Under subsection 17(2), upon such application and payment for a practicing certificate, the Council, if satisfied that the premises at, and the conditions under, which the applicant practises or proposes to practise veterinary medicine are suitable for such practice, shall cause the Registrar to issue a certificate (to be styled “annual practising certificate”) authorising the applicant to practise veterinary medicine at such premises during the year for which the certificate is issued.
Under the Ministerial Directive 1/2015 (Veterinary Surgeons Guide To Professionaal Conduct and Ethics) and fondly name as Code of Professional Conduct, there is no specific provision for this requirement. Only in Chapter 5, under guideline No. 5.1, paragraph 1, it mentions that care should be taken to ensure that the premises or location used for practice purposes are such as to enhance the dignity of the profession, whilst guideline No. 5.3.1, paragraph 3 it mentions that when a member is setting up a practice he/she should inform all existing practitioners around the proposed place of practice.
The intending person who wants to set up a clinic should be wary of complaints that can arise from other clinics in the vicinity and should be judicious in the choice of the proposed location. Being a statutory body, the Council self-regulates the veterinary surgeons’ profession in Malaysia. The Council makes rulings and regulations from time to time on various aspects of professional conduct in the light of the needs of society and changing professional norms.
The ‘Code of Professional Conduct’ is a guideline that spells out how practitioners should relate to their patients, their colleagues and the public.