PUTRAJAYA, June 5 — The legal amendments needed for the Specialisation Degree Training Programme or "Parallel Pathway” could be tabled in the parliamentary meeting starting this month, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said.

He said the amendments would be introduced once the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) present a memorandum to the Cabinet, which should take place in the next two weeks.

"We hope that if all goes smoothly it will be brought to Parliament in the upcoming meeting or the meeting after,” Fahmi told a press conference here at the Communications Ministry.

On May 27, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said the Medical Act 1971 would be amended to resolve issues related to the parallel pathway programme.

In March, the health minister told the Dewan Rakyat that here were only 14 cardiothoracic surgeons working in the ministry.

When it was proposed that Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) temporarily open up its cardiothoracic surgery master’s programme, Malay and Bumiputera groups protested to insist that UiTM must remain exclusive to the Bumiputera.