KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 — The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) today told its member general practitioners (GPs) to individually determine their own regulatory compliance charge (RCC).
At a meeting with the Malaysia Competition Commission’s (MyCC) enforcement and investigation division last December 9 – coincidentally, the same day as the Malaysian Medical Association’s (MMA) Black Monday protest for GP rights – the regulator told FPMPAM that fixing an RCC rate contravened Section 4 of the Competition Act 2010 that prohibits price fixing.
“We are advised that GPs should individually determine their own rate in keeping with their cost for providing their service, including the cost of compliance,” FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson said in a statement.
“In light of this, FPMPAM strongly advised all private practitioners to independently determine charges that reflect their actual operational costs. As always, FPMPAM remains committed to supporting our members in navigating these challenges and advocating for fair and equitable policies that ensure the viability of private practice and the wellbeing of our patients.”
FPMPAM’s November 18 press statement advised members to charge a “minimum” RM20 for the RCC as a start, after the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced a drug price display mandate for private GP clinics and hospitals beginning next year.
“It is a concern to them [MyCC] that we imposed RM20 as a fit-all approach, since there are variations in the operational cost of different clinics based on location or size, i.e. small clinics might not have the same operational costs as bigger clinics. So one clinic may impose, say RM5, another say RM30,” Dr Shanmuganathan told CodeBlue.
He added that MyCC allows GP clinics to charge different quantums instead; FPMPAM was also told not to name the fee “RCC”.
Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni previously told reporters that GP clinics are allowed, under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586), to charge the RCC; he simply urged doctors not to “overcharge”.
Both FPMPAM and MMA oppose MOH’s new requirement for GP clinics to display medicine prices, describing it as yet another regulatory burden on struggling GP practices, while consultation fees have stagnated for more than two decades.
MMA president Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira told CodeBlue that at a recent meeting with Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad and other MOH officials, the health minister promised to review the 7th Schedule of Act 586 to raise GPs’ consultation fees that have stagnated for more than two decades at RM10 to RM35. Dzulkefly did not issue a statement on the matter after his meeting with MMA.
“During the same meeting with the health minister and other top MOH officials, we acknowledged the health minister’s explanation on the ministry’s reasons for the price transparency move, including its legal standing, and were informed that price transparency was the policy of the government. MOH will have a stakeholder engagement soon to explain and clarify the details on the implementation,” said Dr Kalwinder.
An MOH official told CodeBlue that the ministry will proceed with its drug price display mandate for private clinics and hospitals next year.
