Materia Medica Malaysiana

Ukrainian envoy in the dark over CSMU saga

Ukrainian Ambassador to Malaysia Oleksandr Shevchenko said on Sunday the embassy was in the dark over the de-recognition by the Malaysian Medical Council of its Crimea State Medical University (CSMU).
"We learnt it from the press reports and the happenings in the Parliament," he said.
He said there has been no official notification or grace period being given by the authorities (before the de-recognition).
Explaining the situation in CSMU, he said thus far only about 23 medical students from Malaysia have graduated from the university, adding that there are another 1,118 Malaysian students pursuing courses at various levels.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on the CSMU saga, Shevchenko said Ukraine's higher education system gives emphasis to quality, and ensures the standards at CSMU and other universities are adhered to strictly.
He said on the average, 8% to 10% (no Malaysians) are expelled from universities for not meeting the standards.
On the ratio of lecturers to students, he said at the moment it is one lecturer to 10 students, and this is acceptable from the European Unions standards.
Shevchenko said his country would like to resolve the matter constructively, adding the embassy has prepared its counter-arguments over the de-recognition of CSMU.
Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur), in his comments at the discussion, said Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek should present a ministerial statement in Parliament on the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) saga.
He said a satisfactory account of the background, history, process and reasons for the Malaysian Medical Council's de-recognition of CSMU should be given.
"Why was there no grace period given to CSMU, when Universiti Malaya was given five years notice before the de-recognition of its medical degrees by the United Kingdom General Medical Council in the early 80s?" asked Lim.
Lim said it does not reflect well on the professionalism, accountability, transparency and a sense of justice of the MMC and the Malaysian government to spring such a surprise on the CSMU and the thousands of Malaysians studying at the medical university.
Others who took part in the roundtable discussion were DAP vice-chairman M. Kulasegaran, DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng, UKM Prof T. Ramasamy and Malaysian Trades Union Congress president Syed Sharir Syed Mohd.