KUALA LUMPUR: The Hartal Doktor Kontrak movement group has called for immediate reform within the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), citing concerns over what they perceive as an opaque decision-making process.
The group expressed its support in a statement, for Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran's call for change within the council, emphasising the need for transparency.
"Recent controversies over postgraduate qualifications and parallel pathway programmes highlight the need for clarity and fairness.
"Inconsistent decisions and lack of transparency have caused distress among medical professionals and compromised healthcare quality.
"Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran's proposals, including transparent MMC elections and public disclosure of decisions by the Medical Education Committee (MEC) and Specialty Subcommittees for Education (SSC-Edu), are crucial steps toward rebuilding trust," he said.
An online portal recently reported that Dr RA Lingeshwaran called for reforms in the MACC decision-making process for postgraduate qualifications from both local universities and parallel pathway programmes.
The former Sungai Bakap hospital director in Penang said that recent issues with the parallel pathway programme served as a "strong enough hint" that there were underlying problems within the MMC.
Meanwhile, the Hartal Doctor Kontrak movement group said it was vital to have more Health Ministry representation within the MMC to safeguard national healthcare interests.
"Urgent amendments to the Medical Act 1971 are necessary to address issues with parallel pathway programmes and ensure MMC accountability.
"The rejection of specialist registration applications threatens medical education and practice in Malaysia.
"We urge stakeholders to support a reformed and transparent MMC that prioritises professionalism, ethics, and patient care," it said.
