Health ministry okays UK college’s medical specialist cert
Published on: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
By:
FMT, K Parkaran
Dr RA Lingeswaran says the health ministry’s recognition of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s qualification is timely. (Photo: Wikipedia via FMT)
PETALING JAYA: Cardiothoracic surgeons qualifying from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh under the health ministry’s parallel pathway programme can now apply to be gazetted as specialists.
Also eligible for gazettement are family medicine specialists from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Irish College of General Practitioners, as well as plastic surgeons from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to a letter addressed to heads of departments sighted by FMT, the ministry said the special medical committee that met on March 13 had agreed to allow those qualifying as specialists from these colleges to apply for gazettement.
“The affected medical officers will be given official letters to go through the gazettement process for a minimum of six months. They must also undergo an assessment at the end of the process,” said the letter signed by deputy director-general (medical) Dr Nor Azimi Yunus.
In an FMT report yesterday, Senator Dr RA Lingeswaran asked the health ministry and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) in the Dewan Negara why they had halted recognition of the cardiothoracic surgeon qualification from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh under the parallel pathway programme.
He said the move had put many doctors who had obtained a postgraduate qualification from the college in a tough spot, as they could not be gazetted as specialists.
ADVERTISEMENT
Responding to the letter, Lingeswaran told FMT that the ministry’s recognition was timely, although the affected doctors could only start working as specialists after their gazettement.
He said MMC must enter their names in the National Registry of Specialists as soon as they become eligible.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The ball is in MMC’s court now. It should speed up the process of recognising the cardiothoracic surgery parallel pathway training programme from the college again. There is talk that little Napoleons are stalling some of the processes.
“I urge MMC to register these deserving doctors as soon as possible, as they have all passed the rigorous parallel pathway training programme,” he said, adding that it must quickly reinsert the college’s name in the official recognition list.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
