Primary Care (also known as Family Medicine in Malaysia), is the first point of contact that a patient has with healthcare provision. Primary care doctors are also known as family doctors, general practitioners, or family physicians. Those with recognised postgraduate qualifications in Family Medicine as listed in the National Specialist Register (NSR), are known as Family Medicine Specialists (FMS). Primary Care practice is guided by the principles of the discipline. This comprises of care that is primary contact, personalised, patient centred, preventive, comprehensive, continuous, coordinated and community based. Primary Care is the foundation of the healthcare system and more than in most specialties, there is an urgent need to increase the number of trained postgraduate doctors to meet the shortfall in Malaysia.
The Master Programme is a four-year (to seven years maximum) programme in which trainees are registered to one of the six universities in the Conjoint Board of Family Medicine namely, University of Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa. It is divided into hospital rotations and clinic postings. The rotations cover 22 clinical blocks, followed by clinic postings where the trainee is trained in the skills relevant to primary care. This is followed by a period of shadowing a Family Medicine Specialist in order to learn practice management and leadership skills.
Full-Time Duration: 8 Semesters, (Clinical)
Programme Structure
Phase 1: Foundation Knowledge and Clinical Skills (Years 1 and 2) Year 1:
Internal Medicine
Paediatrics
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Year 2:
Ophthalmology
ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat)
Surgery
Orthopedics
Psychiatry
Dermatology
Phase 2: Clinical Practice Skills (Year 3)
Consultation Skills
Prevention Techniques
Counselling
Management of Multi-Morbidity
Clinical Acumen
Holistic Care
Phase 3: Development as Practice Leaders (Year 4)
Leadership Skills
Managerial Skills
Assessment Focus in Primary Care:
Entry Stage:
Assess Suitability for Program entry.
In-Training Stage:
Monitor Progress, assess learning, and evaluate readiness for advancement.
Exit Stage:
Assess readiness to qualify as a Family Medicine Specialist, ensuring safe and effective patient care.
Family Medicine Physician, Primary Care Physician, General Practitioner, Family Medicine Consultant, Family Medicine Program Director, Community Health Director, Preventive Medicine Specialist, Family Medicine Educator, Primary Care Quality Improvement Specialist, Health Services Manager, Holistic Care Consultant, Behavioral Health Specialist, Family Medicine Clinical Trials Manager, Public Health Advisor, Family Medicine Policy Analyst, Practice Manager for Family Medicine, Family Medicine Clinical Skills Trainer, Multimorbidity Management Specialist.
Note: Subject to the availability of the programme offering.
Entry Requirement
General Entry Requirements
For applicants with a CGPA of not less than 3.00:
Possess a Bachelor’s Degree with a CGPA of not less than 3.00; or
For applicants with a CGPA of 2.50 – 2.99 (must fulfill at least one of the following):
Graduate from University Malaya; or
Accumulate at least one (1) year of work experience in related fields; or
Produce publications in related field; or
Receive a scholarship; or
Serve as a staff member of a government agency; or
Pass an interview by Faculty; or
Pass a Special evaluation by Faculty.
Specific Entry Requirements
General University Requirements: Fulfill the General University Requirements
Bachelor's Degree Qualification: Possessed a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery or an equivalent medical qualification approved by the Senate.
Equivalent Qualification: N/A
Related Fields: N/A.
Special Requirements:
At least one year of post-full registration clinical experience approved by the Senate.
Qualifies for registration as a medical practitioner under the Medical Act 1971 (Act 50) of Malaysia; and
Fulfill the requirements of the Entrance Evaluation.
AND
The non-Malaysian citizen applicant who obtains a degree from a university or institution of higher learning that did not use English as the medium of instruction for the degree, shall be required to meet the specified requirements.
English Requirements
Malaysia University English Test (MUET): Band 4.0; or
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic: Band 6.0; or
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – Paper-Based Test (PBT): Not applicable; or
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – Internet-Based Test (IBT) (Centre-Based): Score 60; or
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – Computer-Based Test (CBT): Not applicable; or
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – Essential Online: Score 8.5; or
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: Score 59; or
Cambridge English Qualifications & Tests – Linguaskill Online: Not applicable; or
Cambridge English Qualifications & Tests – B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency: Score 169; or
Cambridge English Qualifications & Tests – B2 Business Vantage, C1 Business Higher: Not applicable; or
Occupational English Test (OET) (Conventional / Online): Not applicable; or
Cambridge English: First (FCE): Not applicable; or
Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE): Not applicable; or
Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE): Not applicable