NO RECOGNITION FOR UM`S MBBS BY EU SINCE 1990

KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- The medical degree (MBBS) from
Universiti Malaya (UM), a local and oldest public university, has not been
recognised by the European Union since its medical student intake of 1990.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Idris Haron said that according to
the General Medical Council's stipulation, MBBS programmes outside the EU did
not qualify for its recognition.

"This ruling does not only apply to the medical degrees from Malaysia, but
also from the universities in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore
which offer the same programme and have produced top medical specialists," he
said in reply to a question from M. Manogaran, an opposition MP in the Lower
House of Parliament Wednesday.

To a supplementary question from Manogaran on the government's efforts to
regain the recognition, he said it was undertaking student exchange programmes
with universities in the United Kingdom.

"For instance, we have such a programme with Queen's University of Belfast
for the purpose of transfer of credit, which can contribute to regaining the
recognition.

"The effort has been recognised by a number of universities in the group of
universities which cooperate with the GMC in EU and the Malaysian Medical
Council."

He said this would also provide an opportunity for universities in Malaysia
which offered medical degree programmes to gain the recognition in future.

-- BERNAMA