Spinosum writes:
I have a friend in KL who emailed me asking about the recognition of Master of Medicine (Paediatrics) in Univ of Melbourne. She wants to know if this degree, upon completion, is recognized as a specialist registrar in Malaysia.
There is no much update on the MMA website — not even the MRCPCH (UK) is listed there on their web page, despite its being recognised here!
Anyway, any help will be appreciated. Thanks!
Here is the website she sent me: http://www.paediatrics.unimelb.edu.au/pgrad/medicine.html#structure
We are posting this here so if anyone has information please leave a comment. Thanks.
I think the Specialist Register/Academy of Medicine contains the most up to date information on this. In Australia, only the Specialist Colleges are recognise.
However, the Masters may be counted towards Fellowship requirements. Correct me if I am wrong.
OK guys, I think I have found the most updated list of recognized posstgrad qualification website: http://www.nsr.org.my/azRecognisedListDetail.jsp
So looks like the Master of Paeds from Aussie is not being recognised here as a specialist.
I have not been visiting for a while….you are right in this:BEWARE!
The situation of specialist recognition across jurisdictions is highly charged politically. This comes from both objective observation and personal experience – having been travelling around different areas doing “collections”
In many institutions in the West, international students are being looked at as “cash-cows” for the choice of a better term.
They will market anything and everything to you. What matters is whether the local Specialist Registration Authority will recognise the degree/diploma.
In UK, for a while (in the past) one could be a consultant based on a reference. Now it has changed a lot and EU standards are applied by the PMETB.
In Oz, the game is very different. The mafia controlling the flood gates are the Royal Colleges and they are all Registered Companies – not like those of the UK which are formed by Royal Charter and Acts of Parliaments.
This has serious implications because the Australian Colleges are essentially non accountable to anyone except the Securities Commission which regulates companies.
There is thus the old boy or old tie network: and, if the the tie wearers are corrupt, this gets into the equation!
The Federal gov (of Oz) is trying to take the powers from the Colleges and there are signs that this is evolving. For example the recognition of specialists for the purposes of billing (Medicare Australia) is not controlled by the Colleges as is the Registration of Medical Practitioners.
However, the Colleges do have a powerful say.
At the end of the day, there is no equivalence: if a degree or diploma is recognised by the kangaroo men and women, it does not mean that it should be recognised by the MOH or the GMC – and vice versa.
Complex politics! Best to keep out of it esp when money is involved (unfortunately the issue of ‘tickets’ to practice in Oz is strongly related to market control)
Do not be fooled by anyone!
At the end of the day, you yourself will have to decide what that diploma or degree is worth from looking at the course content and the course supervisors. It can all be very subjective too!
From browsing MOH sites on the NSR, I think the MOH is going the right direction. They have set out criteria for specialist recognition and if candidates fulfill these, they get in. It does not matter whether they are from Oz or Timbuktu!
So, finally, I hope the long standing quarrels with section 13/3 doctors will be over!
Cheers
LF Ng
I have just browsed the link given for ‘recognised qualifications’ There is a statement in red right below which looks at ‘other degrees on a case to case basis’ (http://www.nsr.org.my/azRecognisedListDetail.jsp)
This gives the NSR authority the discretionary powers.
However, one must read these with the guidance written for each specialty which is also available.
LFN