The Ministry of Health has updated the list of recognised post-graduate degrees in their latest circular issued last month as attached below. You can also view the document here http://www.mma.org.my/Portals/0/Surat%20Pekeliling%20Ketua%20Pengarah%20Kesihatan%20Bil.%2015-2012.pdf. Once the new medical act is amended (currently in Parliament), the national specialist register(NSR) will be made compulsory and everyone will need to fulfill the criteria mentioned before he/she can be recognised as a specialist. I also heard that the UKAPS unit of MOH has asked all private hospitals to submit the NSR registration of consultants in their hospitals. The “so-called” specialists from certain countries who came back and happily practising in private hospitals may get into trouble if they cannot produce enough evidence of training.
If you look at MRCP and MRCPCH qualification, a new gazettement criteria has been included. You must have at least 4 years of internal medicine training which should include 1 year post qualification training before even going for gazettement process. The question is whether the gazettement process after this 4 years training is going to be 18 months or 6 months as it is not mentioned in the circular. I am sure those who have been reading this blog are aware of this coming changes since I have been saying this for quite some time now.
I just hope this criteria will apply for those who are coming back from overseas “training” as well, as I have written before http://pagalavan.com/2012/04/04/trained-specialist/
Surat Pekeliling Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Bil. 15-2012
It is also interesting to note that UiTM has started atleast 3 Master’s programme in just about 8 years of their existence. Wonder whether it is open for Non-Bumis……………. I am sure you know the answer.
I don’t notice that Masters in Singapore is in the list, except for Anaesthesiology and Public Health, so is it recognized?
Some of the Masters in Singapore is tied to UK Royal Colleges exams like MMED is tied to MRCP etc. Thus most of them will have MRCP, MRCOG, FRCS etc.
Yeah, I couldn’t find many Singapore Masters qualifications either …. interesting!
Apart from UiTM (our very own apartheid university), UPM and UIA are also offering some Masters programmes.
And I find it really interesting that a Trauma surgeon (FRCS with 3 years in traumatology) can be considered an Emergency Medicine specialist. Those guys wouldn’t know how to treat MI, asthma, stroke, etc …. they should be recognised as a surgical subspecialty, not emergency medicine.
FRCS with traumatology was recognised as emergency medicine specialist during the time when there were no such programme as Emergency Medicine. I think it should be removed but as long as Dato Ashairi is the HOD of HKL A&E department, I don’t think it will happen.
More and more rules are introduced to make all the clinicians’ life difficult. Those MRCP holders will need to wait for minimum of 4 and half years to be gazetted. They are thrown out to district hospitals. Then here another ruling is asking them wait another 2 years before one can apply subspecialty. Again,one need to be transfer to even more rural areas during this period. A lot of my friends resign and work in Singapore or go to IJN. It seems that our government is pushing out those talented people to other countries. I do not understand what are the intentions making such rules?
The intention is to keep you long in gov service!
You are right! Why are they making our life difficult!! I was hoping and I thought we are going to be like UK and SG where MRCP holders can get into su specialty faster than previous ruling. Again I think they are taking a step backwards. This is not helping!! Some blame it to ou KPK who is not a clinician himself. This gonna make the situation worse!!!
Doctor, which party do you support? PKR?
Haha, all political parties have their problems. For sure I don’t like what UMNO and MIC have done to country interms of social injustice.
Doc don’t you think the Perdana University is just making money and politic issue. its not the real John Hopkins uni right? Will they proceed the building of the campus if they kalah in the coming PRU, moreover its in Selangor! I dare not risk my future there.. its better study in IPTA right?
IT is NOT John Hopkins. It is Perdana University. They are just using the curicullum and some of their lecturers for teaching purposes. Their CEO has repeatedly said that they are NOT offering John Hopkins degree/certificate. If I were you, I will choose the local public universities or private uni like IMU, Monash etc.
Dear Dr,
For those (most of them, I guess) who choose to go to Perdana University because there are many (30 – 50??) JPA scholarships available funded by ‘us’. Even though IMU or Monash are better options, but their scholarships are very limited, just a few (IMU?)or maybe none (Monash?) for medical course.
The government is funding Perdana Uni via the backdoor. So, they are giving scholarship to everyone accepted, unlike other unis. The PM office has created a special scholarship for this. I got no issue with this except the fact that the degree is overpriced and the gov is using our tax payers money to pay a crony for a degree which got NO international value!!
There are JPA scholars in other unis too.
The problem is NOT only overpriced but also NO transparency too!
Just wonder why none of our cabinet ministers or members of parliament voice their opinions on this issue? They should object sending JPA scholars to Perdana U since the fee is so expensive.
Because it is a government project with their cronies!! Malaysian way of doing business!
[...] the Ministry of Health, there seem to be a lot of changes that are taking place. In my last post http://pagalavan.com/2012/05/31/for-future-doctors-recognised-specialist-degrees-and-period-of-train…, I mentioned about the new rules that are being implemented for those who are planning to sit for [...]
hi, Dr Pagalavan. Is the new gazettment rule apply to local university graduate too?
YES, it applies to everyone
For Master’s , it is still 6 months.
[...] been formed to look into their qualification. Either you must be a well renowned specialist, have qualification recognised by MMC/NSR or have unrecognised qualification that have equal number of years of training as in [...]