Doctors' Registration: No short cuts for doctors to meet conditions

NST: By : TAN SRI DR MOHD ISMAIL MERICAN, Malaysian Medical Council

WHILE I sympathise with P.P., I.L., M.R., S.Y.Y. and N.O. of Ipoh ("Council registration: Doctors in a tangle over red tape" — NST, May 29) on their predicament, I would like to draw attention to the legal requirements enacted under the Medical Act 1971 which regulates the practice of medical practitioners in Malaysia.
Sections 26 and 27 of the Act state explicitly the privileges of fully-registered practitioners. House officers are not eligible for these privileges until they are conferred full registration.
In other words, practitioners can practise medicine only upon their full registration. Undue delay in submitting application for full registration may implicate not only provisionally-registered house officers but also their employers.
It cannot be denied that there had been undue delays in the issuance of full registration in the past.
In the majority of cases, the legal formalities for the issuance of full registration were not fulfilled. The documents were either incomplete or improper.
Pursuant to Section 13(2) of the Act, for instance, it is compulsory for all house officers to obtain experience for a period of not less than four months each in medical, surgical and obstetrics and gynaecology disciplines before they can be given full registration.
As such, when documents are endorsed by supervisors and dated before the four-month period is over, legally the said officer has not fulfilled the above legal requirement and, thus, is not eligible for full registration.
To overcome the legal implications arising from late registrations, efforts have been taken by the Malaysian Medical Council to consolidate all circulars regarding this matter.
The dilemma is a result of this exercise that came into effect in June last year.
Despite hiccups, the exercise was successful. The latest statistics show that the number of late submissions and incomplete and improper documentation have dropped from 70 per cent last year to 40 per cent last month. We expect further reduction from now on.
It is the statutory duty of the MMC to ensure that all the statutory requirements are met with.
I wish to stress that the issuance of proper documents is not only to make sure that the public receives treatment from only qualified practitioners but also to protect the doctors in case of litigation. Hence, the issue of red tape does not arise.
The onus is on the doctor and the hospital director to adhere to procedures.
Where documentation is in order, practitioners can be assured that certificates will be issued within one month.
I advise the writers and other practitioners to check with their training hospital directors and abide by the circulars instead of bemoaning the process. This has nothing to do with bureaucracy.
The law requires it and you have to comply with the law, fully realising that without this important step, any form of practice is illegal.
If house officers keep this is mind, then we should not have any problem. Some say they have sent the forms to MMC, but many of such forms were cursorily filled.
Please be reminded that there is no short cut to ensure legitimacy of medical practice. It is the duty of the doctors as well as the employers to make sure that all documents submitted to the MMC are complete and sent within the stipulated time period.
The law has to be complied with. I urge all doctors to give due attention to this initial but important step of their career.
As president of MMC, I wish to emphasise that the council does not condone any disregard or ignorance of the act. For that matter, I urge all medical practitioners not only to be well informed of the Act governing their profession but, more importantly, to comprehend and comply with all its statutory requirements.