KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Doctors’ associations and other medical groups are collectively fighting a looming mandate to display medicine prices at private general practitioner (GP) clinics, hospitals, and community pharmacies.
CodeBlue understands that 10 medical associations held a meeting at the Malaysian Medical Association’s (MMA) headquarters at MMA House here last Saturday to discuss the May 1 drug price display mandate by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
The 10 groups are MMA, the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM), Organisation of Malaysian Muslim Doctors (Perdim), Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia (MPCAM), Academy of Family Physicians Malaysia (AFPM), Association of Private Practitioners Sabah (APPS), Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM), Association of Specialists in Private Medical Practice (ASPMP), Malaysian Association of Advancement of Functional & lnterdisciplinary Medicine (MAAFIM), and Society of Private Medical Practitioners Sarawak (SPMPS).
“All medical NGOs (non-governmental organisations) agree to oppose the implementation of price displays and strongly object to the use of Act 723 (Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011) for the purposes of enforcing the price display policy,” Perdim president Dr Boi Saidi Abd Razak wrote on his Facebook page Saturday.
“All medical NGOs agree that whatever new policies involving private clinics must remain under Act 586 (Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998).
“All NGOs also appeal to the MOH to always be transparent in introducing new policies and to continue actively meeting stakeholders before enforcing any policy.”
Perdim suggested getting a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, besides holding a press conference and asking MPs to bring the issue to Parliament.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Mohd Ali told reporters last month that the mandatory display of drug prices at private health care facilities will be enforced under Act 723 starting May 1.
He claimed that Act 723 empowers the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) to mandate price displays for goods and services, including those provided by health care facilities. The government argues that price transparency can help curb medical inflation.
Armizan said KPDN is waiting for the MOH to finalise the draft order for medicine price displays. Orders gazetted by ministers do not need parliamentary approval.
Act 586, which is under the MOH, regulates the standards for private health care facilities and services. The only charges controlled under Act 586 are doctors’ fees.
“The use of Act 723 will cause private clinics to be monitored under KPDN and lead to the price display policy for private clinics to be regulated by two different Acts and involve two agencies, the MOH and KPDN,” said Dr Boi Saidi.
“This conflict in powers will complicate the governance and administrative process of private clinics. The conflict in Acts will also cause enforcement authorities (KPDN and MOH) to fail to understand the method in policy implementation.”
MMA president elect Dr R. Arasu and FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson told CodeBlue that medical groups will issue a joint statement on the medicine price display mandate soon.
FPMPAM previously threatened to file a judicial review if Anwar’s administration proceeds with mandating drug price displays at GP clinics.
Correction: The second-last paragraph has been corrected to state Dr R. Arasu’s designation as MMA president elect, not honorary general secretary as mistakenly reported earlier.