"MBBS = Manatau Begitu Banyak School" - quoted by a 4th year medical student.
"MBBS in University XXX; Accreditation from Malaysian Medical Council, MQA, Ministry of Higher Education...; with highest quality of education in undergraduate, postgraduate, continuing medical education, required credits and B4 in SPM and A Levels Equivalent; ONLY RM100k for 5 years course...."
Guess what? I have came across 3 advertisements in local newspaper, especially NST, about the new intakes on October by the newly budding medical schools in Malaysia, IN JUST ONE MONTH ONLY!
They are the follow:
1. Masterskill University College - Sri Alam Campus, Johor,Pre-clinical in Malaysia and Clinical in India. [Click here to read].
2. SEGi University College - First intake on October 2010.
[Click here to read]
[Click here to read]
"The aim of the faculty of medicine is to produce quality doctors to meet the increasing demands for more doctor in Malaysia...." - this is a typical message the new dean will speak to the media. Do they see what is the situation now in Malaysia? According to Healthfact 2009 produced by MOH, the doctor:population ratio is 1:927, which is very near to the 1:600 optimum by WHO. With more than 4000 Housemen flowed into the market this year, the ratio will be changing again, more doctors to a single population.
I was posted to one of the district hospital this few days. What I can see is the building is very nice and hospital is well equipped. However, there are not much patients. MOH is going to send HOs to these hospitals for housemanship. This will seriously compromise the quality of housemanship training, and after all, they are given the license to kill.
All the current Nursing College will provide MBBS course. It is just a matter of time where you will see MBBS holders working at the petrol stations? Or like some UM professor always says, be a taxi driver.
Who should regulates the license to start a medical program? As far as I am concerned, Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) is the one who issues license for a college/ university to operate MBBS program. They will be inspected in quality by MQA and finally when the first batch graduates, they will be assessed by Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). The point is, is MOHE in a suitable position to issue the license to operate medical program? Or this authority lies independently in the hand of Medical Council or may be Ministry of Health?
Any more medical schools going to bud out next??? Is your situation being threatened? What do you think about the "med school hyperplasia syndrome"? Where do you stand in your future?
This is now a very serious "malignancy" which is metastasizing to more chronic stage. Are we just going to sit down, and wait for the time to "certify" - when doctors in Malaysia are no longer trusted by the people due to poor qualities? We need your voice; your opinions; your suggestions on how we should act?
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