Nephrologist Slams Council Bureau Chief Over Comment On Parallel Pathway Programme

---

 
Putrajaya Hospital’s Dr Rafidah Abdullah says there is no need to attach labels to the health ministry’s parallel pathway programme, of which she is a product. (Envato Elements pic)PETALING JAYA: Nephrologist Dr Rafidah Abdullah this evening hit out at the Malay Consultation Council’s (MPM) education bureau chairman for disparaging the health ministry’s parallel pathway programme.
At a press conference earlier, Ibrahim Abu Shah had said the parallel pathway programme was of no use, and claimed that many countries did not have such an initiative.
Ibrahim also claimed that the health ministry had not been provided with a proper explanation, which led to it pushing for an amendment to the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50) to ensure that cardiothoracic surgeons who have completed their training under the programme be registered as specialists
Rafidah, a consultant physician at Putrajaya Hospital, said no one had the right to label the programme “haram”.
“Don’t simply attach such labels.
“I am from this programme, is my expertise ‘haram’ too?” she said on X.
Recently, the Malaysian Medical Council 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.
Senior doctors have claimed that MMC rejected the applications of some eight cardiothoracic surgeons and 100 family medicine specialists trained under the programme for listing on the National Specialist Register, despite repeated requests from the health ministry to do so.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) has also criticised MMC’s non-recognition of its cardiothoracic surgery parallel pathway programme, with RCSEd president Rowan Parks saying it had put excellent surgeons in an untenable and unfair position. - FMT

---