Is Chiropractic Recognised in Malaysia? What the Law Says
Yes — since 2016. Chiropractic is a named modality under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016, gazetted on 22 July 2016. Every practising chiropractor in Malaysia has been required to register and hold a current Annual Practising Certificate since 1 March 2025. This article explains what that means, which register to check, and what to do if a practitioner does not appear on it.
The Short Answer — and the Longer One
Forum discussions routinely state that chiropractors are “not recognised” in Malaysia, usually citing the Malaysian Medical Council as the authority that matters. The MMC does not register chiropractors. That is correct. It is also not the indictment it appears to be.
The claim that chiropractors are not recognised in Malaysia is wrong. They are recognised under a different instrument from the one critics usually assume. The Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016, gazetted on 22 July 2016, named chiropractic as a regulated modality and established the registration and licensing framework for practitioners. That Act is the law that governs chiropractic in Malaysia — not the Medical Act 1971, which governs medical doctors. Saying chiropractors are not on the Malaysian Medical Council register is the same as saying pharmacists are not on the Bar Council roll. Both statements are accurate. Neither means what people think it means.
What the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 Actually Does
The Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 was gazetted on 22 July 2016. It brought a broad range of health practices — including chiropractic, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, Malay medicine, and others — under a single national regulatory framework for the first time. Prior to this, T&CM practitioners in Malaysia operated under a patchwork of voluntary registration and self-regulation.
The Act established the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Council under the Ministry of Health, gave it the authority to set standards for education and practice, and created a mandatory registration and licensing system. The registration system is administered through the Division of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Ministry of Health Malaysia.
A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (Kim, 2017, PMC5871307) documents the gazettal date, names chiropractic explicitly among the regulated T&CM modalities, and describes how the Division of T&CM manages practitioner registration. This is the peer-reviewed source this article cites; the claim is sourced, not asserted.
The Registration Requirement That Came Into Force in 2025
The Act created the framework. Mandatory registration and Annual Practising Certificates for chiropractors became enforceable on 1 March 2025. From that date, a chiropractor practising in Malaysia without a current Annual Practising Certificate is practising without authorisation — the same consequence a medical doctor faces for practising without a current Annual Practising Certificate under the Medical Act 1971.
Registered practitioners hold one of two statuses. Pengamal Tempatan covers locally trained practitioners. Pengamal Asing covers practitioners with overseas qualifications. Both must hold AKTIF standing and a current Annual Practising Certificate to practise legally.
How to Check a Practitioner Yourself
Ask the clinic directly
The simplest check is to ask the clinic for the practitioner’s registered name and Annual Practising Certificate number before you book. Any registered clinic should be able to produce both without hesitation. If a clinic cannot or will not, that is itself information worth having.
The Division of Traditional and Complementary Medicine maintains the register. You can contact the Division directly through the Ministry of Health Traditional and Complementary Medicine Division page to verify whether a name and certificate number are current.
What to look for
- Practitioner status: Pengamal Tempatan (local) or Pengamal Asing (overseas-trained)
- Standing: must be AKTIF — not expired, suspended, or cancelled
- Annual Practising Certificate: must be current — APCs expire and must be renewed
- Modality listed: Chiropractic — not a general T&CM registration
The Association of Chiropractic Malaysia is the professional body for registered chiropractors in Malaysia. Its membership directory is a secondary reference; the Ministry of Health register is the primary one.
Why This Matters for Choosing a Practitioner
Registration is not a guarantee of good practice. It is a floor. What it tells you: the practitioner has met the educational and licensing requirements set by the T&CM Council, is subject to regulatory oversight, and can be reported to the Council if something goes wrong. An unregistered practitioner operates outside that system entirely.
At Trinity Chiropractic in Bandar Puteri Puchong, both practitioners — Dr. Tan Yen Qi and Dr. Bernice Wong, both BSc (Hons) Chiropractic from IMU University Malaysia — hold Pengamal Tempatan status with AKTIF standing and current Annual Practising Certificates. Their registered names and certificate numbers are published on the chiropractic in Puchong hub page. Check them before you book, using the method described above.
What Registration Does Not Mean
- It does not mean the treatment is guaranteed to work. Registration confirms the practitioner is licensed; it does not confirm the treatment is right for your condition.
- It does not mean MMC endorsement. The Malaysian Medical Council endorses nothing outside its own register. That was never the relevant authority for chiropractic.
- It does not mean the same thing as board certification in a medical specialty. Chiropractic in Malaysia is regulated as a T&CM practice, not as a branch of conventional medicine.
Authority Reference: The peer-reviewed source for the gazettal date and regulatory framework is Kim YJ (2017), “The Current Studies of Education for a Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Malaysia,” J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med, available at PMC5871307. The Association of Chiropractic Malaysia professional directory is at chiroacm.org.
Common Questions About Chiropractic Regulation in Malaysia
What people ask about whether chiropractic is legal, regulated, and checkable in Malaysia.
Yes. Chiropractic is a named regulated modality under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016, gazetted on 22 July 2016. Practitioners must be registered and hold a current Annual Practising Certificate issued by the Division of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Ministry of Health Malaysia. Mandatory registration for chiropractors became enforceable on 1 March 2025.
Because the Malaysian Medical Council registers medical doctors under the Medical Act 1971, and chiropractors are not medical doctors. They are regulated under a different instrument — the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 — with their own Council and their own register. The absence from the MMC register is not a gap; it is how the two systems are designed to work.
Ask the clinic for the practitioner’s registered name and Annual Practising Certificate number. You can then verify these against the Division of Traditional and Complementary Medicine register, accessible through the Ministry of Health. Look for Pengamal Tempatan or Pengamal Asing status, AKTIF standing, and a current (non-expired) Annual Practising Certificate in the Chiropractic modality.
An Annual Practising Certificate is the year-by-year licence that allows a registered chiropractor to practise. It must be renewed each year and is issued by the Division of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. A registration number without a current APC means the practitioner was registered but has not renewed their licence and cannot legally practise. Always check that the APC is current, not just that the practitioner appears on the register.
No. Medical doctors are governed by the Medical Act 1971. The Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 is a separate piece of legislation governing T&CM practitioners, including chiropractors, acupuncturists, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and others. They have separate Councils, separate registers, and separate regulatory structures.
Yes. Both Dr. Tan Yen Qi and Dr. Bernice Wong hold Pengamal Tempatan status with AKTIF standing and current Annual Practising Certificates under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016. Their registered names and certificate numbers are published on the clinic’s hub page. You can verify them against the Division of Traditional and Complementary Medicine register before you book.
Since 1 March 2025, practising as a chiropractor in Malaysia without registration and a current Annual Practising Certificate is an offence under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016. The practical consequence for a patient: an unregistered practitioner has no regulatory oversight, cannot be reported to a Council, and carries no professional licence that the state recognises. Ask before you book.
No. Registration confirms the practitioner meets the licensing requirements. It says nothing about whether the treatment is right for your specific condition, how experienced the practitioner is, or whether you will benefit. It is a floor, not a recommendation. A registered practitioner who skips the assessment before adjusting is still a problem — registration is necessary but not sufficient.
Related Insights
Related reading before your first appointment.
Book With a Practitioner You Can Verify
Both practitioners at Trinity hold current Annual Practising Certificates under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016. Their details are published. Check them before you book — that is what the register is for.
💬 WhatsApp to BookPractitioner credentials, pricing and clinic details on chiropractic in Puchong.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Regulatory requirements may change; verify current requirements with the Ministry of Health. Some images used on this page are representational illustrations.
Common Questions About Chiropractic Regulation in Malaysia
Questions about registration, the law, and how to check a practitioner before booking.