AS the president of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), I am writing to urge your support for the proposed amendments to the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50), scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on July 15 (today).
These amendments are crucial for resolving the ongoing parallel pathway issue and addressing the critical shortage of medical specialists in Malaysia.
Key points of the amendment
1. Streamlining processes: The amendment aims to enable both parallel pathway and masters programmes to run concurrently, addressing the gap between these two routes to specialisation. This will provide more opportunities for medical officers to pursue specialised training.
2. Recognition of qualifications: The changes seek to streamline the process of recognizing and registering medical specialists who have obtained their qualifications through various pathways, including international qualifications like the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS Ed).
3. Maintaining professional oversight: It is crucial that all specialist qualifications recognition and registration remain under the ambit of the profession via the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). This ensures that high standards of medical education and practice are maintained.
4. Legal and regulatory clarity: The amendments aim to resolve conflicts between various regulatory bodies, ensuring all specialist training programs meet national accreditation standards.
Benefits of the amendment
Addressing specialist shortages: By recognising a wider range of qualifications, we can increase the number of qualified specialists available to serve in public healthcare facilities.
Enhanced training opportunities: The amendment will provide more diverse training pathways for medical officers, potentially reducing the brain drain of medical professionals from Malaysia.
Improved healthcare quality: With more specialists available, we anticipate improved healthcare services, reduced wait times, and more timely treatment for patients.
Addressing concerns
We acknowledge concerns about maintaining the quality of specialist training. The MMA emphasises that these amendments aim to uphold high standards while addressing urgent healthcare needs.
We support the Health Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that the quality of training, competency of practitioners, and patient safety remain protected.
MPs support vital
We call on all MPs to support the amendment to the Medical Act 1971. This legislative change is essential for ensuring that every Malaysian has access to high-quality, specialised medical care.
The MMA believes that these amendments, coupled with proper implementation and oversight, will strengthen our healthcare system and benefit the nation as a whole.
Conclusion
The proposed amendments to the Medical Act 1971 represent a significant step towards resolving the parallel pathway issue and addressing the specialist shortage in Malaysia.
By streamlining processes and maintaining professional oversight, we can create a more robust and flexible system for specialist training and recognition.
These amendments will benefit both the parallel pathway and masters programmes, ensuring that graduates from both routes have clear paths to specialist registration. The MMA hopes that with passage of these amendments, more doctors will take up specialisation, which is critically needed by the country.
They will have the opportunity to choose whichever pathway suits them best, thereby retaining our talents within the system and in the country.
We urge MPs to consider the long-term benefits of this amendment and to vote in favour of it, keeping in mind the best interests of our healthcare system, the Malaysian public, and the future of medical education in our country. – July 15, 2024
Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz is president of the Malaysian Medical Association