KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) is not directly involved in the registration dilemma of medical doctors obtaining specialist qualifications through the specialist degree training programme or 'parallel pathway.'
Its chief executive officer, Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Shatar Sabran, clarified that the authority to accept or reject the registration and certification of medical practitioners lies with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), including in the field of medical specialisation such as cardiothoracic.
He said that MQA collaborates with MMC only in the accreditation and recognition activities of medical institutions within the country.
Hence, the issue that has arisen previously does not involve MQA directly.
"MQA acts as a facilitator to help resolve related issues based on the jurisdiction and existing regulations of this agency," he said.
He was commenting on the issue concerning the specialist degree training programme or 'parallel pathway'.
To note, this issue arose after MMC rejected the application of four cardiothoracic surgeons to be listed in the National Specialist Register because their Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Cardiothoracic Surgery (FRCS Ed) was not recognised following the enforcement of amendments to the Medical Act starting in 2017.
Among the proposed solutions by some parties is for the four specialists to be accepted for specialised training at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), the first university offering a medical specialisation programme in collaboration with the National Heart Institute in the field of cardiothoracic surgery.
This programme is accredited jointly by MQA and MMC.
Previously, the Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, explained that the core issue concerning the 'parallel pathway' dilemma in cardiothoracic surgery is the recognition of the 'parallel pathway' specialist training conducted by the Health Ministry (MOH).
Secondly, it is the registration issue of medical officers who have completed the Parallel Pathway specialist training in the National Specialist Register (NSR) under MMC.
Elaborating further, Mohammad Shatar said, as the main body regulating and accrediting higher education programmes, MQA also collaborates with 22 professional bodies such as the Malaysian Board of Architects, the Board of Engineers Malaysia, and the Malaysian Dental Council for the implementation of programmes in local higher education institutions, including collaboration with MMC.
"In this collaboration, MQA is responsible for ensuring quality compliance based on the Malaysian Qualifications Framework, while the professional bodies ensure quality compliance based on the standards of the profession they oversee.
"This cooperation also involves programmes offered from abroad in collaboration with local higher education institutions (IPT)," he said.
In carrying out this process, the involved parties, whether domestic or international, must consist of legally established institutions, and the programs must be recognised in their country of origin.
"The Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) and MOH have already sought the best solution to resolve this issue, and the results have been presented at a cabinet meeting.
"The Cabinet has decided to amend the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50) to resolve the registration dilemma of medical doctors obtaining specialist qualifications through the parallel pathway. The draft has been completed and submitted to the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) today for review.
"At MQA, we hope this matter can be resolved promptly with the best approach for all parties," he said.