Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the circular will only apply to medical assistants treating patients who require specific categories of medicines prescribed for fever, cough and diarrhoea.

“This is very important as some medical assistants in rural areas such as in Sabah and Sarawak work without doctors, especially at community clinics.

“The task of saving lives falls on their shoulders,” Bernama quoted him as saying at a press conference after opening the national-level Medical Assistant Day celebration at Tunku Azizah Hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

On a separate matter, Dzulkefly said the ministry is studying allegations that private hospitals charge insured patients more than those who pay out of pocket for procedures.

He also said the implementation of a directive to display medicine prices at private health facilities would be postponed to May following an engagement session with private general practitioners.

Additionally, Dzulkefly said a proposal paper to grant additional autonomy to the medical assistant service branch is expected to be handed over to the public services department in May.

This move is part of the ministry’s efforts to elevate the role and position, as well as strengthen the strategic direction, of the profession.

He said the ministry is also drafting a new bill to replace the Medical Assistants (Registration) Act 1977 (Act 180), which is expected to be tabled in Parliament in the first quarter of 2026.

“These measures will strengthen the position and role of more than 20,000 medical assistants in the public health sector and more than 25,000 practitioners in the entire health sector in general,” he said.

Medical Assistant Day is celebrated on March 10 every year in Malaysia.