Government agrees to amend Medical Act 1971

The Government has agreed to amend the Medical Act 1971, so students who went through the parallel pathway programme can gain recognition, said the Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad.

“To ensure that both the Specialist Degree training program and the Parallel Pathway receive recognition from the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) and that graduates of both programs can register with MPM without any issues, the Government has agreed to amend the Medical Act 1971,” he said. 

“This amendment aims to clarify the registration requirements for a medical doctor as a specialist, including the recognition of specialist qualifications and training institutions.

He said the Bill to amend Medical Act 1971 will be presented in this Parliamentary session.

“As is well known, the Cabinet Meeting on June 5, 2024, agreed with the proposal to amend the Medical Act 1971, and the amendment Bill will be presented soon. 

“It is hoped that this decision will resolve the issue of registering medical doctors who obtain specialist qualifications through the parallel pathway and streamline the recognition and registration process as medical specialists,” he said in a parliamentary written reply. 

He was responding to Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) who asked the Health Minister to state the solution for the non-recognition of the parallel pathway program through the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSE) for cardiothoracic surgery, to address the shortage of heart surgery specialists and to simultaneously halt the ongoing controversy and polemics.

The controversy over the parallel pathway programme began when Malaysian graduates, sponsored by the government to study cardiothoracic surgery at the RCSE, encountered difficulties practising in Malaysia because their qualifications were not accepted by the MMC.