He added that, so far, the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) has not received any reports of infections in Malaysia.

“The Health Ministry is monitoring the situation. We will issue an official press statement as soon as we receive any updates from the CPRC,” he said briefly during a press conference after the pre-launch of the Malaysia International Health (MIH) Megatrends 2025 Conference on Friday (April 18).

Earlier, international media reported that the New South Wales Health Department had confirmed one death and 12 infections linked to the outbreak.

The agency has urged individuals in central Sydney and surrounding areas in late March or early April to be vigilant for symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, and shortness of breath.

Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which naturally occur in freshwater. Symptoms can appear up to 10 days after exposure.

According to the World Health Organisation, the mortality rate for untreated patients with weakened immune systems can be as high as 80%.

Source: Bernama

The Medical Act 1971 (Act 50) is an “Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to the registration and practice of medical practitioners and for national purposes to provide for certain provisions with regard to a period of service in the public services after full registration as a medical practitioner; and to make provision for purposes connected with the aforesaid matter.
– Laws of Malaysia

In a statement, Dr Dzulkefly revealed that the Cabinet agreed in principle to the proposed changes, which will be presented at the Second Meeting of the Third Session of the Fifteenth Parliament in 2024. These amendments seek to address the increasing demand for specialist services across Malaysia’s healthcare facilities by streamlining the recognition and registration process for medical specialists.

The parallel pathway, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and local higher education institutions (HEIs), aims to produce more specialists. The proposed legal changes will facilitate systematic implementation of both traditional and parallel specialist training pathways. Doctors completing these programs will be eligible for registration as medical specialists in the National Specialist Register (NSR) under the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), resolving existing registration issues promptly.

Dr Dzulkefly emphasized that the MOH would ensure the quality of training, practitioner competency, and patient safety remain paramount. The spotlight on the parallel pathway issue arose when the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) requested Universiti Teknologi MARA to admit non-Bumiputera medical officers for specialized cardiothoracic training, similar to its acceptance of international students.

This followed the MMC’s rejection of four cardiothoracic surgeons’ applications to the NSR due to non-recognition of their Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Cardiothoracic Surgery (FRCS Ed).

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Source: Bernama