PETALING JAYA: Universiti Malaya (UM), the country’s first and oldest public higher education institution, is setting up a Faculty of Nursing on its campus in Kuala Lumpur to help meet the nation’s demand for healthcare workers.
The faculty, which has already secured international collaborations with countries such as China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Ireland and Singapore, is slated to open this year, said UM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic & International) Prof Dr Hasniza Zaman Huri (pic).
“Nursing education is currently offered under the Department of Nursing Science within the Faculty of Medicine.
“Once we get approval from the Higher Education Ministry, our students from UM’s nine existing nursing programmes will transition to the new faculty in phases,” she said, adding that a dedicated faculty will strengthen the academic identity of nursing and enhance education, research and leadership in the discipline.
“The new faculty aims to encourage nursing research and innovation, as well as alleviate the shortage of nurses through strategic training advancing specialisation and postgraduate development in the field,” she said, adding that there are fewer than 4,000 nurses with postgraduate qualification in the country, according to the latest estimates.
“As of last year, Malaysia registered 120,667 nurses in the public and private sectors.
“In public healthcare facilities alone, there is an estimated shortage of 14,000 nurses. UM wants to help address that,” she said in an interview.
Alongside the new faculty, UM will introduce 19 additional programmes by coursework and research.
She said the upcoming programmes are postgraduate degrees in nursing, health sciences, women health and community, advanced nursing practice and health education.
Others are post-basic training in critical care, emergency care, perioperative care, diabetes educator, palliative nursing, gerontology nursing, infection prevention and control, orthopedic care, peri-anesthesia care, cardiovascular nursing and mental health nursing.
These programmes, said Prof Hasniza, are pending approval from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
While several public universities in Malaysia offer nursing programmes, she said many are placed under broader faculties such as medicine or health sciences.
UM is only the country’s second public university, after International Islamic University Malaysia, to have a faculty dedicated to nursing, she added.
The university, she said, is already offering a comprehensive nursing education.
But a faculty dedicated to the field strengthens its academic identity while advancing education, research and leadership in the profession.
“UM has been offering certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, undergraduate, master and doctorate programmes in nursing for close to six decades now.
“We started by offering a certificate in nursing in 1968. To date, a total of 7,700 graduates from the various programmes have received their scrolls.
“Once the new faculty is set up, we expect 600 new enrolments in the coming months,” she said.
The upcoming faculty, which will share facilities with Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), is set to provide clinical simulation and skills laboratories, teaching and learning spaces, clinical training in hospital wards and specialist units, research facilities for nursing and healthcare studies, computer laboratories, and an examination hall.
“We are also offering scholarships and guaranteed employment for those doing their nursing diploma.
“With postgraduate education and experience, graduates can become leaders, educators, and innovators who shape the future of healthcare systems,” Prof Hasniza said, adding that a nursing qualification not only prepares graduates for clinical practice but also opens pathways for roles in healthcare management, academic careers, research and policy development.
