PETALING JAYA: The Cabinet has agreed in principle to amend Act 50 to address the registration issues faced by medical doctors who obtain their specialist qualifications through the parallel pathway.
"The parallel pathway, implemented in collaboration with the Health Ministry and the medical master's programmes offered by local higher education institutions, serves to produce more specialists to meet the increasing need for specialist services at health facilities nationwide," stated the Health Ministry in a statement on Wednesday (June 5).
The Health Minister and the Higher Education Minister jointly submitted a Cabinet Memorandum proposing these amendments.
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The Bill for the amendment will be tabled during the Second Session of the Third Term of the Fifteenth Parliament session in 2024, once it receives Cabinet approval.
Through the proposed amendments, both specialist training pathways can be more systematically implemented from a legal perspective.
Doctors who complete these programmes will be able to register as medical specialists in the National Specialist Register (NSR) under the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).
"This will enable us to promptly address any arising issues," added the Health Ministry.
"The Health Ministry will ensure that the quality of training and services, the competence of practitioners and medical specialists, and patient safety aspects remain guaranteed once these amendments are made."
