Putrajaya: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has taken aggressive measures to address the issue of medical inflation, which has led to rising health insurance premiums. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad expects the issue to be resolved soon.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad stated, “It’s a work in progress. We will address this issue not just through the DRG (Diagnosis-Related Group) approach, as it is not a ‘silver bullet’ to solving medical cost inflation. More importantly, we will take a multi-pronged approach,” he mentioned during a press conference after the Presint 3 Ramadan bazaar walkabout programme and the launch of a WhatsApp hotline for complaints about the cleanliness of food premises.

He explained that the DRG implementation is expected to enhance transparency in patient treatment charges, which will, in turn, help control rising medical costs-a key factor driving up health insurance premiums. Dr Dzulkefly also mentioned plans to implement the DRG alongside another initiative, which involves the display of medicine prices. He noted that hospitals have already accepted this measure, while private general practitioner (GP) clinics are requesting a moratorium for another month or two.

Furthermore, Dr Dzulkefly indicated that displaying medicine prices could help lower health insurance premiums by enabling insurance companies to assess the actual cost of treatment more accurately. However, the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) opposes the move, viewing the implementation of medicine price displays at GP clinics as irrelevant and potentially misleading for patients.