4 doctors groups criticise govt app for medicine prices
Four doctors’ associations have criticised the health ministry’s pilot project for a medicine price comparison app, describing it as an overregulation of private medical practitioners.
The groups criticised the comparison of medicines to regular grocery items, saying its dispensation should come with the professional opinions of doctors to ensure safe consumption.
“Patients deserve professional medical care, proper diagnosis and safe prescriptions, not a shallow price-tag hunt that risks encouraging dangerous self-medication,” they said in a statement today.
They also said the app would only promote bureaucracy with general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacies forced to update their drug prices annually.
They also questioned the need for such an app and how much of public funds had been spent on its development.
“Why is the health ministry obsessed with pushing apps and regulations but silent on fixing overcrowded hospitals, endless waiting times, staff shortages and stagnant GP fees, frozen for 30 years?
“If the ministry truly wants to champion the rakyat’s health, it must first address systemic failures in its own domain — overcrowded hospitals, endless waiting times, staff shortages and chronic underfunding.
“Overregulating private doctors is not the solution; it is merely scapegoating,” they said in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia, Private Medical Practitioners Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia and the Organisation of Malaysian Muslim Doctors.
On Aug 20, CodeBlue reported that the health ministry had unveiled the “MyPriMeCatcher”, which would allow users to compare retail medicine prices at private clinics, hospitals and community pharmacies.
The pilot project for the app was kickstarted following the implementation of the drug price display mandate under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 on May 1.
Category: MJN enews
