Materia Medica Malaysiana

Medical City to solve shortage of doctors, says UiTM V-C

PUTRAJAYA July 18 - Despite being a beginner in the teaching of medicine, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has come up with a vision to create a Medical City, from which it can train and offer a pool of medical experts and officers to the country.

"I am talking about our aspiration, vision. We want to offer (through the Medical City concept) the best medical service to the country.

"We are offering an idea for UiTM to build the so-called Medical City," said UiTM Vice-Chancellor Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah.

If the concept were to materialise, then the Medical City would be the first (such development) in the country, he told newsmen here at the closing ceremony of the three-day 7th Annual Conference on Advances in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Therapeutics.

The UiTM's vision, he said, was to create the Medical City by 2020, or at the soonest, 2010.

"As far as I know, only some Western countries have this Medical City concept. Elsewhere, Dubai (United Arab Emirates) has come up with the same idea," he said.

Dr Ibrahim's intial plan was to have the Medical City to be set up in the university's second faculty complex in Puncak Alam, which was still under construction.

"It (the Medical City) would be a very advanced concept. We will amalgamate, merge with all the areas that are related to medicine, not only medicine per se, but also in pharmacy, business, engineering, hotel and tourism," he said.

On its medical faculty now based at its main campus in Shah Alam, he said it was progressing smoothly with the latest enrolment of 63 students as against 20 taken in last year.