Abang Johari (front row, fifth left) and Azmi (front row, fourth left) with the first year Unimas medical students at the Atrium of the DUN complex during the Yayasan Sarawak medical programme scholarship presentation. Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has urged Yayasan Sarawak to identify new disciplines and subjects in an effort to provide more scholarships and loans to deserving university students.
This would also assist the government in transforming Sarawak into a high income state by 2030, he said in his officiating speech.
Abang Johari also thanked Yayasan Sarawak for providing scholarships and Unimas for offering placements to young people taking up medical courses.
The initiative to give more medical students scholarships started last year, leading to 40 students receiving the Yayasan Sarawak Unimas Medical Programme scholarship, he said.
“Today, 40 medical students receive their scholarships. Hopefully there will be another 40 next year. In five years’ time Sarawak will be able to produce 200 doctors,” said Abang Johari at the Atrium of the State Legislative Assembly complex in Petra Jaya today.
He said since scholarships are normally competitive and expensive, the state had taken the initiative to come up with more.
“This is just medical. The next (scholarship provision) will involve technology, engineering and ICT,” he said.
Yayasan Sarawak director Azmi Bujang announced the 40 recipients of the prestigious Medical Programme 2018/2019 scholarships at the function.
The programme is part of the foundation’s efforts to help the government in overcoming the shortage of doctors.
These 40 first year Unimas medical students made up the second batch of recipients of such scholarships.
They were selected from the 78 first year medical students of Unimas after a special interview, which Azmi described as a daunting task as all 78 interviewees were excellent.
The remaining 38 Unimas students will be considered for Yayasan Sarawak loans which would be converted into scholarships when the students meet certain conditions.
Azmi said the scholarship sum for the lucky 40 amounted to RM500,000 each for a term of five years.
This year, the foundation allocated RM20 million to sponsor the 40 students.
The state through Yayasan Sarawak would have to fork out RM100 million just to produce 200 trained doctors within five to 10 years, he added.