File photo for illustration purposes.
SIBU: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Education Bureau has expressed shock over the Malaysian Medical Council (MDC) president Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s disclosure on the non-recognition of seven Taiwanese dental schools, and is urging the PH government to find a fair solution for what it calls an “unjust” policy.
In a statement today, SUPP Education Bureau chairman Ding Kuong Hiing said such a policy will adversely affect the future and welfare of the dental graduates and students.
He was responding to Dr Noor Hisham’s statement that basic dental qualifications from Taiwan dental schools have never been recognised under the Dental Act 1971.
The Health director-general had made clarification in reference to news reports earlier on Wednesday, whereby the MDC was reported to have removed recognition for seven Taiwan dental schools from the Second Schedule of the Dental Act 1971.
“The reply by the MDC president confirms that the predicament faced by dental graduates from the said seven dental schools in seeking registration with MDC are indeed true.
“But what is most shocking to the public and the Education Bureau of SUPP is that the MDC president disclosed for the first time that MDC had never recognised the seven dental schools in Taiwan,” added Ding, who is also Meradong assemblyman.
“His reply is indeed extremely shocking not only to the Education Bureau of SUPP and the public, particularly to the current dental students, dental graduates and the parents of the dental students who are still attending dental courses in these seven dental schools in Taiwan,” he noted.
“If SUPP Education Bureau did not disclose the unfair policy to the public, it is highly likely that MDC will continue to keep the non-recognition of these seven dental schools of Taiwan as a secret forever.”
Ding pointed out that the said reply also goes against public knowledge that the said seven dental schools have always been recognised by the MDC.
“It is an undisputed fact that in 1996, MDC and Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) had conducted studies on the medical and dental courses in Taiwan.
“These degrees were fully recognised after a study visit to all the seven dental and medical schools in 1996. It is also an undisputed fact that medical degrees of the seven medical schools in Taiwan were already gazetted by the MMC under the second schedule of the Medical Act 1971.
“Hence, MDC owes the public a duty to explain why the recognition of the seven dental schools in Taiwan were not gazetted immediately after the study tours in 1996,” he asserted.
Additionally, it is also an undisputed fact that the former Health Minister Dato Sri Liow Tiong Lai summoned a meeting with the MDC on Oct 4 2012, Ding recalled, adding that the meeting was widely reported in local newspapers.
He went on to reveal that from newspaper cuttings dated Oct 5, 2012 and relevant photos attached, the attendees included Liow, the Registrar and senior officers of MDC together with the Deputy President of the United Taiwan Alumnus.
The then Health Minister had directed the MDC to put back the said seven dental schools into the second schedule of the Dental Act 1971. Under the said Act, the Health Minister had the power to give such directive on the ground that the accreditations were successfully done in 1996.
“The reply by Datuk Dr Noor Hisham indicated that from 2012 until now, the MDC never executed the lawful directive of the then Health Minister to fully recognise the said seven dental schools of Taiwan. By refusing to execute the said lawful directive, MDC, which is under the purview of the Ministry of Health, did not and does not show any respect to the Health Minister of the day.”
He pointed out that this is also the first time that the public is officially informed that the recognition of a dental qualification is divided between s12(3) and s12(9) under the repealed Dental Act 1971.
To this, Ding added: “We hereby urge the PH Government particularly the Health Minister to find a fair solution on this unjust policy which will adversely affect the future and welfare of the dental graduates and students from the said seven dental schools of Taiwan.
“We also urge the Malaysian Dongzong, United Chinese Association and United Taiwan Alumnus among others, to monitor the case expeditiously. They must meet and discuss the matter with the present Health Minister for a fair and acceptable solution.”
SUPP is happy to work with all relevant societies with the aim of putting back the seven dental schools into the second schedule of the said repealed Act, assured Ding.
The affected dental schools are Taiwan University School of Medicine, National Defense School of Medicine, Yangming University School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, China Medical University, Zhongshan Medical University, and Kaohsiung Medical University.