Seventeen Students Allege Fraud By Nursing Institute

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- Seventeen students claimed Monday they were cheated by a private institute which made them work as nurses instead of offering courses in nursing as promised.
In a complaint lodged with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), they also claimed that the institute did not have a licence to run a nursing school.
Their spokesperson, Rita S. Muhamad Rizal, said they had registered to attend a one-year Registered Assistant Nurse Course at the institute in Taman Melawati here from July last year.
She said that after passing their interviews, each of them signed a RM30,000 contract with the institute on the condition to attend the course for two years and be bonded with the institute for four years once they pass the Malaysian Nursing Board examination.
All of them produced two guarantors for the contract, and the institute agreed to pay a RM450 allowance to each of them during the course.
"For five to six months, we were not taught any nursing theory as promised in the agreement. We made several complaints to the management but it often gave excuses, that tutors and instructors were unavailable at the time," she added.
In addition, she said, they were asked to perform duty as trained nurses despite having no knowledge of the work.
"We were told to provide services like giving injections, setting drips, care of the newborn and others," she said.
The students lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Nursing Board last May and last Aug 2, they were informed that they were not allowed to sit for the board's nursing examination in May next year.
"This confused the students, parents and guarantors, and implied that the institute had lied and used the students as workers," she said.
"For five to six months, we were not taught any nursing theory as promised in the agreement. We made several complaints to the management but it often gave excuses, that tutors and instructors were unavailable at the time," she added.
In addition, she said, they were asked to perform duty as trained nurses despite having no knowledge of the work. "We were told to provide services like giving injections, setting drips, care of the newborn and others," she said.
The students lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Nursing Board last May and last Aug 2, they were informed that they were not allowed to sit for the board's nursing examination in May next year.
"This confused the students, parents and guarantors, and implied that the institute had lied and used the students as workers," she said.
Meanwhile, Suhakam Commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said the commission regarded the matter as serious and would inform Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed immediately.
He said Suhakam had written to the institute's management for a meeting today with the 17 students but it said it could not attend due to a tight schedule.
"The irresponsible act of the institute will only tarnish the good name of the country's medical institutions apart from risking the lives of patients who are treated by untrained nurses," he said.