Published on: Thursday, June 30, 2005 |
PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has agreed with the decision of the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) to withdraw its recognition of the medical degrees of Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) in Ukraine.
However, it allowed 247 Malaysian students who have enrolled in the pre-medical programme at CSMU to continue studying there until graduation. Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the pre-medical students, who are due soon to enter year one of their medical degree programme, would be the final batch of CSMU medical graduates to be recognised by the government.
He told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that CSMU medical degree graduates after this batch, including graduates of other unrecognised universities, would have to sit for a special qualifying examination to obtain recognition.
Dr Chua said the Cabinet also decided that his Ministry should organise the examination with the collaboration of the MMC and Public Services Department (PSD).
"Those who are in the preparatory level, we will allow them to continue till they complete their degree.
"To the others, including those who have just applied, we have decided not to allow them to go ahead with their plans," he said.
MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said he was happy with the Cabinet's decision.
He thanked the Prime Minister, his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, and his Cabinet colleagues for agreeing to MIC's request to allow the 247 pre-medical students who are already at the CSMU to continue their studies.
The Works Minister agreed with the Prime Minister that there was no racial discrimination in the MMC's decision to withdraw the recognition.
"The MIC has never perceived the matter as a racial issue," he added.
The examination would be conducted with the cooperation of Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The Cabinet also directed the Ministry to re-evaluate the medical programmes offered by 333 universities recognised by the government, he added.
The MMC decision to de-recognise the CSMU medical degrees sparked off protests.
Samy earlier accused the MMC of racial bias because Indians comprised the largest number of Malaysian students enrolled in the CSMU medical degree programme.
The issue was hotly debated in the Dewan Rakyat last week and led to the suspension for three months of Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk S. Sothinathan, who is the MIC secretary-general, for breaking ranks with Barisan Nasional (BN).
Sothinathan had questioned the replies of Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad who defended the MMC decision.
Dr Chua said there was no racial bias in the MMC action which was taken to maintain the level of professionalism of MMC and medical practitioners in the country.
He said the MMC viewed seriously the deterioration in the ratio of lecturer to students at CSMU, from 1:6 to 1:10 last year.
Dr Chua said the ratio was vital in the medical course which emphasised "hands-on" and "clinical" learning, as practised in local universities.
"What worried the MMC is that CSMU offered pre-medical studies to holders of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, and there are SPM students with poor results who have been enrolled in CSMU.
"There are some who did not obtain credit and some who failed but, going through certain parties, still managed to register for the pre-medical. We also received written complaints of elements of corruption and undergraduates alleging they were raped.
