In a statement, MMA president Dr R Thirunavukarasu said reforms to healthcare should extend beyond clinical disciplines.

He said healthcare is no longer confined to the bedside but is now a vast and interconnected ecosystem involving policy, governance, technology, research, public health and administration.

“It is time we recognise that the effective functioning of this system depends not only on clinical expertise, but also on competent, trained leadership at all levels of administration.”

He was responding to reports that Malaysia had registered its first genetic pathology specialists, which health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad described as a significant milestone in healthcare reforms.

Thirunavukarasu said Malaysia is not short of qualified healthcare leaders, and that public hospitals in the country were already led by doctors.

He said global studies had shown that physician-led institutions deliver better health outcomes, higher patient safety standards and improved system efficiency.

“However, unlike many of our peer nations, Malaysia has yet to establish a formal specialist training and recognition pathway for doctors serving in these critical administrative roles.”

Thirunavukarasu said countries such as Australia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and the UK had long recognised medical administration as a specialty.

He said that about 270 doctors in Malaysia had completed a master’s in hospital administration and were serving as state health directors, hospital directors, deputy directors and senior officers at state and national levels.

However, they remained “under-recognised” in the current system, with no defined specialist status or career development pathway, he said.

“This creates a gap, not in capability, but in system recognition, standardisation, and long-term succession planning,” he said.