The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations’ (Fomca) recent pronouncements on mandatory prescriptions and itemised billing expose a fundamental misunderstanding of health care and unfairly target doctors. Transparency is welcome—misrepresentation is not.
Patient Rights Are Not Consumer Rights, Stop Mixing Them Up
When a person walks into a clinic or hospital, they are not “consumers” buying a product; they are patients seeking professional medical care.
Consumer rights relate to goods and services where buyers can compare brands, bargain prices, or return defective items. Patient rights involve dignity, safety, confidentiality, and the right to appropriate treatment, not shopping privileges.
By reducing the patient-doctor relationship to a mere transaction, Fomca disrespects the medical profession and risks encouraging a dangerous commodification of health care.
The Real Duty-Bearer For Public Health Is The Government
If Fomca truly champions the public’s health issue, it should direct its scrutiny at the Ministry of Health (MOH), whose primary duty is to ensure affordable, accessible health care for all Malaysians.
Private clinics and hospitals are supplementary to the government’s system, not the main provider. The growth of private clinics is often a direct reflection of gaps and failures in the public health care system such as long wait times, overcrowding, and underfunded facilities.
Instead of over-regulating an already well-regulated private sector, Fomca should confront the systemic shortcomings of MOH’s planning and resource allocation. Targeting private practitioners while ignoring government responsibility is not just unbalanced; it’s irresponsible!
Misleading Fee Inflation Claims Must Stop
Fomca’s repeated claim of a 113.9 per cent increase in general practitioner (GP) consultation fees is factually wrong.
GP consultation fees remain capped at between RM10 and RM35 under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 and it is unchanged for over 30 years.
Higher bills come from rising compliance and administrative costs due to government regulations, investments in modern technology and equipment, and the overall high cost of living; it is not from the consultation fee alone.
The truth matters. Inflated figures and half-truths erode public trust and discredit any form of genuine advocacy.
Private Doctors Already Practise Transparency Responsibly
Prescriptions and itemised bills are already provided upon request by practitioners. Making them mandatory for every case will only create pointless paperwork, slow down patient care, and add no real value for the majority who choose to obtain medicines directly from their doctor.
Who Funds Fomca? The Public Deserves to Know
Before positioning itself as the ultimate voice of the consumers, Fomca must answer: where does its funding come from? How much of it comes from public funds, grants, or taxpayer money?
How is it justified that a consumer association can hire and maintain a CEO position instead of channelling funds directly into grassroots consumer education and advocacy?
Accountability starts at home. If Fomca demands transparency from others, it must lead by example and publicly disclose its own finances, salaries, and operational spending.
Final Word
Fomca’s campaign has shown selective truth-telling, misplaced blame, and questionable priorities. If they cannot present facts accurately, hold the real duty-bearers accountable, or be transparent about their own operations, then their pronouncements on health care carry no moral authority.
Until Fomca answers these questions, the public should treat its statements with caution and demand the same level of scrutiny it imposes on others.
This statement was issued by Dr Eugene Chooi, president of the Private Medical Practitioners Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (PMPASKL).
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
