The cabinet today unanimously decided not to waive the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Bahasa Malaysia qualification for medical graduates seeking to register for the house officer programme. 

Health Minister S Subramaniam said this in a press conference after attending the weekly cabinet meeting earlier this morning.

"We have decided that only those with a pass in BM will be selected to go through the house officers' programme," he said. 

"This will ensure the appointment of house officers will be standardised," he said, adding, the issue should be put to rest with today's cabinet decision.

He also noted that only 23 out of the current 4,500 house officers do not fulfil the SPM-level BM requirement. Of the 23, eleven were Malays. 

The 23 will have to sit for the BM paper, Subramaniam added.

According to him, some students failed to meet the BM requirement because they had undergone a different education system overseas, as their parents were diplomats or working overseas. 

Subramaniam said they included some Public Service Department (PSD) scholars who excelled in the A-Levels.

Some of these medical graduates, he added, failed to meet the BM requirement as they went through a different education system and did not sit for the SPM examination.

"We are relaxing (the rules) for this particular group (children of diplomats and those who worked overseas)."

The ministry came under fire for waiving the BM qualification for medical graduates seeking to register for house officer training.

Malay rights group Perkasa yesterday sent a letter of demand to the ministry.

Subramaniam said his ministry has been portrayed as though they are waiving the BM qualification for all medical graduates.

He clarified that he had tried to reverse the relaxation of the BM requirement which was imposed in 2003.

“In November 2015, we wrote to the PSD to remove the BM requirement waiver for contract medical officers. And PSD had written back to the ministry in early 2016 agreeing with the decision,” he said.

In a separate press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi added that the cabinet decided to maintain the compulsory condition for the recruitment in public service.

"The cabinet is committed to upold Article 152 of the Federal Constitution," he said.

Zahid added that cabinet decided to amend Medical Act 1971 to make BM a compulsory pass subject for the intake of house officers.