PETALING JAYA: Laboratory fees at government veterinary facilities for pets and recreational animals may be increased to keep up with current times, after 43 years.
According to a public consultation document released by the Veterinary Services Department (DVS), the fees for laboratory tests conducted at all veterinary laboratories under the department have not been revised since 1983, with existing rules being outdated and no longer appropriate.
“Furthermore, they do not take into account the numerous new laboratory tests that veterinary laboratories have had to develop almost every year to meet national needs arising from the emergence and re-emergence of animal diseases, particularly those affecting import and export activities,” the document read.
If approved, the new fee structure will require amendments to the Pets and Sporting Animals Laboratory Test Fees Rules 1983.
Explaining the rationale to increase the fees, DVS said this will ensure that the fees are in line with “reasonable market rates”.
The document also stated that the secretary-general of the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry remarked on the need to enhance revenue generation during a top-level ministry meeting in 2024.
“The secretary-general stressed the need for all departments and agencies to identify measures to increase revenue in 2025, and to undertake a comprehensive review of service fee and charge structures to ensure that the fees imposed are aligned with the cost of service delivery while optimising revenue generation potential,” it said.
The document said the proposed amendment will allow charges to be imposed on private individuals and commercial clients, including importers and exporters, who obtain laboratory testing services from veterinary laboratories for animals ranging from pets, birds and sporting animals to livestock.
For example, under the rate set in 1983, a histopathological test costs RM5, but the proposed rate for 2025 was RM100.
Histopathological means the study of diseased tissue under microscopy, and is mainly used to detect cancer, inspect for inflammation and guide medical treatment by looking at cell and tissue samples.
Blood examination for protozoan parasites (blood smear, buffy coat) costs RM2.50 but the proposed rate in 2025 was RM5.
Organ examination for pets, which was set at RM5 in 1983, could increase to RM10.
Post-mortem for cats and dogs was set at RM15 in 1983, and horses and exotic animals was RM100.
The proposed new rate in 2025 was RM170 and RM200, respectively.
The document said the proposal had taken into account the need to increase revenue through a comprehensive review of fee structures and service charges by all departments to ensure that fees commensurate with the cost of service delivery while maximising revenue generation.
“The additional revenue generated will help support the operating costs of veterinary laboratories, thereby ensuring the continuous and consistent delivery of laboratory services in meeting the nation’s veterinary and food security needs,” it said.
Between 2018 and 2024, the DVS’s total fee collection only amounted to RM133,411.71.
Had the fee schedule been amended, DVS could have collected RM1.13mil in 2023, with the estimation computed by comparing the total collection for the year and the projected revenue that it could have received had the fees been amended.
