Private health facilities will need to display price of medicine in 2025

PARLIAMENT | The government will mandate the display of medication prices in private healthcare facilities to enhance price transparency.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said that this matter will come into effect starting next year as the initiative will be implemented under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

“In this way, medication charges in insurance claims can be verified so that the price of medication does not exceed the displayed price and medication charges are not arbitrarily increased,” he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He also stressed that the government has no authority to control any charges implemented by private healthcare facilities apart from professional fees under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998, Schedule Thirteen, Other Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Order (Amendment 2013), which has been in force since 2006.

Elaborating further on expert services, Dzulkefly also informed that RM156.6 million has been allocated to train 6,706 medical officers in 2025.

He said that the allocation provided has increased by 10 percent compared to the RM142.3 million provided in 2024, which could only train 6,155 medical officers.

He also said that 1,650 slots for postgraduate medical specialist training will be provided by the Health Ministry in collaboration with the Higher Education Ministry as the number of slots has increased by 150 starting from 2023.

“A total of RM10 million has been allocated to sponsor the Parallel Pathway specialist programme in 2025 (the same as in 2024) to provide 600 training slots per year.

“To date, 700 medical officers are undergoing training in 14 specialities both domestically and abroad.

“The new amendment to the Medical Act 1971 which will be enforced soon will also improve the sustainability of the specialist training ecosystem,” he added.

Dzulkefly said the government is also introducing the RakanKKM initiative with an initial capital of RM25 million in collaboration with government-linked investment companies to strengthen public health services with smart partnerships and a whole-of-government approach.

“RakanKKM will attract more investment and retain healthcare professionals, including specialist doctors and nurses in the health system. This initiative will start with five selected Health Ministry hospitals such as Cyberjaya Hospital,” he said.

War on sugar

In addition, to encourage beverage vendors to introduce more low-sugar drinks in the market, the Health Ministry is currently implementing a health system transformation with an emphasis on preventive and promotive services for all ages.

Dzulkefly explained that it also involves the War on Sugar initiative, where the excise duty rate for sugary drinks will be increased in two phases starting from Jan 1, 2025, by 40 sen per litre.

“The current rate of 50 sen per litre (since January 2024) will increase to 90 sen per litre,” he said.

Moreover, the Health Ministry is also strengthening and expanding the Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) programme where, as of October 2024, a total of 791 products have successfully obtained HCL recognition.

“The Health Ministry plans to regulate the sale of boba tea and coloured water at night markets. Currently, the Health Ministry is developing a new grading labelling system called ‘Nutri-Grade’ based on the amount of sugar content in drinks.

“This system applies to ready-to-drink products as well as drinks prepared at the point of sale,” he added.

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