Query: Studying in an unrecognised medical school


(image source : russia.org.my)

Sophia writes in :

For a Malaysian medical student studying in the medical school which is not recognised by MMC, can he/she practice in Malaysia ? If yes what are the procedures and requirements needed ?

Thanks for writing in Sophia

While the official MMC website is still down, here are some links to help you with more information

1) The list of Medical Schools which are recognised by the MMC (Updated March 2019):
http://mmc.moh.gov.my/images/contents/accreditation/Second_Schedule_-_Updated_20190304.pdf

2) All doctors who wish to practice in Malaysia must register with the MMC as per this application process:
http://mmc.moh.gov.my/images/contents/registration/Provisional_Registration_Guide__Forms.pdf

Note in line 3 of the above document:
You are entitled for provisional registration if you:
3.1. Under Section 12(1)(a) of the Act, Possess a degree recognized by the MMC as listed in the Second Schedule or pass the Examination for Provisional Registration; and
3.2. Are appointed/employed by the public authorities for the purpose of housemanship training.

3) This means that if you graduate from a medical school NOT listed in the recognised list, you have to pass the Examination for Provisional Registration (also known as the Medical Qualification Examination or MQE; also referred to as the Examination for Provisional Registration by the MMC). To apply for the examination, see this document which spells out the procedures and includes the application form:

http://mmc.moh.gov.my/images/contents/registration/SOP_for_EPR-Updated.pdf

All graduates whether from recognised medical schools or those graduating from unscheduled medical schools who have passed the MQE, still have to wait for appointment for houseman training before they get provisional registration from the MMC.

The road to medicine in Malaysia is a long one. Currently every year there are more graduates in medicine than there are available training posts for housemen so much so that fresh graduates now have to wait months before they can secure a houseman post and even so, this is no longer a “permanent job” with the Ministry of Health, but a contract job. There is no guarantee of a permanent job after housemanship – it depends on the number of medical officer jobs available.
We anticipate that there will be more jobless doctors in the future.
Still want to study medicine in Malaysia? Your heart has to be really into it and be warned it is very competitive and the future is not secure for young doctors.

Related post:
Warning: you study medicine in an unrecognised medical school at your own peril