PUTRAJAYA, May 6 — A top Ministry of Health (MOH) official has stressed the importance of patients listening to their doctor instead of seeking the cheapest treatments based on a price list.
The May 1 roll-out of a drug price display mandate for private health care facilities and community pharmacies triggered broad anti-doctor sentiment on social media. Many Malaysians accused doctors of “profiteering”, with some touting “shopping” for medicines online or getting cheaper drugs from pharmacies that supposedly “provide” prescriptions.
“On prescription, medication, at the end of the day, you have to trust your doctors because they know your condition,” MOH deputy director-general of health (pharmaceutical services) Azuana Ramli told CodeBlue at the sidelines of a joint media briefing with the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) last Friday on medicine price display.
“I’m not a medical doctor; I’m a pharmacist. But I must stress this – it is important to listen to your doctor who has looked at your condition, who knows what is best to prescribe for you.
“So, at the end of the day, it’s about the professional advice that you get from your doctor. The bottom line is – it’s back to the person who attends to you, the professional that attends to you.
“That is the person you should listen to, rather than the price. The price is secondary. When you choose the medicine, the price is secondary; it’s choosing the medication that is right for your condition.”
MOH officials clarified that while the new drug price display policy promotes transparency, clinical decisions — including the choice of medication — remain solely with the doctor. Patients cannot insist on cheaper alternatives if a specific brand has been prescribed.
“For example, if a doctor writes a prescription for Crestor — which is the brand name for rosuvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering medicine — then the pharmacist must dispense Crestor,” Azuana said.
“They cannot change it. The pharmacist must follow what the doctor prescribes because the law requires that.
“However, if the doctor writes the generic name ‘rosuvastatin’, when the patient goes to the pharmacy, the pharmacist can give any brand, including a generic. So patients can get the cheaper ones if the prescription isn’t brand-specific.
“What patients can do is tell their doctor, ‘Doctor, can you prescribe me with generics?’ So the pharmacist doesn’t have to dispense Crestor. It’s complicated because for some treatments, the doctor may need to stick with a specific brand like Crestor.
“With price display, if there are similar medicines with different price ranges, the patient can ask the doctor if they can be prescribed the cheaper option. That’s the advantage of having price displays. The main point is, you should discuss it with your doctor,” she added.
Mohd Zawawi Abdullah, director of the Pharmacy Enforcement Division under MOH, encouraged patients to engage with their doctors about costs, but ultimately, clinical discretion lies with the registered medical practitioner.
“Without a doctor’s prescription, the pharmacy cannot dispense the medicine,” Zawawi said. “The power to prescribe remains with the doctor.”
“On whether a patient can refuse a prescription and obtain medication directly from the pharmacy, the Poisons Act also clearly states that any poison listed in Group B requires a prescription from a doctor, even if purchased at a pharmacy,” he told CodeBlue.
“This means pharmacies cannot sell these medicines without a prescription. If they do, they are committing an offence under the Poisons Act. We welcome reports if this happens. They can inform pharmacy enforcement authorities.”
