One young Malaysian surgeon faced obstacles in being recognised as a heart and lung surgeon in Malaysia after completing his training. As a result, he decided to seek employment in London and was offered a position at a children’s hospital with an annual salary of £46,404 (RM278,424). He has accepted the offer and will be leaving Malaysia soon.
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The Health Ministry’s chief of cardiothoracic surgical services, Datuk Dr Basheer Ahamed Abd Kareem, expressed disappointment at the challenges faced by trainee surgeons in Malaysia. He highlighted the issue of brain drain, where talented professionals are choosing to work overseas due to difficulties in obtaining recognition in their home country.
Dr Basheer revealed that a training programme called the Parallel Pathway Programme (PPP) was initiated in 2016, with 32 trainee cardiothoracic surgeons enrolled in the system. Of these, four have completed the training, but their applications to become full surgeons were recently rejected by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).
According to Dr Basheer, the rejection by MMC has led to these trainees being unable to practice as full surgeons. As a result, some are considering working abroad, causing concern for the healthcare system in Malaysia.
Individuals who complete the training under PPP are awarded the Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) in Cardiothoracic Surgery, a qualification recognized in several countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei, and the United Kingdom. However, MMC chose not to recognize this qualification in Malaysia after 2022.
Dr Basheer explained that without the PPP, medical officers must first become general surgeons before specializing in cardiothoracic surgery, a process that can take over a decade. With PPP, qualified medical officers can receive training in cardiothoracic surgery for six years in approved training centers.
The training centers include Penang Hospital, Serdang Hospital, IJN, UM Medical Centre, and Pusat Jantung Sarawak. Trainees also undergo training in other hospitals such as Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM, Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sabah.
Dr Basheer emphasized the importance of recognising PPP trainees by entering them into the National Specialist Register (NSR) to ensure their professional recognition. He urged MMC to reconsider their stance and acknowledge the qualifications obtained through intense training in the ministry’s top hospitals.
