This year’s Doctors’ Day message by Dr. Steven Chow, the founding chairman of DrsDay Malaysia, reflects the same concerns that the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) has consistently raised — that unregulated TPAs and corporate interference threaten both patient safety and professional integrity.
As president of FPMPAM, I echo this call: doctors, workers, and consumers must stand united to demand reforms that protect patients’ rights, safeguard clinics, and preserve ethical medical care in Malaysia.”
The challenges we face are escalating.
Unregulated third-party administrators (TPAs) and managed care organisations (MCOs) continue to interfere with clinical judgment, ration care, and undermine the sanctity of the doctor–patient relationship. This is unethical, unlawful, and dangerous to patient safety.
Frozen consultation fees for more than 30 years have crippled clinic viability, forcing the introduction of the regulatory compliance charge (RCC) simply to sustain basic operations.
Rising costs — compliance, staff, indemnity, sales and service tax (SST) — are pushing many clinics to the brink of closure.
Foreign equity and corporate ownership are reshaping primary care with little assurance that patients’ interests remain central.
Government reluctance to decisively address these issues leaves doctors and patients vulnerable, despite repeated petitions, press appeals, and now judicial reviews.
Still, our fraternity has not been silent.
The judicial review on mandatory drug price display is underway.
We have kept critical issues alive in the media.
Our DrsForAll outreach continues to serve marginalised communities.
Our state societies stand strong and visible across the country.
The time for polite appeals is past. We must raise our voices — together with workers, unions, and consumer groups — to demand a health care system that protects patients’ rights, doctors’ integrity, and the survival of private practice in Malaysia.
Technology and self-care will continue to evolve, but nothing can replace the trust between a patient and their doctor. That trust must not be sacrificed on the altar of profit or corporate convenience.
On this Doctors’ Day, let us remember:
We are stronger when united.
We must resist unlawful interference.
We must fight for patients’ rights and for the dignity of our profession.
In our heart, the patient matters — and we will not compromise.
Happy Doctors’ Day.
This statement was issued by FPMPAM president Dr Shanmuganathan Ganeson.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
