Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam said if they refused to abide by the rule, they risked arrest under the Criminal Procedure Code for offering medical services illegally.

“Students are not recognised by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) and the act can be considered a crime for impersonation while the degree is not a licence to treat patients.

“For example, if a post-graduate medical student who is not certified injects a patient who later makes a police report, the ministry will investigate the background of the doctor.

“When we find that the doctor is not certified by the MMC as a medical practitioner, then criminal action can be taken and there is a possibility they will (never) be certified as medical practitioners,” he told reporters here, today.

He said the current justification that these individuals needed to work in order to keep their medical knowledge intact, was not acceptable as they could also achieve this by reading books, going online or attending medical courses.

“Medical students cannot treat patients and can only observe trained doctors at work. Working part time and being paid for it is wrong and against the law.”

Dr Subramaniam also said the ministry hoped to reduce the waiting period for trainee doctors in government hospitals by the end of this year.

“The waiting period will be reduced from the current six to nine months to four to five months if the ministry’s proposal is accepted by the Public Service Department (PSD).”