Are vet fees in Malaysia regulated?

REFERRING to “A vet’s wish for World Vet Day” (The Star, April 20), I would like to bring up the subject of fees charged by our local veterinarians that was mentioned in the letter.

I am raising this matter because certain comparable procedures done on animals and humans can have a large disparity in fees. It leaves me aghast that some of these procedures cost three times more for animals than they do for humans.

Doctor’s fees for human patients are tightly regulated by the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services (Private Hospitals and other Private Healthcare Facilities) (Amendment) Order 2013, and deviation from this federal gazette is dealt with severely by the government and Malaysian Medical Council. This document is available online for free for anyone to view.

I would not mind going to a government veterinary clinic to seek treatment for my pets, but as it turns out, each state provides different services.

When I contacted them personally about getting my pets neutered, I was informed that both dogs and cats are neutered at government veterinary clinics in Perak, only cats would be neutered in Melaka, and in Johor and Negri Sembilan, they were not neutering cats or dogs because they do not have trained personnel to do the procedures!

On several occasions, I have contacted the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, which oversees veterinarians.

According to the officers I spoke to, there is no official regulation on veterinary fees in Malaysia.

There is no guideline for veterinary fees on the Malaysian Veterinary Council (MVC) website and my emails to the MVC requesting for these guidelines have gone unanswered.

Can any veterinarian out there please tell me where I can find the official guidelines for veterinary fees in Malaysia?

PET OWNER

Melaka