KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — PMCare Sdn Bhd has assured its existing panel doctors that it will continue to pay their claims pending issuance of their 2026 annual practising certificate (APC).
The country’s oldest third-party administrator (TPA) – which counts some 7,300 panel providers, including nearly 5,300 general practitioner (GP) clinics – noted that many doctors have complied “in good faith” with APC renewal requirements, amid approval delays by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).
“In line with MMC’s position and to ensure continuity of patient care, PMCare will continue to honour claims for services rendered by practitioners who have submitted complete APC applications on time and are otherwise permitted to practise, notwithstanding the temporary delay in certificate issuance,” PMCare chief executive officer Kamal Aryf Baharuddin told CodeBlue.
“Hopefully, this approach balances patient access, fairness to doctors, and PMCare’s legal and governance responsibilities, while we continue to monitor regulatory developments closely.”
He said, however, that medical practitioners who wish to join PMCare’s panel must have a valid APC.
Kamal added that problems with APC renewal aren’t new, with some doctors only receiving their certificate as late as March or even June, even though a valid APC is a statutory requirement under the Medical Act 1971 for medical practitioners to practise and to charge fees for their services.
“This issue is not the first time. Usually by March or latest by June, the doctor will be able to share their APC with us,” he told CodeBlue.
“Hence, our yearly practice is to remind the doctors to submit their renewed APCs to us not later than March 31.”
IHH Healthcare Malaysia CEO Dr Kamal Amzan similarly told CodeBlue that APC issuance delays have occurred in previous cycles.
MMC announced yesterday that it has approved 10,088 APC applications as of January 8 out of 13,603 applications pending approval by December 31, 2025, leaving an outstanding 3,515 applications that need further information from applicants.
The regulator granted a waiver to the near 14,000 medical practitioners across the public and private sectors to practise medicine pending APC issuance, even though lawyers say MMC isn’t authorised to make an exemption and that practising medicine without a valid and current APC remains a criminal offence.
The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) has warned of potential issues with guarantee letters (GLs) from a prolonged delay of APC issuance for doctors.
