KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 — Malaysia’s private doctors have strongly opposed a new government rule requiring clinics to display medicine prices, warning it could harm patients, raise healthcare costs, and reduce medical professionals to retailers.

The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) said the move starting May 1 risks turning doctors into retailers and undermining the clinical process behind medical prescriptions.

Its president, Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson, said the policy wrongly treats medicines as shelf products, rather than regulated substances prescribed based on professional judgment.

He criticised Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali for using populist comparisons — such as likening medicine prices to gold or chicken — which he said oversimplify a complex issue.

“Let us be clear: medicines are not retail goods. They are regulated substances under the Poisons Act 1952, prescribed by licensed professionals based on clinical need, patient safety, and therapeutic context.

“They are not selected from shelves by consumers based on price tags,” he said in a statement, adding that such rhetoric erodes public understanding of how healthcare decisions are made.

FPMPAM also raised concern that clinics may pre-emptively raise prices to cope with added costs — including inventory management, expiry risks, and administrative burdens.

The association said it supports transparency in principle, but only through mechanisms developed with input from doctors, pharmacists, economists, and patient representatives.

It also criticised the Ministry of Health for staying silent on the matter, saying it has failed to defend the regulatory boundaries that govern clinical settings.

Dr Shanmuganathan questioned the timing of the May 1 enforcement, noting that the relevant legal order is still under review by the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Pointing out that the decision was already announced, he then asked if the legal review was a only a formality, warning that this could compromise trust in the legal process.

FPMPAM urged the government to suspend the enforcement, reinstate the Ministry of Health’s regulatory leadership, and begin proper consultation before proceeding.

“We remain open to meaningful dialogue — but not political theatre,” the group said.