The government has identified four premises in Lebuh Pudu suspected of selling and storing unregistered medicines, with two believed to be operating as illegal clinics catering to foreign customers.
The premises were uncovered during an integrated enforcement operation conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) today. The four businesses were operating under the guise of cloth retailers and a travel agency, but inspections found medical equipment and medicines that had not been approved by MOH.
Pharmacy Enforcement Branch chief at the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department, Shafilliza Samsuri, said the equipment included machines for checking blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
She said preliminary investigations found that patients were taken to rooms at the back of the premises for medical checks before being given medication.
“The clinics targeted foreign customers. The premises were suspected to be operated by foreign doctors, although no individuals were present during the raids,” she told reporters.
Among the medicines seized were antibiotics, hypertension medication and antifungal drugs, as well as injectable anaesthetic medication and syringes.
Shafilliza said most of the medicines were suspected to have been brought in from Bangladesh and were not registered for use in Malaysia, regardless of whether they were registered in their country of origin.
She said further investigations would focus on identifying the premises’ tenants and individuals believed to have acted as doctors at the illegal clinics.
The operation also involved Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), which issued 28 notices for various offences. These included 19 notices for conducting business without licences and obstructing public spaces, as well as nine notices over unauthorised building modifications.
DBKL Senior Deputy Director of Enforcement Mohd Hisham Izhar said 13 seizure actions were carried out involving obstructions on pavements and public areas, as well as unlicensed business activities.
Inspections also uncovered 382 illegally constructed additional rooms across several premises. Some building floors had been modified to accommodate between 15 and 30 rooms.
Mohd Hisham also clarified that DBKL did not recognise Jalan Silang or Lebuh Pudu as “Mini Dhaka”, despite the term being commonly used to describe the area because of its large Bangladeshi population.
Meanwhile, the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department detained 472 foreigners during the operation for various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
