KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry must take charge and address the problems surrounding the recognition and registration of cardiothoracic surgeons who have graduated from the parallel pathway programme (PPP).

Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, as Health Minister and Higher Education Minister respectively, should fix the problem as soon as possible.

"We cannot wait. There are cohorts who are stuck, they cannot go to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) because they are facing with stupid political issues, making an issue over Article 153 of the Fedetal Constitution.

"So, to the Health Minister, the Higher Education Minister, and the Health director-general (Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan), this problem has gone on long enough.

"It has become a stupid debate, involving things that should not be involved such as the Federal Constitution, and the special position of the Malays.

"You are the ministers, you are the DG, for God's sake, get it done."

He said this in the Keluar Sekejap Podcast, co-hosted by former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan.

Khairy was commenting on reports that UiTM was considering opening its cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate training programme to non-Bumiputera trainees.

Zambry had, on May 15, reiterated that there had been no discussions regarding the admission of non-Bumiputera students into UiTM.

He said that this issue had not been considered at any level within the ministry or cabinet.

On March 26, Bandar Kuching member of Parliament Dr Kelvin Yii had urged the government to address the confusion over the recognition and registration of cardiothoracic surgeons from the PPP.

He said the programme, which started in 2016, had produced 32 surgeons, four of who had completed training.

The four, however, had their applications to become full surgeons rejected by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).

The MMC, in a statement on March 25, said it had never recognised the Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh cardiothoracic programme.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/1054008/resolve-cardiothoracic-surgeons-registration-issues-kj-tells-dr-dzul-and