Malaysian GPs rally over rule on mandatory display of drug prices

They say they were not consulted and rule should not be part of anti-profiteering laws

- Lu Wei Hoong

PUTRAJAYA - Hundreds of Malaysian general practitioners (GPs) gathered in the administrative capital of Putrajaya on May 6 to protest against a new government directive requiring the mandatory display of drug prices that the medical sector says was done without consulting them.

The new rule requiring private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies to display price lists for medicines, which came into force on May 1, is parked under a set of anti-profiteering laws.

But stakeholders in the medical industry argue that it should fall under the Private Healthcare Facilities Act, emphasising that GPs are a professional service — not part of the retail sector governed by the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act.

The group of about 400 doctors also called for a review of GP consultation fees, which have been capped at RM10 (S$3.10) to RM35 for 33 years — citing rising business costs as a major concern.

Dressed in black and some with stethoscopes around their necks, they gathered outside the Prime Minister's Office at Ilam to submit a memorandum.

They held placards with messages such as "Is it fair for a GP to charge RM35 while a locksmith charges RM200 and a plumber, RM150?" and "Consultation fees have been frozen for 33 years, but nasi lemak's price has increased by 80 per cent since 2011".

For many of the doctors, the protest was also about according their profession due respect.