The Association of Digital Health Malaysia (DHM) notes the recent Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) directive on medical certificates issued through teleconsultations with thoughtful attention.
As an organisation representing clinicians, health-tech leaders, digital health innovators, and ecosystem partners, we fully acknowledge and respect MMC’s mandate to safeguard patient safety and uphold professional standards.
At the same time, we believe the discussion around this issue should be framed in a broader context, one that recognises the evolving landscape of health care delivery in Malaysia and the substantial advancements the nation has achieved in digital health over the past decade.
For years, Malaysia has been steadily moving toward a more modern, integrated model of health care, one that blends physical and digital services to serve patients efficiently, equitably and safely.
Telemedicine is no longer an experimental pilot, but has become an essential layer of the health care system. It is used daily by corporate employees, rural families, gig workers, chronic disease patients, the elderly, and individuals seeking access after hours or during mobility constraints.
Digital medical records, e-prescriptions, home monitoring, virtual triage, and pharmacy-driven care pathways have all contributed to improving continuity-of-care and reducing the burden on overcrowded public facilities.
DHM has consistently advocated for a responsible, clinically governed digital health ecosystem, not an unregulated one. Over the years, our association has actively collaborated with clinicians, digital health providers, researchers, and industry experts to promote safe telehealth practices, digital identity verification, clinical documentation standards, red-flag triage protocols, integration with physical care, and appropriate referral mechanisms.
Our stance has been consistent: digital health should augment, not replace traditional clinical care. It should expand accessibility while maintaining the integrity, professionalism, and ethics of the medical practice in Malaysia.
It is important to acknowledge that there have indeed been abuses involving digital MCs. DHM does not condone any model that prioritises speed, convenience, or volume at the expense of clinical quality.
We support MMC’s intent to curb irresponsible practices. However, we are concerned that a blanket prohibition on digital MCs through teleconsultation, without a clear framework to distinguish safe, ethical providers from irresponsible actors, may inadvertently undermine legitimate care pathways that Malaysians have come to rely on.
Many patients use teleconsultation as their point of contact because of distance, mobility issues, work commitments, financial constraints, or limited access to physical clinics.
To shut down digital MCs through teleconsultation entirely risks compromising continuity-of-care rather than improving it. We need clear, enforceable standards that differentiate ethical clinical practice from unsafe shortcuts.
We also note recent public remarks suggesting that telemedicine is inherently unsafe or unsuitable for assessing first-time patients. While these concerns stem from genuine clinical frustrations, they risk creating fear and misunderstanding among the public and policymakers.
Telemedicine is not a one-size-fits-all solution and should never be practised without clinical judgement or accountability. But it is equally true that teleconsultation, when practiced responsibly, has helped millions of Malaysians receive timely care, especially those in underserved or remote areas.
The issue is not teleconsultation itself; it is the absence of a national framework that defines what its appropriate, safe, and clinically justified use is.
The issues involving digital MCs revolve around ethics, governance, surveillance, and enforcement, which also affect other aspects of digital health implementation encountered previously, such as e-prescriptions.
This has to be addressed through a multi-prong approach. An indiscriminate prohibition of its use is akin to covering a wound with a cloth, instead of treating it.
DHM firmly believes that the path forward should be collaborative, consultative, and anchored in Malaysian realities. We urge MMC, the Ministry of Health (MOH), professional bodies, and digital health stakeholders to work together to develop a clear, evidence-based guideline that governs teleconsultation practices:
- When digital MCs through teleconsultations are clinically appropriate.
- How digital MCs through teleconsultation should be documented, verified, authenticated, and audited.
- The standards teleconsultation providers must meet to operate responsibly.
- How patient identity, doctor identity, and digital signatures should be enforced.
- To put in place a robust governance and surveillance structure to analyse and identify outliers.
- Strict enforcement.
This is the future of health care, not a competition between digital and physical care, but a thoughtful integration of both. If we are able to provide a proper governance, surveillance and enforcement structure, Malaysia has the potential to lead Asean in digital health, but only if our policies evolve in tandem with patient needs and technological capabilities.
We reaffirm our respect for MMC’s regulatory role and share the commitment to uphold the highest standards of medical professionalism.
At the same time, we stress that progress and safety are not mutually exclusive. Malaysia cannot afford to regress at the very moment when digital health has become an essential backbone for accessibility, workforce productivity, chronic disease management, and rural health inclusion.
DHM intends to reach out to MMC to engage constructively on this matter. We hope MMC is open to DHM’s support to develop a robust, future-ready framework that safeguards patient safety while enabling Malaysia to continue advancing in digital health.
This statement was issued by DHM president Prof Dr Wong Chee Piau.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
