KUALA LUMPUR – The government has allocated a staggering RM150 million for the development of medical specialist training programmes, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said.
His response came as a rebuttal against claims of a shortage of trained experts in the country.
From the total, RM142.4 million has been allocated to sponsor master’s programmes in medicine in local higher education institutions and RM10 million for parallel pathway training programmes.
Speaking during the Ministers’ Question Time session in the Dewan Rakyat today, he then said that 120 postgraduate medical programmes are offered by nine local higher education institutions, and 14 specialty training fields are available through parallel pathway programmes.
The minister added that both sponsorship programmes are offered to permanent and contract medical officers to ensure excellence in the country’s medical field.
According to him, a total of 6,933 medical officers are sponsored to receive medical specialty training, with 6,142 pursuing master’s programmes and 791 undergoing parallel pathway specialty training.
Further, Dzulkefly stated that the amendment to the Medical Act (Act 50) will be presented at the Dewan Rakyat during the third week of this parliamentary session.
It is expected to be debated and passed by the end of the fourth week.
The amendments aim to improve the process for identifying and registering medical specialists and address the registration of medical doctors with specialised training through the parallel pathway.
The parallel pathway issue gained public attention when the Malaysian Medical Association requested Universiti Teknologi Mara to admit non-Bumiputera medical officers seeking specialised training in cardiothoracic medicine, similar to how the institution accepts international students.
This came after the Malaysian Medical Council rejected the application of four cardiothoracic surgeons to be listed in the National Specialist Register because the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Cardiothoracic Surgery they obtained was not recognised here. – June 27, 2024