The Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists (MSA) and the College of Anaesthesiologists (CoA), Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, have voiced concern over a recent circular by a third-party administrator (TPA) recommending that surgeons prioritise local anaesthesia over general anaesthesia for surgical procedures.
They described the directive as a profit-driven intrusion into medical decision-making, saying it represented “an unethical attempt to dictate patient care”.
“Medical treatment must be guided by professional judgment, patient needs, and evidence-based practice, not financial imperatives imposed by insurers or TPAs,” they said in a joint statement.
They said that anaesthesia was a complex specialty requiring careful, individualised decisions as every patient presents unique challenges. While local anaesthesia was…