‘Not against transparency, but against Act 723’: MMA confirms private doctors’ march on Tuesday

PUTRAJAYA, May 4 — The Malaysian Medical Association’s (MMA) today said that it has submitted to authorities the necessary documents for its protest walk scheduled on May 6 in Putrajaya.

MMA private practitioners section chairman Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh said the walk, which addresses the government’s new medicine price transparency policy, will proceed lawfully unless objections arise.

“We wish to reiterate that doctors are not against price transparency but are strongly opposed to Act 723 being used on the medical profession,” he said in a statement today.

He said that the gathering will be attended by other doctors’ associations and will culminate in the handing over of a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office.

MMA had previously said that it was against the use of a non-medical act — the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723) — on medical practitioners.

It said that it preferred medicine price transparency laws to be put under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586).

The protest is also set to address the 33-year stagnation of private general practitioner (GP) consultation fees.

The mandatory display of medicine prices at private healthcare facilities, enforced under Act 723, came into effect on May 1, following a joint announcement by the Health Ministry and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry.

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