PETALING JAYA: A private doctors’ group has welcomed the Health Ministry’s clarification that blood-taking is a regulated clinical procedure, but says accountability is now overdue.
Private Medical Practitioners’ Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur president Dr Eugene Chooi said the clarification raised a serious question over how such practices could have continued openly for years despite repeated complaints from medical practitioners.
"This is not a dispute between doctors and pharmacists," he said in a statement on Monday (May 4).
"Community pharmacists play an important role in medication counselling, health education and basic screening within their professional scope.
"The issue is clear: blood-taking is an invasive clinical procedure. It must be performed within properly registered healthcare facilities, under clear clinical governance and accountability."
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Dr Chooi said such procedures carried real risks and must be conducted by trained and authorised personnel in regulated settings, stressing that there should be no shortcuts, grey areas or double standards.
He said the public was now confused after years of seeing blood-test promotions in non-clinical settings, which gave the impression such services were permitted.
"Now the ministry says they are not. This confusion reflects a gap between regulation and visible enforcement.
"Regulatory silence should never be mistaken for regulatory approval," he said.
Dr Chooi said Malaysia did not lack healthcare regulations, but enforcement had been inconsistent.
He warned that blood-taking involved infection-control risks, proper patient identification, specimen handling and clinical interpretation, adding that blurred boundaries between screening, diagnosis and treatment could lead patients to delay seeking care or misinterpret results.
"That puts public safety at risk," he said.
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The association urged the ministry to clearly define what pharmacies can and cannot do, particularly the distinction between finger-prick screening, venous blood-taking, laboratory testing, diagnosis and treatment.
It also called for consistent enforcement against premises offering blood-taking services without proper approval, and for authorities to explain what actions had been taken and why the issue had persisted.
"The public deserves to know how such practices were allowed to continue for so long," he said.
Dr Chooi added that clear guidelines should be issued to all healthcare providers to eliminate ambiguity and ensure consistent patient safety standards.
"This issue should not be reduced to another circular or reminder.
"The law has now been made clear. The public expects action.
"Patient safety must be protected through enforcement that is timely, transparent and fair.
"Clarification is welcome. Accountability is overdue," he said.
