No. Under section 60F of Malaysia’s Employment Act 1955, paid sick leave must follow examination by a registered medical practitioner — a doctor registered under the Medical Act 1971 — a government medical officer, or a dental surgeon. Chiropractors register with the T&CM Council under Act 775, so an MC is outside their scope.
Last reviewed: 3 November 2026
Can a chiropractor in Malaysia issue an MC?
No. A chiropractor cannot issue the medical certificate your employer needs for paid sick leave. The Employment Act 1955 sets out who can, and a chiropractor is not on the list.
Section 60F(1) entitles an employee to paid sick leave after examination by a registered medical practitioner appointed by the employer, or — where none is appointed or cannot be reached within a reasonable time or distance — by any other registered medical practitioner or by a medical officer. Section 2 defines a registered medical practitioner as someone registered under the Medical Act 1971, and a medical officer as one employed by the Federal or a State Government. Section 60F(1A) adds dental surgeons. Chiropractors appear nowhere in those definitions.
Chiropractors in Malaysia register instead with the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Council under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 (Act 775), which the Ministry of Health records as gazetted on 10 March 2016 and implemented on 1 August 2016. That registration is what allows someone to practise chiropractic lawfully here. It does not make them a registered medical practitioner, and carries no power to certify sick leave.
So if a practitioner offers to write you an MC, treat that as a reason to check their registration rather than a convenience. Look them up on the T&CM Council’s online status page — our guide on how to check a chiropractor is registered in Malaysia walks through it. Practising in a recognised T&CM area without registration is an offence under Act 775.
Who can issue an MC in Malaysia?
Three groups: doctors registered with the Malaysian Medical Council, government medical officers at a Klinik Kesihatan or government hospital, and dental surgeons for dental problems. Verify a doctor on the MMC register search.
| Practitioner | Register and governing Act | Can certify sick leave under s.60F? | What they can give you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor (GP, private hospital) | Malaysian Medical Council, Medical Act 1971 | Yes | MC, referral letter, imaging request |
| Government medical officer | MMC registered, employed by Federal or State Government | Yes | MC, referral within the government system |
| Dental surgeon | Dental Act | Yes, under s.60F(1A), within the same yearly allowance | Dental MC |
| Chiropractor | T&CM Council, Act 775 | No | Clinical notes, findings letter, receipt |
| Physiotherapist | Malaysian Allied Health Professions Council, Act 774 | No | Treatment notes, progress report |
That split between Act 775 and Act 774 decides who is accountable to which council if something goes wrong. We cover the practical differences in chiropractor versus physiotherapist in Malaysia.
Red flags: see a doctor the same day
Some back and neck symptoms need a government hospital emergency department today — not an MC, and not a chiropractic appointment. Go straight to hospital with:
- numbness around the groin, buttocks or inner thighs, or trouble controlling urine or stool
- leg or foot weakness that is getting worse over hours or days
- new back or neck pain after a fall, road accident or sports collision
- fever, night sweats or unexplained weight loss with the pain
- a history of cancer and new back pain
- severe chest pain, breathlessness, or pain that does not change with position
These are the signs where a few days of rest at home is the wrong call. Our piece on reading a slipped disc MRI report covers the emergency presentations in detail.
How much paid sick leave does the Employment Act give you?
Fourteen days a year under two years’ service, eighteen days from two to under five years, and twenty-two days at five years or more — plus up to sixty days a year where hospitalisation is necessary. Those figures sit in section 60F(1)(aa) and (bb).
Two practical points follow. Section 60F(2) treats sick leave that is not certified by one of the practitioners above as absence without permission, and does the same where the employee fails to inform the employer within 48 hours — so a chiropractor’s letter handed to HR in place of an MC does not protect your pay, however detailed it is. And where a doctor certifies you as ill enough to need hospital but you are not admitted, the Act deems you hospitalised for that sixty-day allowance.
What can a chiropractor give you instead?
Clinical documentation rather than certification: a record of what was examined and found, what care was given, and a receipt. Chiropractic House is a cash-pay clinic and does not bill insurers directly; we issue receipts and clinical documentation for patients who wish to claim themselves. A first session is RM250 to RM410, follow-ups less.
That paperwork does real work: it supports a private insurance or company reimbursement claim where your policy allows one, as our guide to chiropractic insurance coverage sets out, and gives a GP a usable record of what has been tried. What it cannot do is stand in for an MC. If you need time off certified, see a doctor; nothing stops you doing both.
Does PERKESO accept a chiropractor’s note for a work injury?
No. PERKESO pays Temporary Disablement Benefit for medical leave certified by a doctor for not less than four days including the day of the accident, at 80% of the average assumed daily wage — minimum RM30.00, maximum RM158.67 a day.
The same scheme covers treatment at a PERKESO panel clinic or a government clinic or hospital until recovery, which does not extend to private chiropractic care. So if the problem came from work or the commute, get examined by a doctor first and have it recorded as work-related from day one. Our guide on claiming from PERKESO for a work back or neck injury goes through the steps.
Will time off actually fix your back?
Less than most people hope. A Cochrane review of ten randomised trials found that for acute low back pain, advice to stay active gave small improvements in pain (standardised mean difference 0.22, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.41) and function (SMD 0.29, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.49) over advice to rest in bed, while for sciatica there was little or no difference between the two.
The numbers are soft: the review authors rated the evidence moderate quality at best, judged some of it low quality, and said further research is very likely to change the estimate. The direction is clearer than the size of the effect.
The practical reading for a Kuala Lumpur office worker: if a doctor gives you two days, those days usually do more good spent walking and sleeping properly than lying down with the air conditioning on full. Chiropractic care may help some mechanical neck and back problems, but it does not cure most spinal conditions, and the evidence for manual therapy on its own is modest.
How we can help: if your back or neck pain needs treatment rather than a certificate, we start with an assessment and, depending on what it finds, may use chiropractic adjustment, dry needling, sports massage or tecar-assisted manual therapy.
Frequently asked questions
Can a chiropractor in Malaysia give an MC?
No. Section 60F of the Employment Act 1955 requires examination by a registered medical practitioner, a government medical officer or a dental surgeon. Chiropractors register with the T&CM Council under Act 775 and cannot certify sick leave.
Will my employer accept a chiropractor’s letter instead of an MC?
It is not an MC, so it does not entitle you to paid sick leave under section 60F. Some employers accept a clinical letter as supporting evidence at their own discretion, but the Act treats uncertified sick leave as absence without permission.
Can I see a chiropractor while I am on MC?
Yes. An MC certifies that you are unfit for work; it does not restrict which registered practitioners you may see. If your MC is for a serious condition, follow the certifying doctor’s advice first.
Does PERKESO pay for chiropractic treatment?
No. PERKESO’s medical benefit covers treatment at its panel clinics or at government clinics and hospitals. Its Temporary Disablement Benefit requires medical leave certified by a doctor for at least four days including the day of the accident.
How do I check whether a chiropractor is registered in Malaysia?
Search the T&CM Council’s online status page on the Ministry of Health site. Practising in a recognised T&CM practice area without registration is an offence under Act 775, so this is worth two minutes before a first appointment.
What does a chiropractic session cost in Kuala Lumpur?
At Chiropractic House in Segambut, a first session is RM250 to RM410 and follow-ups cost less. We are a cash-pay clinic and issue receipts and clinical documentation for patients who wish to claim themselves.
Not sure who to see first? Our contact page has the details for the clinic at Suria @ North Kiara, off Jalan Kuching in Segambut, within reach of Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas and Dutamas.
Written and clinically reviewed by Eugene Gan, Chiropractor, Bachelor of Science (Hons) Chiropractic, accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia (CCEA). Chiropractic House, Suria @ North Kiara, Segambut, Kuala Lumpur. General information on Malaysian sick leave law, not legal advice.
