The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) welcomes the recent statement by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) as a long overdue but necessary reminder to all Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) on their individual duty of care.
In an era where health care delivery is increasingly influenced by corporatisation and digital commercial platforms, this reminder serves as a critical warning — that professional accountability remains squarely with the doctor, regardless of who employs or engages them.
We are seeing a disturbing trend where clinical decisions are being dictated by non-medical administrators, insurers, and third-party platforms, often with cost containment as the driving force.
This is especially concerning in the expansion of telehealth services, where doctors are at risk of being reduced to mere processors of scripted care, devoid of context or continuity.
These platforms may escape liability, but doctors cannot. The patient-doctor relationship, and its associated duty of care remains sacred and legally enforceable.
Under Section 29 of the Medical Act 1971, the MMC has full authority to act against RMPs found guilty of “infamous conduct in a professional respect.”
This includes removing a doctor from the register, suspending them from practice, imposing fines, or issuing formal censure. Infamous conduct refers to serious professional misconduct such as gross negligence, unethical practices, allowing non-clinical interference in medical decisions, falsifying documents, or failing to act in the best interests of the patient.
Crucially, this applies even if the misconduct was done under pressure from employers or platforms. The duty of care is personal, and it cannot be outsourced, transferred, or compromised.
Therefore, RMPs must exercise independent clinical judgement at all times and ensure proper documentation of decisions, especially in situations involving teleconsultations, insurer-driven care models, or company-led medical policies.
We strongly urge doctors to speak up when asked to act against professional ethics. The MMA stands ready to support any practitioner who upholds patient safety and professionalism in the face of commercial pressure.
We also call on employers, insurers, digital health platforms, and managed care operators to recognise that while health care can be innovated, it must not be commoditised.
Ethical digitalisation, proper governance, and respect for medical autonomy must remain central to health care transformation. Any model that puts cost ahead of care will inevitably lead to harm, not just to patients, but to the very integrity of the medical profession.
As MMA president, I urge all stakeholders to uphold the values of safety, accountability, and professionalism. The MMC’s statement must be a turning point — a clear signal that while innovation in health care is welcome, the foundation of our profession must never be compromised.
This statement was issued by MMA president Dr R. Arasu.
This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.