Control medical fees

THE Consumers Association of Penang urges the Health Ministry to exercise caution in raising medical fees. Consumers are being burdened by overall cost of living and any drastic increase in medical fees will deter consumers from seeking medical treatment, which may then lead to more severe health consequences.

Any increase in consultation fees should not be higher than the rate of inflation. Medical inflation in Malaysia is one of the highest in the region. A report in the Edge Financial Daily in August 2017 reported that Malaysia’s healthcare inflation was 11.5% in 2016 and rose to 12.7% in 2017.