BALIK PULAU, June 8 — The draft amendment bill for the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50), aimed at resolving the issue of registering medical doctors who obtain specialist qualifications through the parallel pathway, has been submitted to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) for review, announced Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad.
This development follows the submission of a Cabinet Memorandum on the issue, jointly presented by Dzulkefly and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, to address controversies related to specialist training pathways. Dzulkefly stated that the amendment bill would undergo several engagement sessions with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), and other stakeholders before being presented to the Cabinet.
The bill is expected to be tabled for debate during the Second Meeting of the Third Session of the current Parliament. This issue gained public attention when the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) requested Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) to admit non-Bumiputera medical officers for specialized training, following the MMC’s rejection of four cardiothoracic surgeons’ applications to the National Specialist Register due to non-recognition of their qualifications from the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
