PETALING JAYA: The mandatory price display for medications at general practitioner (GP) clinics will not lower healthcare costs, but could instead introduce multiple risks, says the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM).
Its president, Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson said the policy to be enforced on May 1, may very well increase medication prices, disrupting patient care and undermine private primary healthcare.
“GP clinics are cost-effective one-stop healthcare providers that benefit both patients and the economy.
“A solo GP clinic can efficiently serve thousands of patients, providing affordable, accessible medical care,” he said yesterday.
Dr Shanmuganathan cited a study by the Health Ministry published in 1986 that found private GP consultations cost RM28 per patient, significantly lower than government clinics, which cost RM56 per patient.
“Even today, GP services remain the most cost-efficient way for Malaysians to receive timely, professional medical care. GPs are not price manipulators. We prescribe based on medical necessity, affordability, and patient welfare, unlike commercial entities focused purely on profits,” he said.
Dr Shanmuganathan said the enforcement of mandatory price display rules is an unnecessary and counterproductive regulation that will not reduce medical costs, while increasing bureaucracy and administrative burdens at a time when GPs should be focusing on treating patients.
“Another issue that will arise is conflicting legal frameworks such as dual regulation under both the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act and the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (PHFSA 1998), leading to legal uncertainty and enforcement overreach.
“It will also create backdoor dispensing separation, pressuring patients to purchase medications from pharmacies instead of receiving them conveniently at GP clinics, leading to higher medication costs, fragmented care, and potential delays in treatment,” he added.
He also said FPMPAM categorically rejects the attempt to link the long-overdue GP fee correction to the enforcement of price display regulations, arguing that GPs have endured more than 30 years of stagnant fees.
“This overdue revision should not be held hostage in a trade-off that weakens our ability to provide affordable, efficient care,” said Dr Shanmuganathan.
“Reports suggesting that GPs have agreed to price display rules are untrue. The GP community has consistently opposed this measure, and we challenge the ministry to provide clear evidence of any genuine agreement.”
He called for an immediate halt to the enforcement of this regulation, in which the group is prepared to take the necessary legal action and defend the role of PHFSA 1998 as the governing framework for medical practice.
“Doctors are not retailers, and our services should not be equated with commercial sales of pharmaceuticals. We will mobilise a nationwide action,” he said.
“If the ministry persists in imposing anti-GP policies, private practitioners will take collective and decisive measures to defend primary healthcare sustainability,” added Dr Shanmuganathan.
On March 14, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad announced the requirement for private clinics to display medicine prices starting May 1 in a move touted as enabling patients to make informed decisions about the choices of treatment.
The move was also intended to promote more competition, with hopes of indirectly helping reduce medical inflation.
Following a discussion with GPs, Dzulkefly said these clinics would be ready for the price display requirement if there was a revision of the consultation fees as contained in Schedule 7 of PHFSA 1998.
