KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Newcastle University asserted today that opportunities to work in the United Kingdom are still open to medical graduates from Malaysia despite the UK’s new medical training law.
Newcastle University, however, maintained that access to postgraduate medical training in the UK has always been competitive and subject to national workforce planning priorities.
The University also noted that the allocation process for the next intake is still ongoing, including placements from the reserve list.
“It remains entirely possible that many forthcoming medical graduates from Malaysia will yet secure Foundation Programme posts,” said Newcastle University in a statement.
Prof Quentin Anstee, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University, sought to distinguish between changes in workforce policy and the academic value of a medical degree.
“UK medical degrees delivered through established transnational education partnerships continue to meet the same academic standards, follow equivalent curricula, and are subject to rigorous quality assurance processes aligned with UK frameworks,” said Anstee.
“In many cases, including at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed), these programmes lead to qualifications accredited by the UK’s General Medical Council.”
Newcastle University asserted that despite changes to the UK Foundation Programme to prioritise locally trained medical graduates for work in the National Health Service (NHS), , “eligibility to apply for postgraduate training in the UK remains unchanged”.
Anstee also said one’s expectation that a medical degree leads to a single, defined career pathway was “increasingly out of step with the realities of modern health care”.
“Today’s medical graduates pursue careers across a wide range of international health care systems, reflecting the global nature of the profession,” he said.
After the UK’s Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 became law last March, more than 100 NUMed graduates who applied for the 2026 UK Foundation Programme cycle were placed on a reserve list.
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act affects recruitment into specialty training and the foundation programme across the UK, as the UK now prioritises UK medical graduates over international medical graduates.
For foundation programme places starting this year, the prioritised group includes those with a primary medical qualification from medical schools in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
For specialty training places (core and higher) starting in 2026, the prioritised group includes those with a primary medical qualification from medical schools in those countries listed above, as well as any doctor who has completed or is currently on the relevant qualifying UK training programme.
