IN the best interest of the health of the population, UiTM (Universiti Teknologi Mara) should consider the suggestion to temporarily open-up its cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme to non-Bumiputera.
It should be putting the needs of the people first. We are facing acute shortages in specialists and cardiothoracic surgeons are one of the specialisations most in demand.
There are people waiting between six months to a year for a bypass surgery in our public healthcare system. Some die while waiting.
And with the high prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the country, we can expect the number of people needing these life-saving procedures performed by cardiothoracic surgeons to increase.
Everyone is impacted by shortages in specialists. As it stands, we don’t think we will be able to meet the target of 28,000 medical specialists by 2030.
We need UiTM to support efforts to produce more cardiothoracic surgeons by opening it up to all Malaysians who wish to specialise. Healthcare should never be politicised.
In the report published on May 3, UiTM’s vice-chancellor said the university was established in accordance with Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
Professor Dr Raja Amin Raja Mokhtar, who is on the board of studies of the UiTM-IJN cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme, was quoted as saying that he did not believe legislative amendments were needed to admit non-Bumiputera students into UiTM’s postgraduate programme.
He also cited existing alternative pathways such as the university’s private wing or the postgraduate programme for international students.
If UiTM can open its doors to international students, we don’t see why it can’t open up to all fellow Malaysians on a needs basis. – May 9, 2024
Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz is president of the Malaysian Medical Association