PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) requires immediate reform because of its opaque decision-making processes, says Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK).
It backed Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran's call for change within the MMC for the sake of transparency.
"Recent controversies over post-graduate qualification and parallel pathway programmes highlight the need for clarity and fairness," the group said in a statement on Friday (April 5).
"Inconsistent decisions and lack of transparency have caused distress among medical professionals and compromised healthcare quality.
"Dr Lingeshwaran's proposal, including transparent MMC elections and public disclosure of decisions by the Medical Education Committee (MEC) as well as speciality subcommittees for education (SSC-Edu) are crucial steps toward rebuilding trust," it added.
HDK said increased representation of the Health Ministry within the MMC is vital to safeguard national healthcare interests.
"Urgent amendments to the Medical Act 1971 are necessary to address issues with parallel pathway programmes and ensure MMC's accountability," it said.
In its view, the rejection of specialist registration applications was a threat to medical education and the medical practice in the country.
"We urge stakeholders to support a reformed and transparent MMC that prioritises professionalism, ethics and patient care," it added.
