By CodeBlue | 28 February 2025

 

 

𝐶𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑠. 𝐺𝑃𝑠 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠. 𝑊𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑘.

 

I refer to the recent directive requiring private GP (general practitioner) clinics to display their price list of medications.

 

This directive raises serious concerns about its practicality and its relevance in controlling the cost of living.

 

My observation is that people will pay more for their sick pets to be treated in a vetinerary clinic than for their old parents or children to be treated by a properly qualified doctor.

 

Furthermore, during an average year, a Malaysian family will spend thousands of ringgit on unproven health supplements, handphones, and digital devices and services, compared to spending on treatment at GP clinics.

 

Private clinics with pharmaceutical services are already governed by strict regulations when it comes to professional fees and proper dispensing practices.

 

There are no provisions in existing laws governing medical clinics that require them to display the prices of medications available at their clinics. Neither does the Malaysian Medical Council’s (MMC) Guidelines for Good Dispensing Practice or the Poisons (Amendment) Act 2022 (Act 366) stipulate such a requirement.

 

The law clearly states that the doctor (the person-in-charge of the clinic) is responsible for his own clinic policy and accountability relating to “advertisement, sales and use of medicines”.

The rights of the patient to be “provided with information about the nature of his medical condition and any proposed treatment, investigation or procedure and the likely costs” is also clearly stated.

 

The MMC’s Guidelines on Good Dispensing Practice also clearly states that “patients have the choice to have their medication/drugs dispensed at the clinic or at any pharmacy”.

Thus, this misdirected obsession to micromanage the traditional social contract of the doctor-patient engagement is clearly unwarranted.

 

Requiring clinics to display medicine prices is impractical, as most clinics stock hundreds of registered items, with prices constantly fluctuating, due to market forces.

 

It is a no-brainer to expect the price of medications to differ from one week to the next and from one clinic to another, due to operational, procurement and other costs.

For example, the prices of medicines in East Malaysia will not be the same as that in Peninsular Malaysia. You do not need a display to tell you that.

 

Additionally, the Poisons Act prohibits the open display and sale of medicines (which are categorised as poison items) at clinics.

 

Clinics are not sundry shops or retail pharmacies. GPs do not serve customers or clients. We look after the sick.

 

The public display of medicines and prices at a clinic could be perceived as advertising, potentially violating the Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 290, the MMC’s Code of Professional Conduct, and the Guidelines of the Lembaga Iklan Ubat.

 

The responsibility for displaying prices should be handled by retail pharmacies, traditional medical halls, and sundry shops, where such regulations are clearly applicable.

 

The doctor’s focus and clinic resources should rightly remain dedicated to providing professional care for the sick.

 

𝐷𝑟 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝐾𝑊 𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑎 (𝐹𝑃𝑀𝑃𝐴𝑀).