 – The Health Ministry today clarified that private medical clinics are only required to provide itemised billing upon request and at no extra charge, following public confusion sparked by a recent TikTok Live session. The ministry said the right of patients to receive an itemised bill is already provided for under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services (Private Hospitals and Other Private Healthcare Facilities) Regulations 2006. 'The issuance of an itemised bill is mandatory only upon request by the patient and must be provided at no additional charge,' the ministry said in a statement here. 'This allows patients to better understand the breakdown of charges for services, treatments, and medications received.' The ministry previously held the session titled 'Myths and Facts: Medicine Price Display' on May 14 aimed to inform the public about the policy requiring private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies to display medicine prices. The ministry stressed that there has been no new policy or change regarding the current billing practices at private medical clinics. It also expressed confidence that continued cooperation from all parties would enhance the quality of healthcare services while upholding patients' rights. On Thursday, private doctors had accused the ministry of bypassing legal channels to impose new billing requirements on clinics after a controversial TikTok Live broadcast purportedly by a senior Health Ministry officer. The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) said the guidance given by Mohemmad Redzuan Mohd Rizal, a senior officer from the Pharmaceutical Services Programme (PSP), over a TikTok Live session, was inappropriate and lacked legal basis. The group stressed that doctors operate under different legislation – namely the Medical Act 1971 and the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586) – and not the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), which typically governs retail pricing and is under the purview of the Domestic Trade Ministry.
