Prescription for trouble: Unlicensed doctor at Subang Bestari clinic nabbed after eight months of cut-price consultations

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — A Pakistani man suspected of posing as an unlicensed doctor has been detained after Immigration officers raided a private clinic in Subang Bestari, Selangor, uncovering what authorities believe was an illegally operated medical practice that had been running for eight months.

The Immigration Department said the operation was carried out at 11.52am on June 25 by officers from its Intelligence and Special Operations Division at the Putrajaya headquarters following a month-long intelligence-gathering exercise.

The suspect is believed to have been working as an “unlicensed doctor” despite not possessing any valid pass or travel documents to remain in Malaysia, the Immigration Department said on Facebook today.

It added that this was the fourth case detected by Immigration since 2024 involving a foreign national allegedly impersonating or working as an unlicensed doctor in the country.

Officers also seized medical equipment believed to have been used in the operation, along with the suspect’s name stamp, the clinic’s official stamp, a tablet device, business transaction records, an Annual Practising Certificate (APC), and documents linked to the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

The private clinic was allegedly run by a foreign national who did not have legal authorisation to work in Malaysia’s medical sector, the department said.

The detained suspect is also believed to have been hired by that foreigner – whose nationality was not disclosed – to carry out duties as an unlicensed doctor. 

The department also alleged that the clinic used another person's APC and medical qualifications to convince patients and avoid detection by the authorities.

It further claimed the clinic had been issuing medical certificates without conducting any medical examination or health assessment, charging RM20 for each certificate.

“The clinic is believed to have been operating for eight months,” the department said in its Facebook post.

The suspect is being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for being in Malaysia without valid travel documents.

The department added that a Malaysian woman has been issued with a notice to appear before Immigration officers to assist with the investigation.

It said enforcement operations against activities that violate Malaysian law would continue to safeguard public safety and the country's well-being.