The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) commends the Ministry of Health (MOH) for its firm stand against unregistered and unlicensed premises providing health care services.
This is decisive leadership on a matter of patient safety, and the MOH has our full support. It is also a direction we have repeatedly called for, and we are glad to see it taken seriously.
The numbers tell the story: more than 1,020 complaints in five years, with the numbers rising every year. These are not paperwork breaches. Behind many of them are patients who may have been misdiagnosed, wrongly treated, or harmed by procedures done by persons with no medical training.
The principle is simple. Medicine is practised by doctors registered with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), holding a valid Annual Practising Certificate, at premises licensed under Act 586.
Anyone operating outside of those parameters is not cutting corners. They are breaking the law and putting lives at risk. Aesthetic procedures are services under health care. It needs to be noted that a needle in the wrong hands can potentially kill.
Enforcement must be sustained, not seasonal. Illegal operators reopen because a raid is followed by silence. These operations should be continuous and intelligence-led, focused on the areas where vulnerable communities are targeted, and pursued all the way to conviction. Penalties of up to RM500,000 or six years in jail only deter when they are seen to be effective.
We must also be honest about our own profession. A doctor who rents out their name or credentials to an unlicensed operator is part of the problem. A licence to practise is a responsibility, not a commodity. MMA supports full accountability.
But the public has a part to play too. No enforcement can protect a person who walks willingly into the wrong hands. A cheaper price, a faster result, a treatment in a salon or a hotel room — these are not bargains. They are risks.
Before any treatment, check that the premises is licensed and the practitioner is registered. You have a right to ask the question. It only takes a minute, and it can save your life.
Safeguarding public trust in private health care and shutting down illegal operators are inseparable goals. A health care sector cannot maintain its credibility if illegal operators are allowed to operate unchecked.
This press release was issued by Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr R. Arasu.
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