Wong Ching Yong
SIBU (July 24): Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Dudong branch chairman Wong Ching Yong said that the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) must urgently introduce its own Medical Licensing Examination to solve the problem caused by the oversupply of doctors.
In a press conference via zoom today, he said MOH had put the blame on the large surplus of doctors for the present predicaments faced by MOs on contract.
He said SUPP is deeply regretful and very disappointed that MOH and MMC have not come up with any other proposal or policy to solve this problem.
“It is high time that MOH and MMC introduce a common professional examination like the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) for all doctors irrespective of whether they are graduates from local or overseas medical schools.
“All medical graduates must sit for the licensing examination before being posted to hospitals for their housemanship,” he said.
Wong, who is also a member of the SUPP Central Working Committee, added that the Indonesian Medical Council had introduced the medical licensing examination several years ago.
With such licensing examination, graduates of all medical schools are required to pass the said examination before they can be registered with the Indonesian Medical Council and work as housemen in government hospitals.
He also said it was an undisputed fact that Malaysia seriously lacked medical specialists, particularly in the rural areas of Sarawak.
Thus, he said MOH must seriously start training competent MOs so that in 10 years’ time, Malaysia will not face a serious shortage of medical specialists.
Also present at the press conference were SUPP Education Bureau chairman and Meradong assemblyman Datuk Ding Kuong Hiing, MMA Sibu branch chairman Dr Wong Chya Wei and SUPP Dudong Youth Branch Chief Benjamin Tian.