PETALING JAYA: Nephrologist Dr Rafidah Abdullah has highlighted the importance of the parallel pathway programme in producing kidney specialists for the country.
Recently, the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) stirred controversy after it refused to recognise specialists graduating under the parallel pathway programme.
Under the programme, doctors are trained in high-volume accredited health ministry facilities and hospitals under the guidance of royal colleges in the UK.
In a post on X, Rafidah, a consultant physician at Putrajaya Hospital, said there are 253 kidney specialists listed in the National Specialist Register, with 158 of them a product of the parallel pathway programme.
“More than two-thirds (of kidney specialists) are produced through this route,” she pointed out.
“Imagine if the parallel specialisation programme was eliminated… Malaysia would not have enough kidney specialists, and Malaysians will be the ones affected by this.”
She also thanked health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad for looking into the issue.
Speaking to reporters on April 10, Dzulkefly said that proposed amendments to the Medical Act 1971 to streamline the recognition of specialists by MMC will include both the parallel pathway programmes with colleges abroad and the local master’s courses.
He said he had been handling this issue “for a while now” and had held discussions with representatives from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) regarding the amendments.
