SIBU: Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) appointed six panel members to conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a medical degree programme, as an initial step towards the establishment of the university's first medical school.

The panel members comprise Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Professor Dr Lela Suut, UNIMAS Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Prof Dr Awi Idi, UNIMAS Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Prof Dr Muhammad Zulkarnaen Ahmad Narihan, UNIMAS Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Prof Dr Kamarudin Kana, Rejang Medical Centre Dr John Tang Ing Ching and Clinical Research Centre, Sarawak General Hospital Dr Alan Fong.

The ceremony was officiated by the Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee, at UTS, here on Tuesday.

It is understood that the panel members were given six months to prepare a comprehensive study report to conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a medical school at UTS.

UTS also appointed internal representatives to evaluate and review all the results of the feasibility study, namely Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Prof Ir Ts Dr Mohammad Shahril Osman, Director of the Quality Assurance Centre Dr Sim Siew Ling, and Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering and Technology Dr Zalikha Raman.

According to Datuk Dr Annuar, among the main things that need to be examined is the requirement to have its own hospital as stipulated in the regulations for the establishment of the medical faculty.

“The definition of ‘own hospital’ needs to be clarified whether UTS needs to build a new hospital or can collaborate with an existing hospital as an affiliated hospital,” he said.

He informed that the first intake of medical students is only 50 students based on the maximum number allowed by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).

However, he explained that the number can be increased in stages after the authorities are satisfied with compliance with the conditions set.

At the same time, he revealed that the planned completion of Petra Jaya Hospital has also been identified as one of the potential hospitals for the placement of students' clinical training, in addition to several subspecialties such as Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and ophthalmology that may be carried out in government hospitals.

Datuk Dr Annuar stressed that the aspect of international recognition is a major priority in the establishment of this programme.

"UTS medical degrees must be recognised not only in Malaysia, but also internationally, especially by the General Medical Council (GMC) of the United Kingdom. This is important to enable graduates to continue their postgraduate training and serve abroad," he explained.

He added that failure to obtain international recognition will have a long-term impact on efforts to produce medical specialists to meet the needs of Sarawak.

In the same development, Datuk Dr. Annuar described the positive response from several leading universities in the world as a very encouraging sign.

Four prestigious institutions, namely King's College London, University College London, University of Dundee and National University of Singapore (NUS), have expressed their willingness to hold discussions with UTS starting this January, involving academic collaboration and program sharing.

“This is the next phase of the feasibility study and will commence next month. These four universities are not just institutions, but are among the best universities in the world,” he said.

The results of this feasibility study are expected to be an important basis for the Sarawak Government’s decision to realise the establishment of the first medical school at UTS, thus contributing to the development of human capital and the health system of Sarawak in the future.

Commenting on the Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES), he said the fields of medicine and law are still in certain categories that can only be offered free education after the faculties are fully established, including the provision of buildings, facilities, and training of teaching staff. -UKASnews