Dear UiTM, shed the arrogance!
19 May 2024 • 3:00 PM MYT
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Fa Abdul
FA ABDUL is a former columnist of Malaysiakini & Free Malaysia Today (FMT)
Photo credit: Saw Siow Feng for CodeBlue
Do you know how many cardiothoracic surgeons are working under the Ministry of Health? Apparently not many.
Recently, a senior consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at UiTM’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof Dr Raja Amin Raja Mokhtar, urged UiTM to temporarily open admissions to its cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme to non-Bumiputera, in the national interest.
Dr Raja Amin is also on the Board of Studios of the cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme by a collaboration between Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the National Heart Institute (IJN).
This call by Dr Raja Amin has been supported by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), our country’s largest doctors’ association.
Following the call to open UiTM to non-Bumiputera, all hell broke loose and the university’s student representative council has urged all its members to dress in black in protest and join the online campaign by sharing photos of their protest over the social media with hashtag #MahasiswaUiTMBantah.
According to the council, UiTM was established to support the less privileged Bumiputera students in getting access to higher education and should continue to remain so.
What is the issue all about?
There has been a lot of buzz around this matter since Dr Raja Amin made his suggestion. Unfortunately, many people who participated in the conversation pertaining to the issue, especially netizens via social media comment threads, do not really understand the root cause of the issue altogether.
This matter was actually highlighted after four graduates who had already earned a Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons Edinburgh qualification for cardiothoracic surgery, were told that they couldn’t register as specialists to start practising in Malaysia.
In fact, their applications in the national specialist registration were rejected by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). The rejection was because MMC for some reason, does not recognise the certification from the Royal Colleges of Surgeons Edinburgh.
Now, since UiTM is the only university in our country to offer a parallel pathway programme in collaboration with IJN in the cardiothoracic field, the call was made for UiTM to temporarily open its doors so these graduates could start practicing in the cardiothoracic field.
Who is a cardiothoracic surgeon?
A cardiothoracic surgeon performs surgery on your heart, lungs or esophagus and other parts of your chest. Surgeries can range from a heart valve replacement or heart transplant to treating lung cancer or esophageal cancer. Cardiothoracic surgeons have extensive training and can specialize in heart surgeries or other areas.
A cardiothoracic surgeon can be called cardiac surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital heart surgeons. They diagnose the conditions of a patient, discuss treatment options, do the surgery and do the necessary follow up consultation after surgery.
As our heart and lungs are some of our body’s most vital organs, providing blood and oxygen to our whole body, the work of cardiothoracic surgeons is of vital importance to us.
After all, I believe we all have family members, friends, colleagues or acquaintances who need their expertise.
Why should UiTM consider the suggestion?
According to an article published by the New Straits Times back in February 2024, there is currently a long waiting list for life-saving heart surgery at all seven Ministry of Health (MOH) cardiothoracic centres nationwide.
This queue is caused by the shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons in our country.
In fact, according to the president of Malaysian Association for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (MATCVS) Datuk Dr Basheer Ahamed Abd Kareem, this critical shortage will result in the death of one patient from each centre every week.
Apparently, there are only 14 heart surgeons working full time at Ministry of Health centres, with some scheduled to retire soon. At the same time, the rates of heart surgeons migrating to the private sector are said to be very high.
What happens if UiTM says yes?
If UiTM allows for the temporary admission of the graduates, after they receive their certification, they will be placed as cardiothoracic surgeons in government health institutions around Malaysia. This can indeed benefit the entire population, ensuring that specialised medical care is more widely accessible.
By having more cardiothoracic surgeons available in government hospitals, patients can receive timely and expert care for heart and chest-related conditions. This can lead to better health outcomes and most importantly, save lives.
With more specialists available, the waiting times for surgeries and consultations can be reduced. This is crucial for patients needing urgent care.
Having more specialists also strengthens the healthcare workforce by enhancing the overall quality of the healthcare system in our country. This can lead to better training for other medical staff, improved patient care, and more comprehensive healthcare services.
Wouldn't everyone in Malaysia benefit from all these? The answer is a big fat YES.
So why the heck is UiTM and its students opposing it? Why are our Bumiputera leaders and politicians keeping mum? Beats me.
After all, when it comes to healthcare, there should be no concern for race and religion. Nothing is as important as saving lives. Nothing.
So dear UiTM, please shed your arrogance and educate your Bumiputera students!
Do you know how many cardiothoracic surgeons are working under the Ministry of Health? Apparently not many.
Recently, a senior consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at UiTM’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof Dr Raja Amin Raja Mokhtar, urged UiTM to temporarily open admissions to its cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme to non-Bumiputera, in the national interest.
Dr Raja Amin is also on the Board of Studios of the cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme by a collaboration between Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the National Heart Institute (IJN).
This call by Dr Raja Amin has been supported by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), our country’s largest doctors’ association.
Following the call to open UiTM to non-Bumiputera, all hell broke loose and the university’s student representative council has urged all its members to dress in black in protest and join the online campaign by sharing photos of their protest over the social media with hashtag #MahasiswaUiTMBantah.
According to the council, UiTM was established to support the less privileged Bumiputera students in getting access to higher education and should continue to remain so.
What is the issue all about?
There has been a lot of buzz around this matter since Dr Raja Amin made his suggestion. Unfortunately, many people who participated in the conversation pertaining to the issue, especially netizens via social media comment threads, do not really understand the root cause of the issue altogether.
This matter was actually highlighted after four graduates who had already earned a Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons Edinburgh qualification for cardiothoracic surgery, were told that they couldn’t register as specialists to start practising in Malaysia.
In fact, their applications in the national specialist registration were rejected by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). The rejection was because MMC for some reason, does not recognise the certification from the Royal Colleges of Surgeons Edinburgh.
Now, since UiTM is the only university in our country to offer a parallel pathway programme in collaboration with IJN in the cardiothoracic field, the call was made for UiTM to temporarily open its doors so these graduates could start practicing in the cardiothoracic field.
Who is a cardiothoracic surgeon?
A cardiothoracic surgeon performs surgery on your heart, lungs or esophagus and other parts of your chest. Surgeries can range from a heart valve replacement or heart transplant to treating lung cancer or esophageal cancer. Cardiothoracic surgeons have extensive training and can specialize in heart surgeries or other areas.
A cardiothoracic surgeon can be called cardiac surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital heart surgeons. They diagnose the conditions of a patient, discuss treatment options, do the surgery and do the necessary follow up consultation after surgery.
As our heart and lungs are some of our body’s most vital organs, providing blood and oxygen to our whole body, the work of cardiothoracic surgeons is of vital importance to us.
After all, I believe we all have family members, friends, colleagues or acquaintances who need their expertise.
Why should UiTM consider the suggestion?
According to an article published by the New Straits Times back in February 2024, there is currently a long waiting list for life-saving heart surgery at all seven Ministry of Health (MOH) cardiothoracic centres nationwide.
This queue is caused by the shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons in our country.
In fact, according to the president of Malaysian Association for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (MATCVS) Datuk Dr Basheer Ahamed Abd Kareem, this critical shortage will result in the death of one patient from each centre every week.
Apparently, there are only 14 heart surgeons working full time at Ministry of Health centres, with some scheduled to retire soon. At the same time, the rates of heart surgeons migrating to the private sector are said to be very high.
What happens if UiTM says yes?
If UiTM allows for the temporary admission of the graduates, after they receive their certification, they will be placed as cardiothoracic surgeons in government health institutions around Malaysia. This can indeed benefit the entire population, ensuring that specialised medical care is more widely accessible.
By having more cardiothoracic surgeons available in government hospitals, patients can receive timely and expert care for heart and chest-related conditions. This can lead to better health outcomes and most importantly, save lives.
With more specialists available, the waiting times for surgeries and consultations can be reduced. This is crucial for patients needing urgent care.
Having more specialists also strengthens the healthcare workforce by enhancing the overall quality of the healthcare system in our country. This can lead to better training for other medical staff, improved patient care, and more comprehensive healthcare services.
Wouldn't everyone in Malaysia benefit from all these? The answer is a big fat YES.
So why the heck is UiTM and its students opposing it? Why are our Bumiputera leaders and politicians keeping mum? Beats me.
After all, when it comes to healthcare, there should be no concern for race and religion. Nothing is as important as saving lives. Nothing.
So dear UiTM, please shed your arrogance and educate your Bumiputera students!
This highlights that racism is NOT confined just to poorly educated malays
ReplyDeleteIt is rampant among so called educated pillocks
No wonder Malaysia is in a bad way
UiTM students are not so much arrogant , but in deep shit insecurity and fear of competing with a wider range of students other than the current 100% Type-M.
ReplyDelete