KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) has prohibited doctors from issuing medical sick certificates (MCs) to patients after performing only a virtual consultation (teleconsultation).
In a September 23 notification, the regulator of the medical profession highlighted its previous 2022 FAQ that said MCs should only be issued after a registered medical practitioner has performed an appropriate consultation with the patient, including history taking, physical examination, and investigation where necessary.
“The MMC has decided that the issuance of the Medical Sick Certificate solely following a virtual consultation (teleconsultation) is NOT ALLOWED,” said the MMC.
“Failure to comply with this directive may result in the Registered Medical Practitioner being subjected to disciplinary procedures by the MMC.”
In an immediate response, Heydoc Health founder and chief executive officer Dr Raymond Choy acknowledged the ban by MMC.
“Telemedicine has never been intended to replace physical care, nor should it be seen as its adversary. Ultimately, this is not a debate about ‘physical versus tech’, but about how we integrate both modalities safely, responsibly, and effectively,” said Dr Choy in an op-ed to CodeBlue.
The Malaysian telemedicine provider highlighted Singapore’s DigiMC framework, which has been in place for more than five years, as an example of how digital MCs could be issued safely when supported by strong governance, authentication, QR verification, and national-level audit trails.
“Malaysia need not replicate Singapore, but their success shows that the issue is not whether digital MCs are inherently problematic — it is whether the ecosystem has a clear regulatory structure,” said Dr Choy.
“A blanket prohibition risks suppressing responsible innovation and inadvertently penalising providers who have long practised with strong clinical governance.
“Furthermore, digital MCs — when appropriately regulated — offer practical benefits. They can reduce unnecessary clinic visits, improve workforce productivity, ease overcrowding in primary care, and help manage rising health care costs and inflation.”
Dr Choy said these savings ultimately benefited employers, insurers, and patients.
“In a health care system under financial pressure, dismissing these potential gains may be counterproductive.”
