All smiles: Medical assistants posing while attending the Medical Assistant Day celebration at Hospital Tuanku Azizah in Kuala Lumpur. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has agreed to postpone the requirement mandating private general practitioners (GPs) to display medication prices, to May 1.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic) said the ministry had agreed to the moratorium following engagements with private GPs.
Dzulkefly said that while the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) has not objected to the requirement, private GPs had aired their concerns during an engagement session and had sought for additional time.
“They (APHM) do not have that problem. They are not resisting,” he told reporters at the Medical Assistant Day celebration at Hospital Tunku Azizah here yesterday.
The private GPs, however, had asked for a short moratorium.
“In response to that, we have agreed to postpone the implementation until May 1,” he said.
The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM), had opposed the implementation of medicine price displays at GP clinics, adding that the move was irrelevant and potentially misleading for patients.
In a related note, Dzulkefly said Medical Assistants (MAs) would soon be allowed to issue prescriptions for basic medicines for common ailments.
He said the ministry would soon issue a circular on this.
Bernama quoted Dzulkefly as saying that the task of administering prescriptions could only be made by MAs whose job scope involves treating patients who required specific categories of medicines, such as for fever, cough, phlegm, and diarrhoea.
On allegations that insured patients were subjected to higher charges compared to patients who pay out of pocket at private hospitals, Dzulkefly said the ministry is reviewing such claims based on evidence.
He also said the ministry is open to look into the Malayan Nurses Union’s (MNU) request for the nursing allowance to be reviewed.
He said the matter would be given appropriate consideration.
The union had urged the government to review the allowances for nursing staff, particularly the RM1,000 monthly federal allowance for those serving outside their home state.
The union said the government should take into account the excessive pressure faced by nurses who are separated from their families, the work pressure, as well as the increased costs of living.
