KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) has strongly opposed the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) directive requiring general practitioner (GP) clinics to display medicine prices, warning of legal action and nationwide collective measures if the rule is enforced.
FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson refuted claims that GPs had agreed to the price display mandate in exchange for long-overdue consultation fee revisions.
“FPMPAM expresses serious concern and firm opposition to the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) decision to enforce mandatory price displays for medications in GP clinics starting May 1, 2025,” Dr Shanmugananthan said in a statement on Saturday.
“This policy does not reduce health care costs but instead risks increasing medication prices, disrupting patient care, and undermining private primary health care—a crucial pillar of Malaysia’s health system.”
Defending the role of GPs, Dr Shanmuganathan stressed that solo clinics provide affordable and accessible care, citing a 1986 MOH study that found private GP consultations cost RM28 per patient compared to RM56 at government clinics.
“GPs are not price manipulators,” he said. We prescribe based on medical necessity, affordability, and patient welfare, unlike commercial entities focused purely on profits.”
Dr Shanmuganathan further warned that enforcing price displays would increase bureaucracy and administrative burdens, diverting doctors’ attention from patient care. He added that the policy fails to address the true drivers of rising health care costs, including pharmaceutical price hikes and regulatory obstacles.
“If the government is serious about controlling health care costs, it should focus on tackling the pricing mechanisms of pharmaceutical companies and unnecessary red tape,” Dr Shanmuganathan said.
The FPMPAM also raised concerns about conflicting legal frameworks, noting that the policy could introduce dual oversight under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act (AKHAP 2011) and the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (PHFSA 1998).
Dr Shanmuganathan cautioned that the mandate could result in “backdoor” dispensing separation, which would force patients to purchase medicines from pharmacies instead of GP clinics. “This will drive up costs and delay treatment for patients who rely on GPs for both consultations and medication,” he said.
The pushback follows Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad’s announcement last Thursday that the government will revise private GP fees—unchanged for over 30 years—before mandatory drug price displays take effect on May 1. He expressed hope that once Schedule 7 of the PHFSA is revised, GP clinics would follow private hospitals in complying with the price display rule.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Mohd Ali subsequently announced that drug price displays would be enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723) from May 1 at private GP clinics, hospitals, and community pharmacies.
Armizan described the price display requirement as a “quick win” measure that does not involve significant financial costs while addressing medical inflation, which currently stands at 15 per cent in Malaysia—higher than the Asia-Pacific average of 10 per cent and the global rate of 11 per cent.
The move has sparked criticism from some GP doctors. In a post on X last Saturday, Dr Novandri Hasan Basri (@DrNovandri), a doctor at The KL Clinic, condemned government instructions encouraging the public to take photos of GP clinics that fail to display medicine prices, arguing that private clinics are being held to a different standard than hospitals.
“We hope that YBMK @DrDzul cancels this proposal (price displays) because it is clearly a double standard (Hospitals no photos, but GP clinics can be photographed). This can create misunderstandings (especially on social media), feelings of prejudice, and backlash against the medical practitioner institution in this country,” Dr Novandri posted.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) reiterated its position that medical practice should not be regulated under two separate laws.
“MMA reiterates that the regulation of the practice of medicine should not come under two separate Acts and urges that the legality of utilizing Act 723 for GPs be studied further,” said MMA’s Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira.
The group also insisted that enforcement remain solely under the Health Ministry’s jurisdiction, arguing that GP clinics should not be treated like retail businesses.
On consultation fees, MMA welcomed Dzulkefly’s announcement that the long-stagnant private GP consultation rates under Schedule 7 of the PHFSA 1998 would be revised before May 1.
“MMA has been calling for this for quite some time, especially over the last few months,” Dr Kalwinder said. “We believe an increase to a minimum of RM60 in consultation fees would be an appropriate and fair amount.”
