Programmes by Ukraine’s premier medical varsity no longer recognised

PETALING JAYA: The undergraduate medical programmes offered by Ukraine's Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) is no longer recognised by the Health Ministry.

Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the university had been removed from the Second Schedule of the Medical Act, which lists the 375 recognised medical institutions from 34 countries.

“Effective March 28, any graduate from CSMU must sit for and pass a licensing examination before being registered with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC),” he said in a statement yesterday.

CSMU, one of Ukraine's premier medical schools, was recognised by the MMC after a visit in August 2001, becoming the first Ukrainian university to be included in the Second Schedule.

However, the university was de-recognised by the council in 2005.

Among the reasons cited for the withdrawal were the “dubious” qualifications of students admitted into the institute's medical studies, the difficulty faced by its medical graduates in using jargon in English and the possible strain on the quality of teaching due to the sudden increase in intake since 2001.

The then-MMC president Datuk Dr Ismail Merican had said the decision would not affect the 1,119 Malaysian students who were already registered with the university.

Following appeals from CSMU, the MMC held another three-day visit there in October last year.

“Unfortunately, the review panel still found serious weaknesses in the programmes, which it said did not meet accreditation criteria.

“This decision was made professionally after considering all aspects, especially the safety of patients and the impact on medical graduates and their families,” Liow said, adding that medical graduates from CSMU would not be denied their right to sit for the licensing examination.