PUTRAJAYA, May 2 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) says it implemented a drug price display mandate due to majority public support, despite opposition from most general practitioner (GP) clinics and private hospitals.
In a Unified Public Consultation (UPC) — MOH’s formal mechanism for gathering stakeholder feedback on proposed public policies — conducted from July 15 to August 20 last year, 72.6 per cent (61 of 84) of medical clinics, 58.8 per cent (30 of 51) of private hospitals, and 29.7 per cent (11 of 26) of community pharmacies said they opposed the proposed price display of medicines.
However, the majority among other stakeholders (general public and industry) in the UPC survey of 459 respondents – the general public, public agencies, consumer groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics, students, as well as haemodialysis centres, hospices, insurance providers, private dental clinics, the pharmaceutical industry, community pharmacies, associations, and suppliers – voiced support for the drug price display mandate.
“We’ve already conducted stakeholder engagement sessions, and I think from those sessions, it’s clear that the majority of stakeholders agree with drug price display. One way or another, we’re all consumers,” said Azuana Ramli, MOH deputy director-general of health (pharmaceutical services), at a joint press briefing today at the MOH’s headquarters with Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) director-general (enforcement) Azman Adam.
“From the engagement sessions, it is very clear that this needs to be done. So, we follow the majority.
“I understand there are certain quarters who oppose or have concerns — maybe about enforcement, or implementation timelines. But I think those groups also include people who support price display.
“I think we can address those concerns. There may be other issues they are worried about, but in general, from our engagement sessions, it’s very clear that the majority are for price transparency.”
The 84 private medical clinics and 51 private hospitals totalling 135 respondents – most of which were opposed to drug price display – represented only 29 per cent of 459 total respondents.
The 114 government agencies – of which all but one supported medicine price display – represented 25 per cent of respondents.
MOH’s drug price transparency initiative targets private health care facilities and community pharmacies. Based on the UPC poll, most private medical clinics and hospitals oppose it, but private dental clinics, community pharmacies, haemodialysis centres, and a hospice support the policy.
The targets of the drug price display mandate comprise 183 respondents (haemodialysis centres, hospice, private hospitals, private dental clinics, private medical clinics, and community pharmacies), accounting for 40 per cent of total respondents.
As of March 2025, MOH data shows Malaysia has 11,190 registered private GP clinics, 4,381 private dental clinics, 4,114 licensed pharmacy premises, and 174 licensed private hospitals under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586).
The drug price display policy was first announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on October 3, 2023, following a National Cost of Living Action Council (NACCOL) meeting. MOH subsequently conducted four stakeholder engagement sessions.
The first session, held on November 2, 2023, included 654 participants from groups such as the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM), Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS), Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM), and Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild (MCPG).
A second session on August 13, 2024, attended by 472 people, provided a more detailed explanation of the initiative, including its scope, implementation plan, and price display format.
The third engagement was the UPC itself, followed by a fourth advocacy session on February 27, 2025, attended by 1,091 participants. That session included FAQ distribution and briefings on price monitoring and enforcement procedures.
At today’s media briefing, the MOH did not provide reporters with a regulatory impact statement or a policy paper on drug price display, but merely the survey findings in the UPC that is part of the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) process.
MMA and other doctors’ associations have repeatedly claimed that they were not consulted over price transparency, accusing the government instead of proceeding with the policy unilaterally.
In response to a doctor’s complaint about KPDN officers visiting his clinic yesterday on the first day of the drug price display mandate and threatening to issue a summons within three days, Azman said the officers did not collect any evidence or documentation.
He explained that in that incident, KPDN officers were conducting other operations in the area related to chicken eggs and cooking gas, and that “coincidentally, the clinic was operating and our officers merely asked if they were aware about the implementation [of drug price display]”.
Azman and Azuana reiterated that the first three months from May 1 serve as a grace period, during which MOH and KPDN will conduct inspections and provide guidance to private health care facilities and community pharmacies on how to comply with the drug price display order. They said no summonses will be issued for non-compliance during this period of “educational enforcement”.
