MARCH 15 — The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) expresses serious concern and firm opposition to the Ministry of Health’s decision to enforce mandatory price displays for medications in GP clinics starting May 1, 2025.
This policy does not reduce healthcare costs but instead risks increasing medication prices, disrupting patient care, and undermining private primary healthcare—a crucial pillar of Malaysia’s health system.
GP clinics provide cost-effective healthcare — not market manipulation
General Practitioner (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.
A Ministry of Health study (1986) found that private GP consultations cost RM28 per patient, significantly lower than government clinics (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.
The price display mandate: A misguided and disruptive policy
The enforcement of mandatory price display rules is an unnecessary and counterproductive regulation that will not reduce medical costs. Instead, it will:
- Increase bureaucracy and administrative burdens — instead of focusing on treating patients, GPs will be bogged down with compliance requirements that do not improve care.
- Fail to address actual drivers of medical inflation — rising healthcare costs are driven by pharmaceutical price hikes, third-party payer mark-ups, and excessive regulatory burdens, not GP dispensing.
- Create conflicting legal frameworks — it introduces dual regulation under both the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act (AKHAP 2011) and the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (PHFSA 1998), leading to legal uncertainty and enforcement overreach.
- Risk backdoor dispensing separation — this move pressures 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.
Lack of genuine consultation and coercion tactics
FPMPAM categorically rejects the attempt to link the long-overdue GP fee correction to the enforcement of price display regulations.
- 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.
- False claims of agreement — 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.
The FPMPAM has voiced strong opposition to the Health Ministry’s mandatory medication price display rule, warning of higher costs and disruptions to patient care. — Freepik pic
FPMPAM’s response and call to action
We call for an immediate halt to the enforcement of this regulation. FPMPAM is prepared to take necessary legal and professional actions to:
- Challenge regulatory overreach and defend the role of PHFSA 1998 as the governing framework for medical practice.
- Prevent the misrepresentation of medical professionals — doctors are not retailers, and our services should not be equated with commercial sales of pharmaceuticals.
- Mobilise nationwide action — if the Ministry persists in imposing anti-GP policies, private practitioners will take collective and decisive measures to defend primary healthcare sustainability.
Healthcare should not be hijacked by bad policies
FPMPAM urges the Ministry of Health to prioritise meaningful healthcare reforms instead of burdening GPs with policies that:
- Do not lower healthcare costs
- Disrupt patient care
- Create unnecessary regulatory conflicts
Malaysia’s primary care system is at a breaking point due to years of underfunding and unfair regulations. The focus should be on strengthening healthcare delivery, ensuring fair remuneration for GPs, and implementing patient-centred policies — not appeasing regulatory enforcers and special interests.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
