KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has agreed in principle to amend the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50) to address the gap between the parallel pathway programme and the local master's medicine programme.
Following this, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the amendment to the bill would be presented in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session scheduled for June once approval is given by the Cabinet.
"The Ministry, alongside the Higher Education Ministry, has jointly submitted a Cabinet Memorandum on the proposed amendment to Act 50, which aims to resolve the registration issue of medical doctors who obtain qualifications through the parallel pathway programme and to streamline the recognition and registration process of specialists.
"The Cabinet has agreed in principle with the proposal, and the bill, once approved by the Cabinet, will be presented in the second session of the third term of the 15th Parliament.
"The Cabinet is aware of the increasing need for specialist services in all health facilities across the country," he said in a statement today.
Dr Dzulkefly added that through the amendment, the parallel pathway programme, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry and the master's programme by local higher education institutions, could also produce more specialists.
This, he said, was because both pathway programmes could be systematically implemented from a legal perspective.
"Additionally, doctors who have completed any such programmes will be able to register as medical specialists in the National Specialist Register (NSR) under the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). This will enable any arising issues to be resolved promptly."
He also said the Ministry would ensure that the quality of training and services, the competency of practitioners and medical specialists, as well as patient safety aspects, remain guaranteed when these amendments are made.
Earlier, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced that the government had agreed to introduce a bill aimed at bridging the gap between the parallel pathway programme and the local Master's medicine programme in the Dewan Rakyat in due course.