“We will discuss (the matter) this Wednesday during the Cabinet meeting,” Anwar said briefly at a press conference after visiting the Postnormal Times Madani Exhibition here today.

The Malaysian Medical Association had previously called on Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to prioritise public health by temporarily opening its cardiothoracic surgery programme to non-Bumiputeras amid a shortage of specialists.

In response, UiTM’s student council launched a protest by urging all students to wear black.

The student body later apologised for causing a “misunderstanding” with the protest, saying its previous statement was misunderstood by certain quarters.

The call for UiTM to admit non-Bumiputeras to its cardiothoracic surgery programme comes amid the Malaysian Medical Council’s (MMC) dispute with specialists from the parallel pathway programme, and medical genetics graduates over the recognition of their qualifications for inclusion in the National Specialist Register.

Four cardiothoracic surgeons qualified from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, along with six graduates from Universiti Sains Malaysia, have filed a lawsuit against MMC.

On April 20, higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir urged MMC and the specialists to resolve their differences regarding the recognition of their qualifications.

Zambry, who initiated a multi-agency discussion to address the controversy, said both sides must collaborate to support the nation’s severely strained healthcare system.