Latest news with #MalaysianMedicalCouncil
The Star
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Dzul: Amendments beefed up medical profession
PETALING JAYA: The enforcement of the Medical Regulations (Amendment) 2025 and Medical (Amendment) Act 2024 (Act A1729) came into force yesterday. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad ( pic ) said this significant achievement is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance, transparency and inclusiveness in the medical profession. 'The amendment to the Medical Regulations provides the necessary legal framework to implement the provisions of the amended Act. 'It creates a clear and consistent path for the recognition and registration of specialists trained through the parallel pathway programme and local specialist training. 'The amendment clarifies the role and responsibilities of the Malaysian Medical Council in ensuring that all practitioners with certain qualifications are assessed fairly and transparently,' he said in a statement. Dzulkefly also said the membership of the council have been strengthened to be more equitable in terms of its composition in accordance with the current status of the health workforce.
Free Malaysia Today
01-07-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Specialist recognition finally granted to parallel pathway grads
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad signing the ministerial order to implement the changes to the Medical Act 1971, passed in July last year. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : The health ministry has cleared the final hurdle for hundreds of medical graduates trained via the parallel pathway to be officially listed in the National Specialists Register (NSR), ending a year-long delay that had left them in limbo. Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad announced today he had signed the ministerial order to enforce the amendments to the Medical Act 1971, with the changes coming into force on July 1. The move will allow the Malaysian Medical Council's list of recognised qualifications to now cover all the foreign universities that were involved in the production of parallel pathway specialists. In a Facebook post, Dzulkefly said the order will now be submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers for gazetting. 'God willing, the amendments will come into force on July 1,' he said. Dzulkefly said this is not just a matter of amending the law, but also improving the future of healthcare in Malaysia. 'With this amendment, the two routes to become specialists – namely the parallel pathway and the master's programme – can be implemented in a more organised manner, with transparency in accordance with the existing laws,' he said. Senator RA Lingeshwaran, a vocal proponent of the reform, hailed the minister for following through on his pledge to resolve the issue. 'This is a victory for the hundreds of specialists who have been unable to be listed in the NSR because of bureaucracy. 'This will shorten the waiting time in hospitals to see specialists,' he told FMT. The Medical (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed last July after mounting pressure from professional groups and MPs. The amendments followed the controversy over the MMC's refusal to recognise certain parallel pathway programmes, such as the cardiothoracic surgery qualification from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, despite a shortage of such specialists in government hospitals.
BusinessToday
01-07-2025
- Health
- BusinessToday
Malaysia Enforces Medical Regulations (Amendment) 2025 To Strengthen Healthcare Governance
The Health Ministry has officially enforced the Medical Regulations (Amendment) 2025, following the implementation of the Medical Act (Amendment) 2024 (Act A1729). This move marks a significant step in enhancing governance, transparency and inclusivity within the nation's medical profession. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad announced that the amendments establish a clear legal framework for implementing provisions in the amended act, offering consistent pathways for the recognition and registration of specialists trained via the parallel pathway and local specialist training. The amendments also clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Malaysian Medical Council and enhance the structure and membership of the Malaysian Medical Council to reflect current healthcare workforce needs, particularly in the public sector. Key improvements include a more transparent and regulated evaluation process for local specialist training programs, ensuring qualified professionals are assessed fairly and registered to serve the public effectively. This aims to boost public confidence and ensure consistent competency standards across all training routes. Dr Dzulkefly emphasised the ministry's ongoing collaboration with key stakeholders to drive health system reforms under the MADANI framework. He also expressed appreciation to medical associations and legal experts for their contributions to this milestone reform. Related
The Star
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Amendments to Medical Regulations and Act come into force today
PETALING JAYA: Effective Tuesday (July 1), the enforcement of the Medical Regulations (Amendment) 2025 and the Medical (Amendment) Act 2024 [Act A1729] has officially commenced. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad stated that this significant achievement is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance, transparency, and inclusiveness in the country's medical profession. "The amendment to the Medical Regulations provides the necessary legal framework to implement the provisions of the amended Act. It creates a clear and consistent path for the recognition and registration of specialists trained through the Parallel Pathway programme and local specialist training. "The amendment clarifies the role and responsibilities of the Malaysian Medical Council (MPM) in ensuring that all practitioners with certain qualifications are assessed fairly and transparently," he said in a statement. He also noted that the structure and membership of the MPM have been strengthened to be more equitable in terms of its composition, in accordance with the current status of the health workforce, particularly in the public sector. Additionally, the amendment provides a strong legal basis for all local specialist training programmes to ensure they are recognised and administered more systematically. This, Dzulkefly pointed out, would enable specialists who were previously in limbo to be assessed and registered, thereby serving the people better. Apart from that, the amendment would increase access to high-quality specialist care and strengthen public confidence as all specialists serving in the health system are assessed against consistent standards of competence regardless of their training pathway. "The ministry's management and I will continue to engage with stakeholders, empower innovation, and implement reforms that ensure our health system remains resilient, inclusive, and future-proof," he said. In light of this, Dzulkefly expressed appreciation to the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM), Malaysian Association for Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery (MATCVS), National Council of Professors (MPN), Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), training institutions, legal experts, and policy-making partners who have contributed to this important reform.
New Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
Of approved drugs and unapproved uses
NOT many Malaysians know what off-label drug prescriptions are, but Dr Kamini Shanmugaiah, a senior lecturer at the University Wollongong Australia KDU Penang University College writes in her op-ed in this newspaper that they may account for up to 50 per cent of all medication use, particularly in paediatric and geriatric patients. One won't be wrong in calling such practice a common use, controversial though it may be. If before we were worried about side effects of modern medicine, now we have to add off-label drug prescriptions to the list. But what exactly is off-label drug prescription? It is the unapproved use of approved drugs. The use of the cancer drug, methotrexate, for psoriasis is an example of unapproved use. Because of the lack of clinical trial data, the patients prescribed such medicines may be exposed to severe side effects, Kamini warns. If so, why resort to off-label prescriptions? The simple answer is there are no other drugs available or these drugs have not been tested on certain patients such as children and geriatric patients. Corrosive commerce plays a part, too. Pharmaceutical companies choose not to invest in clinical trials on such patients because they are not profit generators. No one expected capitalism to be compassionate, anyway. For the physicians who have to treat their patients even if there aren't any approved drugs for their ailments, it is one tightrope to walk. But so long as they follow guidelines issued by professional bodies such as the Malaysian Medical Council and act responsibly, they can keep medical negligence cases as far away as possible. Doctors serving in public hospitals would, however, need the approval of a few committees before they can prescribe off-label drugs. The idea is to ensure that such prescriptions are medically justified. Informed consent of patients — meaning physicians must disclose to patients any material risks posed by the drugs — is critical to avoid any legal liability. Surprisingly, for an old practice of using approved drugs for unapproved uses, there appears to be no Malaysian case law directly on point, as far as we can tell, which means a litigant must rely on general principles of medical negligence and malpractice. The court will obviously consider the standard of care appropriate for off-label prescriptions, which means the need for the physician to answer several questions. One, was the unapproved use based on guidelines issued by a medical body? Two, did the physician obtain the informed consent of the patient? Three, was the use in the best interest of the patient? Vulnerable patients such as children and the elderly have long been ignored by clinical studies conducted by pharmaceutical companies. Malaysia may not be able to do much about getting Big Pharma to be inclusive, but it can get local ones to do so. The European Union and the United States are using the legal regime to mandate paediatric trials. Malaysia must follow their lead and include geriatric trials as well. The EU and the US are right in moving up from guidelines to regulatory oversight to ensure patient safety. Malaysia must move up, too.
