KUALA LUMPUR: The amendment to the Medical Act 1971, aimed at improving provisions relating to the registration of medical practitioners as specialists, was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat, today (July 15).
The amendment, which is also aimed at implementing the process of recognition of qualifications and specialised training, was tabled by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
"The second reading of the bill is expected to be conducted in the same session," he said when tabling the bill.
Last month, Dr Dzulkefly said the cabinet had agreed in principle to amend the Act, which seeks to address the gap between the parallel pathway programme (PPP) and the local Master's medicine programme.
Dr Dzulkefly also said the amendment to the Act was one of the government's solutions to overcome the problem of graduates from a programme who are not listed in the National Specialist Register (NSR).
This comes after the Malaysian Medical Council's (MMC) refusal to recognise qualifications from certain colleges, which subsequently sparked controversies.
Following this, several quarters, including Bandar Kuching member of parliament Dr Kelvin Yee, had urged MMC and the ministry to address the confusion over the recognition and registration of cardiothoracic surgeons, who graduated from PPP.
Meanwhile, based on the blue bill book circulated in Parliament, Clause 2 of the bill sought to amend Section 2 of the Act by deleting the definition of 'recognised training institution', and inserting a new definition of 'local higher educational institution'.
The clause also sought to delete the definition of 'recognised specialist qualification' as the specialist qualifications are specified in the proposed new Fourth Schedule.
The clause is also aimed at amending the definition of 'registered medical practitioner' to include Specialist as part of registered medical practitioners under this Act.
At the same time, Clause 4 sought to empower the council to recognise qualifications and specialised training for the registration of medical practitioners and specialists.
The clause also aimed to empower the council to appoint any registered medical practitioner to represent it in any committee, panel or institution where that person would subsequently make recommendations to the council on all matters relating to qualifications of medical practitioner or regulation of the practice of medicine.
Among others, Clause 5 proposed to provide that any person may be fully registered under Section 14 of the Act if such person intends to teach, do research or pursue a postgraduate course in a specialty area under such training programmes in any institution as determined by the council.
Clause 6, meanwhile, substitutes Section 14b of the Act to provide for conditions for a medical practitioner to be registered as a specialist.
The clause also proposed to provide for specialised training as a requirement to be entitled to be registered as a specialist.