[Shared] Press Statement Director General of Health: Alternative Pathway in Medical Post Graduate Training

“Parallel Pathway” is an alternative training pathway to produce more medical specialist in Malaysia.

Today marks another milestone in postgraduate training particularly in Cardiothoracic surgery, when Malaysian Association of Thoracic and Cardiothoracic Surgery with College of Surgeons Malaysia, Academy of Medicine Malaysia and Royal College of Surgeon (Edinburgh UK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide fellowship training for our medical officers in Cardiothoracic surgery. The 4 year Fellowship programme will become an alternative pathway to the current master of surgery programme in producing more Cardiothoracic surgeons in the country. Training will be done in collaboration with the Malaysian Association of Thoracic and Cardiothoracic Surgery while examination and certification will be done by the Royal College of Surgeon (Edinburgh UK). Ian Ritchie, RCSEd President assures us that in time similar training structure will also be offered to the plastic surgery and orthopaedic.

The programme will shorten the time taken to produce cardiothoracic surgeon from 7-8 years to 4 years. Medical Officer with at least 2 years experience in Surgery will be suitable to apply into this programme with priority given to those with Membership of the Royal College of Surgeon (MRCS) qualification. Candidate with Master of Surgery qualification will be able to enrol directly into second year. At the end of this training programme, successful candidate will be conferred with Certificate of Completion of Training (CCST).

Examples of other “Parallel Pathway” or Membership / Fellowship Programmes are:
1. Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP), UK
2. Member of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (MRCPCH), UK
3. Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist (MRCOG), UK
4. Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR), UK
5. Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthesia (FANZCA)
6. Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologist (FRCPath), UK
7. Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists of London (FRCR) UK

Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah
Director General of Health Malaysia
27 August 2014

Retrieved on 03/09/2014 at 6:37p.m. from http://kpkesihatan.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/press-statement-director-general-of-health-alternative-pathway-in-medical-post-graduate-training/