KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Dental practitioners were the first to yield to the government’s controversial drug price display mandate for private health care facilities that came into effect today.
The Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) said in a brief statement yesterday that it stood in solidarity with the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) in opposing the mandatory display of medicine prices.
“We believe that health care should be recognised as a vital public service, rather than treated as a commercial commodity.
“In the meantime, we urge all members to comply with the law and refer to the latest Order.”
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Mohd Ali gazetted an order yesterday under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723) that requires a display of the prices of all medicines for human use in private health care facilities and community pharmacies.
The price display mandate includes medicines that are “not displayed for sale”, but are “sold, supplied or administered” to consumers. Drug price lists can be displayed in physical form or on an electronic device.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is in charge of enforcing price transparency, assisted by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN). Contraventions of the KPDN order are punishable with a maximum RM100,000 fine for corporate bodies.
In a Facebook post, an MDA member said the medicine price display order appeared to be inconsistent with Section 19(1) of the Poisons Act 1952 (Act 366) that prohibits registered medical practitioners and dentists from selling, supplying or administering poisons, except to their own patients and only for purposes of treatment.
The MDA member also cited the Federal Court’s landmark ruling this year in Government of Malaysia & Anor v. Dr Vijaendreh a/l Subramaniam & Anor, in which the apex court upheld the right of medical doctors to prescribe and dispense ivermectin.
MMA announced yesterday that it would organise a march in Putrajaya next Tuesday to protest against the drug price display mandate.
The country’s largest doctors’ association accused the government of unilaterally imposing medicine price displays without engaging the medical fraternity, as it called for a suspension of the mandate at private clinics.
