UTAR and CMU to collaborate

Working together: (From left) UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Keng, Dr Chuah, Dr Wee, Prof Chao and CMU Dean of Global Affairs Prof Liang-Yo Yang at the MoU signing.

KAJANG: Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) has inked a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan’s Chinese Medical University (CMU) to collaborate in two fields of medicine.

The MoU – for collaboration in medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) – was signed by UTAR president Datuk Prof Dr Chuah Hean Teik and CMU vice-president Prof K.S. Clifford Chao at its Sungai Long campus here yesterday.

MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who witnessed the ceremony, said while modern Western medicine was the primary mode of treatment in Malaysia, there was increasing acceptance for TCM.

“It is good for both universities to have some kind of joint venture or even joint researches, with Malaysia having the strength in terms of biodiversity. In fact, UTAR is expanding its faculty and TCM is one of the main components in the medical faculty,” he told reporters.

Malaysia, said Dr Wee, had been promoting health tourism, adding that this was not only confined to Western medicine.

The setting up of the UTAR Hospital, he pointed out, could attract more tourists seeking TCM treatment in Malaysia.

Dr Wee said as a university that was only 16 years old, UTAR was now ranked second – just behind Universiti Malaysia – in the country in a series of rankings.

“UTAR is in the top 1% of universities in Asia and somewhere in the top 2.5% universities in the world,” he said.

Dr Chuah said the collaboration would allow its students to gain more exposure in TCM.

Chao said Malaysia was very rich with agricultural resources and those were the foundation for TCM.