We are concerned that the Malaysia is rushing towards liberalising its healthcare services without a proper regulatory framework, which will jeopardise the overall healthcare system.

The Federation of Private Medical Practitioner's Association of Malaysia (FPMPAM) believes that although the basic aspects globalisation are inherently good and in some ways inevitable, the Malaysian healthcare services sector in particular is not ready for this.

There is a need for Asean to move towards a harmonisation of healthcare standards (such as in the EU) before opening up market access but this should be done as a gradual process

Currently, there is an absence of a suitable legal and regulatory framework to prevent the exploitation of the national healthcare market by foreign businesses which may be driven solely by commercial interests.

In this weak regulatory environment, we can expect more resources to be poured into the more lucrative aspects of healthcare, jeopardising the standard of healthcare in areas such as rural and preventative care.

Without proper safeguards, the move will not answer but exacerbate Malaysia's healthcare woes as market forces and business sense are unlikely to encourage foreigners to start their business in small towns, where the problem of shortage and poor access to healthcare services is more apparent.

But more importantly, we cannot rush this process, especially if it is for the sake of boosting medical tourism. Healthcare is not just another business commodity.

The government needs to answer how it sees the liberalisation of healthcare fitting into the larger process of healthcare reforms earmarked under the ninth Malaysia Plan. We need to ensure that this move will benefit the people of Malaysia and not just businesses.

The framework must not compromise the quality of care and must also be able to monitor the conduct of foreign doctors as well as provide an avenue to protect patients.

There are too many unanswered questions on the macro and micro levels. Right now, if patients are shortchanged by a foreign doctor, they lack suitable avenues to seek redress.

What if the doctor absconds? What is there to prevent such business entities from just closing shop and disappearing when they are faced with problems?

Another area of concern is also about how to ensure that these doctors can uphold our standard of services in delivery and in other crucial areas such as local socio-cultural norms and doctor-to- patient communication.

The writer is president, Federation of Private Medical Practitioner's Association of Malaysia (FPMPAM).