Practice telemedicine in Malaysia, go to jail

Practice telemedicine in Malaysia, go to jail

The government of Malaysia is considering legislation that would punish unlicensed practitioners of telemedicine with five-year prison terms and hefty fines, according to Malaysian news wire Bernama. The bill, referred to as the 1997 Telemedicine Act, is designed to control the practice of telemedicine in the country.

One section of the bill states that telemedicine can be practiced only by registered medical practitioners, while another part mandates that medical practitioners registered and licensed abroad must obtain permission from the Malaysian Medical Council to practice telemedicine in Malaysia. Another section requires registered medical practitioners to receive patient consent before using telemedicine for treatment.

The bill was set to go before the Malaysian parliament last month, according to Bernama.