KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) have agreed to jointly address the issue of parallel pathway programme for medical specialists.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the decision was made following a discussion with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, as well as representatives from the MOHE, the MOH, the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

“The MOHE and MOH have a common intention and desire to promptly find a solution to the issue. Insya-Allah, the final decision on this matter will be shared after several proposals are brought to the Cabinet meeting,” he said in a Facebook posting.

Zambry said the meeting he chaired with Dzulkefly also discussed a joint solution to ensure the knowledge acquired by the trainees meets the prescribed standards.

“At the same time, the MOHE is of the view that these students and graduates should not become victims of any technical issues that can be resolved.

“Therefore, the MOHE and its agencies, including MQA, are open to discussions and efforts to realise the national agenda to increase the number of medical specialists in the country and ensure that the delivery of healthcare services under the MOH reaches an optimal level,” he said.

Zambry said that the meeting also discussed the need to enhance strategic collaboration between the MOHE and the MOH to achieve the target of producing 28,000 medical specialists in the country by 2030.