KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) has registered 854 overseas-qualified medical practitioners as local specialist doctors from January to May this year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

He said that 849 of them are Malaysians, with 87 per cent or 741 of the applications for specialist registration approved within three months or less.

“The Ministry of Health (MOH) always welcomes the return of overseas-qualified Malaysian doctors as they are a crucial asset to the country’s healthcare system.

“This commitment has been realised through the specialist registration process that is open to all applicants who meet the registration requirements, as stated in the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50) and Medical Regulations 2017,” he said.

He said this during the Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today in response to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng (BN-Tanjung Piai) regarding the registration of Malaysian specialist doctors with overseas qualifications in the National Specialist Register. 

Elaborating, Dzulkefly said the amendment to Act 50, which was passed in 2024, was an important move by the Madani Government to streamline, clarify and strengthen the process of registering specialists and recognise the country’s specialist training programmes.

Through the amendment, he said several issues that were previously disputed managed to be resolved, including the recognition of the Genetic Pathology qualification from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), as well as cardiothoracic specialists trained through the parallel pathway programme with the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS Edinburgh), United Kingdom qualification, who were successfully registered after undergoing the assessment process

He said the requirement to have qualifications listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Medical Act 1971 was one of the key conditions for specialist registration, although it does not mean registration is granted automatically.

Instead, he said, the MMC still needs to assess whether the applicants fulfil all the conditions under Section 14 of Act 50, including completing specialist training, having satisfactory work experience as a specialist, being competent and of good character as stipulated in the same act.

Dzulkefly said the processing period for each application varies depending on whether the documents submitted by applicants are properly filled out, including obtaining qualification verification, completing specialist training and proof of work experience from overseas training institutions, employers, or related authorities.

He added that the government will continue its efforts to reverse the brain drain trend to brain gain, including addressing several cases involving specialists from the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries who wish to return and serve in Malaysia. — Bernama