KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) has approved 10,088 annual practising certificate (APC) applications as of 8am today out of 13,603 applications pending approval as of last December 31.
MMC also announced that it has reviewed all the outstanding 3,515 APC applications and requested applicants to update their information or address queries.
From January 1 to December 31, the regulator approved 70,274 APC applications.
“Practitioners are advised to check the status of their applications on the MeRITS system regularly, as those who have received queries are required to respond and complete the necessary updates promptly to enable the MMC to finalise the approval process without further delay,” said the MMC in a statement today.
“The MMC remains committed to ensuring that all APC applications are processed within the stipulated timeframe, subject to compliance with the requirements and the completeness of documents submitted by medical practitioners.
“At the same time, internal improvement measures are being implemented to enhance system efficiency and to prevent the recurrence of similar issues in the future.
“The MMC appreciates the patience and cooperation of medical practitioners throughout this period. Our priority is to ensure the continuity of legally valid medical practice and to safeguard professional protection for all medical practitioners in Malaysia.”
The 13,603 APC applications pending approval as of December 31 comprised 16 per cent of 83,877 applications submitted by that date. The outstanding 3,515 applications today make up about 4 per cent of the total applications submitted by December 31.
In a January 3 statement, the MMC announced that medical practitioners who complied with requirements and submitted a complete application for their 2026 APC by December 31, 2025, would be permitted to practise medicine pending issuance of their certificate.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad also announced that the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Private Medical Practice Control Section (CKAPS) would not take action against private health care facilities that engage doctors who practise pending their 2026 APC.
The Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia (PhAMA), which represents multinational drug makers, initially told CodeBlue that its member companies would not sell their products to doctors without a valid APC.
But the trade group later told The Star that practitioners who send “evidence” of timely APC application can place drug orders, following intervention from the MOH.
MMC’s statement today did not specify if the 3,515 medical practitioners with outstanding APC applications had “complied with requirements”, beyond merely saying that they were asked to “update information or resolve queries”.
The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) has warned that a prolonged APC delay could cause issues with health insurers’ guarantee letters (GLs) due to compliance concerns.
Patient advocate Manvir Victor condemned the MMC’s decision to allow doctors to practise without a valid APC, saying that this puts patient safety at risk.
Section 20(7) of the Medical Act 1971 doesn’t only prohibit medical practitioners from practising medicine, surgery, or obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) without a valid APC, but also expressly prohibits such doctors from recovering any fee or cost incurred during the time without the certificate.
