Varsity lecturers to help out at 22 hospitals

Star: TAPAH: The Health Ministry has identified 22 public and private universities which will provide specialist medical services in 22 district hospitals nationwide.

Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the universities were among 33 public and private universities in the country that offer medical courses.

He described it as a smart partnership as the hospitals would provide all the necessary facilities while the universities would send their lecturers who are also medical experts with various specialisations.

He said the collaboration would result in more patients receiving specialist treatment with a shorter waiting period.

“It is a win-win solution for the ministry, universities and the public,” he said after witnessing the signing of the smart partnership between the ministry and nine universities at the Tapah Hospital yesterday.

The ministry was represented by its secretary-general Datuk Kamarul Zaman Md Isa while the nine universities were represented by their vice-chancellors or top officials.

The nine universities that inked the partnership agreement were Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman that would provide specialist medical service at the Tapah Hospital, Management and Science University (Kuala Kubu Baru Hospital), Perdana University (Bentong Hospital), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Serian Hospital), UCSI University (Dungun Hospital), Lincoln University College (Lahad Datu Hospital), Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (Kepala Batas Hospital), Melaka Manipal Medical College (Jasin Hospital) and Mahsa University College (Tanjung Karang Hospital).

Liow said the signing ceremony with the remaining 13 universities would be held later.

“The partnership will help ease congestion at main hospitals and increase the bed occupancy rate at district hospitals,” he said, adding that priority areas include internal medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopedic and anaesthesiology.