General practitioner Dr Leong Yuet Mae said only doctors could obtain a full picture of one’s health with regards to influenza.
“Diagnosis requires clinical assessment, not just a test strip,” says Dr Eugene Chooi, president of the Private Medical Practitioners’ Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
The doctors were opposed to a suggestion by the Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) that the government consider approving self-test kits for influenza.
However, Leong said influenza often mimicked other infections, which home tests could not accurately distinguish.
“GP clinics already serve as a one-stop centre for proper, safe and evidence-based influenza care under professional supervision,” she told FMT.
Chooi said it was “crucial to remember that a positive flu test does not exclude other medical conditions. Respiratory infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia or even emerging viral illnesses can present similar symptoms.”
The pharmacists, in suggesting approval for self-test kits, cited widespread influenza infections and the need for faster detection to prevent further spread of the disease.
MPS president Amrahi Buang said the introduction of influenza self-test kits would be timely and relevant as Malaysians were familiar with self-testing since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The head of another private doctors group did not reject the suggestion outright.
Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson, president of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia, said it was important to identify reliable manufacturers before beginning any widespread self-test kit rollouts.
“If you flood the market with unreliable ones, then we will have a lot of problems,” he told FMT, adding that some form of check and balance was necessary to ensure people did not abuse the kits.
Shanmuganathan highlighted the widespread use of false positives to claim medical certificates during the Covid-19 pandemic as a major issue.
“There were people claiming positive tests so as to get away from work, to get medical certs. Who is going to verify these results?” he asked.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Khalib, who was in support of the MPS proposal, said influenza self-test kits could be as successful as Covid-19 kits during the pandemic.
“Empowering people to know their own status enabled them to decide whether to seek medical attention or not. They could decide to self-medicate using over-the-counter medicine, or seek advice from a pharmacist,” he said.
He told FMT that use of the influenza kits “would significantly help in reducing congestion at GP clinics and hospitals”.