Few answers, many questions in Crimea controversy

The decision to no longer recognise degrees from Crimea State Medical University in Ukraine has disappointed many Malaysians aspiring to become doctors. Some remain unconvinced by the reasons given for the move.
IT HAS been two weeks since Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) in Ukraine was derecognised.
Initially, the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) cited three main reasons for notrecognising CSMU’s degrees – a drastic increase in student numbers, admission of art stream students and secondary school dropouts into the university and graduates’ lack of proficiency in English.
The situation has grown even murkier since then with allegations of rape and corruption.
“The sudden and drastic increase in the number of students inevitably may compromise the quality of medical education as far as teaching staff and other resources are concerned,” said the council’s president Datuk Dr Ismail Merican when announcing the decision to derecognise CSMU on June 16.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek has maintained that letters from the MMC to CSMU voicing concern over the matters were unanswered. There has been no official response from CSMU either.
Those who have run to its defence have been the stakeholders – parents, students and recruitment agents as well as opposition politicians namely DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang.

Affected students
In its press conference, the MMC announced that only students enrolled into the university’s first year programme this year would have their qualifications recognised.
This means that students who commence classes in September for the pre-medical programme will have to sit for the Medical Qualification Exam (MQE) upon graduation from CSMU in order to be recognised by the MMC – unlike students currently enrolled in the university and those who enter first year in September who can work here upon graduation.
“Why didn’t the MMC inform us earlier? There are now 200 students left in the lurch as they have registered and paid USD2,000 (RM7,600) for enrolment into CSMU’s September pre-medical programme,” says Nadarajah Vinayagam whose recruitment agency Aspirasi Sejati is among the four registered agents for the university here, with the others being Ukranian Medical Education, Maju Indra and CSMU Consultant.
“These students have given up the option of doing their Form Six as well as opting for the early intakes into private institutions of higher learning.
“I am now looking for places for them in recognised Russian and Indonesian universities. Those who have registered and paid but choose not to go to CSMU will get a 50% refund,” says Nadarajah who has spent the last week meeting representatives from the Russian Embassy to discuss options for the students.
On the Ministry’s allegation that CSMU is taking in too many students, many of them below par, he says: “Student intake is not decided by CSMU.
It is decided by a commission comprising of senior officials from the Education and Health Ministries in Kiev based on the availability of hostels, teaching staff and other resources.”
He adds that the commission approved 400 to 480 seats for international students each year and after recognition was awarded to the university in 2001, 90% of the seats went to Malaysians.

International standing
On the lack of manpower to cope with the surge in student numbers, Ukrainian Ambassador to Malaysia Oleksandr Shevchenko was quoted as saying that the university’s lecturer to student ratio of 1:10 was acceptable based on European Union standards.
Parent Prof Dr Mohamed Daud who has one daughter in her third year of study at the university and another who is due to commence classes this September, is convinced of the university’s quality.
“Would Mara and the Selangor government send students to CSMU if it was not a good university?” he says.
On MMC ‘s concern regarding the number of academics, he adds that the university has a good number of doctors unlike our own public universities which are scrambling to retain academics as they are not paid enough.
Comparing his eldest daughter who is pursuing her medical degree at a renowned university in the United Kingdom to his second daughter at CSMU, he adds that his second daughter was working on cadavers in her second year unlike his eldest daughter who is only getting to do so in the final year of her medical studies.
“I am sending my daughter to the university whatever the status of CSMU may be as I am convinced of its quality,” shares Prof Mohamed.
Cost is a huge factor prompting parents to send their children to CSMU. A six-year medical degree including return airfare, the agent’s fee, lodging and all other expenses minus food, would set parents back RM120,000 – a paltry sum compared to pursuing the same degree in other countries (See chart).
Coupled with that of course is the university’s reputation, says a doctor from Terengganu who prefers to remain anonymous.
“If you go to Australia or the United Kingdom, people will not know UM (Universiti Malaya) or Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) but they would have heard of CSMU,” he adds.
His daughter, who scored 9As in her SPM and later went on to achieve a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.89 in her matriculation, chose to study at CSMU after failing to gain admission into a public university last year.
“She is happy there. There are no complaints. I do not see why the MMC is allowing the few bad apples to ruin the reputation of the university,” he says.

No objection
All students admitted into the university must obtain a “no objection” letter from the Higher Education Ministry certifying that the student has met all the minimum requirements for entry.
Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Mohd Salleh told reporters recently that this was implemented after it was discovered that there were students wh claimed 7E, 8E and 9G were the highest scores in the SPM when they were actually the opposite.
“We found this out when we wanted to send our Mara scholars there. The university said they could not be admitted as their grades were in the 1A and 2A range.
“We then introduced the letter so there was no abuse,” he said.
“If art stream students and dropouts were allowed to be admitted into the university, shouldn’t the fault lie with the ministry for issuing them ‘no objection’ letters?” asks the Terengganu doctor. Nadarajah says not a single student was admitted without the letter.
However, the MMC in its statement put forward that, “School dropouts, possessing very poor secondary school results were allowed to pursue the programme by virtue of passing the pre-medical foundation course conducted Ukrainian universities.
“Their secondary qualifications were never taken into consideration.”
In a letter to its agents, CSMU clearly states that only SPM science students can be admitted into its pre-medical programme after having achieved a minimum grade of B in
Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.
Those to be admitted into first year must posses the minimum grade of C in the main subjects which includes Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
“The MMC also said that graduates’ English proficiency was low. This is untrue as the entire degree is taught in English.
“They learn some Russian in the first two years so that they can converse with patients during their clinical stint,” says Nadarajah.
Proof of CSMU’s academic standard, he adds, can also be seen in the number of students it expels.
“In December, 28 students were kicked out for not completing various components of the programme. I just heard that another 30 were expelled in June,” he adds.

o For enquiries or clarification, contact Dr Wan Mazlan Mohamed Woojdy at 03-8883 1400, Dr Suhaila Sanip at 03-883 1417 or Dr Rusnah Yahya 03-8883 1401; send a fax to the MMC at 03-8883 1040, e-mail mmckkm@yahoo.com or write to the Malaysian Medical Council, Level 2, Block E-1, Parcel E, Federal Government Administrative Office, 62590 Putrajaya.