This comes after UK policy changes moved the graduates down the queue for NHS foundation programme placements.
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the students can be placed at 48 training hospitals nationwide, and their degrees remain recognised under the Medical Act 1971.
PETALING JAYA: The health ministry has offered to place all 850 Malaysian medical students at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia in local housemanship training after changes in UK policy affected their chances of getting National Health Service foundation programme placements. Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the students could be placed at 48 training hospitals nationwide, and their degrees remain recognised under the Medical Act 1971, Berita Harian reported.
'We understand the disappointment among students regarding the policy change in the UK. You will not be stranded even if the UK changes its policy.
'If the UK closes its doors, Malaysia will always keep its doors open for you to return and serve,' he told reporters after officiating the Clinical Research Malaysia Trial Connect Conference 2026 in Kuala Lumpur. Dzulkefly said applications must be submitted directly to the public service commission via its online application system, with a pass in Bahasa Melayu at the SPM level among the entry requirements.
Non-citizens must apply through the health ministry's contract officer selection committee before endorsement by the public service department and SPA, he added. The assurance comes after the UK introduced the Medical Training Act 2026, which changed entry rules for the Foundation Year programme.
NUMed, in an official statement yesterday, acknowledged that the changes were 'deeply distressing and unsettling' for students who had hoped to build careers in the UK, but stopped short of saying that they were fully shut out of the NHS system. The university said graduates who completed the majority of their training in the UK were now prioritised for NHS training posts under the new regulations, placing NUMed graduates who trained in Malaysia on a reserve list.
It said it was 'premature to assume' the students would not receive NHS placements, as the allocation process remained ongoing. NUMed also said that it was helping students explore alternatives, including routes to General Medical Council registration, such as housemanship, currently available to Malaysian students. It said its MBBS degree remained GMC-accredited, with graduates having gone on to careers in the UK and other countries.
Speaking at a press conference after officiating the launch of the conference, Dzulkefly also said that his ministry would issue a circular on guidelines for limits on working hours for house officers. He said the move followed a report by Malaysian Medics International which claimed that house officers in the country work between 65 and 85 hours a week.
'A new guideline circular will be issued to strengthen matters related to the working hours of house officers. 'This matter is also receiving the attention of health director-general Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab,' he said.
Education Health Ministry Housemanship Medical Students Newcastle University Medicine Nhs Numed UK Policy
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