Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6): The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has hailed the Government’s decision to deregulate professional consultation fees as a brave move.

A statement by MMA president Dr N Ganabaskaran said professional consultation fees have been regulated since 2013 and have been viewed as a contentious issue by those in the medical community, particularly general practitioners (GPs) as the fees introduced in the 2006 Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (PHFSA) are based on the fees recommended by the MMA in 1992.

“It took the stewardship of Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and the Pakatan Harapan Cabinet to make the right awaited decision that will benefit the rakyat and healthcare ecosystem. This is indeed a bold decision by the Pakatan Harapan government which has been in power only for the last 1.5 years,” said Ganabaskaran.

He noted the MMA has been producing the fee guideline since 1987, which is considered normal practice in many countries, serving as a guide for medical practitioners, insurers and third-party administrators.

“Free market gives the power to the public to decide on the type of value based services they would like to have.

“We would like to stress again and urge doctors not to undercut with their professional charges. Undercutting will only compromise on professional services. Doctors must emphasise on quality patient-centred care at all times and charge reasonably,” he said.

This comes in as the Cabinet moved to deregulate the professional consultation fees today, which will allow private clinics and hospitals to decide for themselves how much they want to charge their patients.

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