PUTRAJAYA — The price display rule for medicines at private clinics and hospitals, effective May 1, is not intended to regulate prices but to provide the public with access to information on available medicines, said Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Displaying the prices would allow the public to compare costs at healthcare premises and plan their medical expenses accordingly, Bernama reported him saying today.
“The mechanism for displaying medicine prices aligns with universal consumer rights, which include the right to information and the right to choose.
“I want to emphasise that this rule is solely about displaying prices so that the public has access to information on medicine prices, allowing them to make informed choices.
“It is not being implemented to control medicine prices,” he told reporters after launching the 2025 Consumer NGO Day here today.
The price display rule, while supported by most players in the private healthcare sector, has drawn some opposition from private general practitioners (GPs) who said there should be more flexibility in its implementation.
The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) earlier this month said there were weaknesses in the policy and a lack of answers to their concerns.
One weakness is the conflict in pricing regulations between the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998. This could lead to overregulation and confusion, the private GPs’ federation said.
The Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia and the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society, however, have both stated their support for the price display rule.
Armizan today said the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU) was tabled at the National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL) meeting on Oct 3, 2023.
In November last year, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said in Parliament that the rule will be imposed on all private healthcare facilities starting this year. He said it was part of efforts to improve transparency in healthcare costs.
On Jan 8 this year, a Cabinet memorandum on the MKHU was tabled, which led to Cabinet approval of the mechanism.
“The Cabinet has approved the memorandum, and a rule will be issued under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act (AKHAP) 2011. The rule will require healthcare facilities to display medicine prices on their premises,” Armizan said.
He added that the enforcement of medicine price display would be implemented under a rule made pursuant to the Act. – March 14, 2025