PUTRAJAYA, April 30 – The government has confirmed today that private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies will be required to display medicine prices starting May 1 under a new government initiative aimed at improving transparency and consumer choice.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) said the move aligns with the government’s policy to enhance public access to price information under the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism.

“The objective is to empower the public with informed choices by enabling them to know, compare, and select the best prices when planning their spending on medicines,” both ministries said in a joint statement.

The enforcement will be carried out under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Labelling for Medicines) Order 2025, issued pursuant to the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

The details of the requirement are as follows:

  • Applies to all private healthcare providers regulated under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998.
  • Also applies to community pharmacies involved in selling, supplying, or administering medicines.
  • Covers all medicines for human use, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, traditional remedies, health supplements, and custom-made preparations.
  • Medicines available on display must carry visible price tags.
  • Medicines kept behind the counter must have prices listed in a physical or digital format accessible to consumers.

The first three months will focus on education and awareness to help healthcare providers adapt gradually, the ministries said, adding that inspections will be carried out with a focus on advocacy and compliance support.

MOH will lead the enforcement effort with assistance from KPDN, both acting in coordination to ensure proper implementation of the labelling rules.

Consumers seeking further information can visit www.pharmacy.gov.my or send queries to [email protected].

Complaints about medicine pricing can be submitted through MOH’s SISPAA portal or KPDN’s eAduan platform.