Nor Hisham broke the law, messed up Medical Specialist training

Not many is aware, the budget for the teaching hospitals in this country were slashed few years ago. It happened before Tan Sri Nor Hisham Abdullah introduced the Parallel Pathway in his so-called attempt to shortcut the process of producing more medical specialist.

PP used up the budget of Ministry of Health (MOH), which is not responsible for medical education but that of Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). Budget meant for public health were diverted into areas which is not supposed to be spent by MOH and compromised public health well beings. 

Since this issue will be addressed in Parliament, Member of Parliaments should be looking into the implication on the budget and not narrowly channeled by what was briefed to them. Its practically attempt by MOH to kill off medical education of local Universities. 

As the next Parliament session draws near, the same happening as before and reported by this blog in earlier postings is happening.

Proponents of PP attempted to confuse the public to deflect the weakness on the accredition of PP, bad planning of MOH, lack of assessment and monitoring for academic quality, and the more serious matter of patients' safety. 

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In a briefing by MMC to Health Parliament Committee, they acknowledged Noor Hisham's initiative since 2016 had broken the law. 

Parallel Pathway Must Follow Existing Laws, Says Ex-MOH Deputy Director

By Alifah Zainuddin | 14 June 2024

Codeblue

Former MOH disease control deputy director Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar says the parallel pathway must comply with existing Medical and MQA Acts and be regularised through “recognised institutions”; all medical specialty training must be accredited by MMC/ MQA.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 – Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar has called for the parallel pathway to comply with existing legislations, emerging as the first former Ministry of Health (MOH) official to publicly criticise the programme.

The former MOH disease control division deputy director’s rebuke of the alleged irregularity in the MOH’s parallel pathways with foreign royal colleges indicates dissent within the medical profession itself on this particular medical specialty training programme – instead of a simplistic conflict between specialist doctors in the MOH and those in universities who are also professors.

“Under the Medical Act 1971 [Act 50] (Amendment 2012), it is clear that training is required for NSR registration. And under the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) Act 2007 [Act 679], all local educational institutions must be accredited.

“For foreign institutions, approval must be granted by the respective country before it can be accepted by NSR/ MMC. All specialist training must be part of a system approved and accredited by MMC/ MQA, unless the Act is amended. Otherwise, much of the training will be unregulated,” said Dr Zainal Ariffin, who is also a former elected council member of the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), told CodeBlue yesterday.