Health D-G: Taiwanese dental schools were never recognised under approved list

Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah

PETALING JAYA: Basic dental qualifications from Taiwanese dental schools were never recognised under the Dental Act 1971, says Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pic).

Dr Noor Hisham, who is also Malaysian Dental Council (MDC) president, was referring to news reports that seven Taiwanese dental schools were suddenly removed from an approved list of dental schools.

"The MDC was reported to have removed recognitions for seven Taiwan dental schools from the Second Schedule of the Dental Act 1971.

"The MDC would like to clarify that this is not true, as basic dental qualifications from Taiwan dental schools have never been recognised under the Dental Act 1971, hence has never been listed under Second Schedule of the said Act.

"However, dental graduates with unrecognised qualification (including from Taiwan dental schools) may be considered to be registered under the Dental Act 1971 if they fulfil the criteria determined by the MDC for registration, either under Section 12(3) or Section 12(9) of the same Act.

"Currently there are 139 such graduates from unrecognised Taiwan dental schools who have fulfilled the stipulated criteria and are already registered with the MDC.

"Thus, these 139 graduates are all allowed to practise in Malaysia," he said in a press statement on Wednesday (July 17).

He added that any further queries can be directed to email [e-mail] or phone [phone]/7366.

Earlier, the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) education bureau chairman Ding Kuong Hiing claimed that the MDC had removed seven Taiwanese dental schools from the Second Schedule of the Dental Act.

He claimed that dental graduates from these schools were left in the lurch as this meant they could not work or intern at government dental hospitals, nor commence private practice.

The seven schools he claimed were removed were the Taiwan University School of Medicine, National Defence School of Medicine, Yangming University School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, China Medical University, Zhongshan Medical University, and Kaohsiung Medical University.