Health Minister dilly-dallying on Crimea U

Dr. S. Subramaniam depriving students from struggling families an affordable avenue for medical education.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf Makkal Sakthi has urged Health Minister Dr. S. Subramaniam not to dilly dally any further over the re-recognition of the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU), an affordable avenue for Malaysian students from lower income groups to seek a medical education. “He has just been making empty promises instead of invoking his authority under the Medical Act 1971.”

The ad hoc NGO, working across the political divide on human rights, pointed out that former Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai in fact assured Parliament in August 2008 that CSMU had no issues with its facilities and infrastructure but only needed to fine tune its entry criteria and credit transfers.

“CSMU pledged over a year ago to comply with all requirements and further pledged to fund a medical campus in Malaysia and provide accredited lecturers.”

The university, pointed out Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy, was recognized both by the European Union and United Sates. “It has been providing affordable medical education to Malaysian students, many Indians, until it was derecognized in 2005”.

CSMU has produced over 1,500 medical doctors for Malaysia since 1997, added Waytha. “Most of them are from struggling and middle class families.”

It has been estimated that fees at CSMU are a third of that charged by private medical universities in Malaysia. Students from India, second only to the United States in medicine and software, make a beeline for CSMU since it’s getting tougher to secure a medical seat at home.

Crimea was until recently part of Ukraine, now battling separatists in the east of the country as well. The largely Russian-speaking region broke away to join the Russian Federation as a Republic.