Another family has come forward to express disappointment after pharmacy doctorate students in Egypt were found unable to practise in Malaysia because the programme is not recognised here.
Umno supreme council member Razlan Rafii voiced frustration over what he described as the treatment received from the government bureaucracy.
He said Malaysians had become all too familiar with such grievances, where people were not properly attended to unless they resorted to “banging tables” or causing a scene to get matters resolved.
“If you follow professional channels, it is as if they do not exist in the government administration’s dictionary.
“I hope those in positions of power will open their eyes and hearts. Treat this issue as though it involves your own children.
“Do not turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the future of Malaysia’s children,” Razlan (above) said.
His daughter, Nur Ain, is studying at Alexandria University and is facing the same predicament as Nurul Izzah Afifah Mustapha, whose mother, Noor Haslina Abdullah, recently shared her story with Malaysiakini.
Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported Haslina’s disappointment after her daughter, a high-achieving student who scored 10As in SPM and is also a Quran memoriser, was barred from sitting the qualifying examination under the Malaysian Pharmacy Board (MPB) required to complete her degree.
Haslina, the wife of former MACC Special Operations Division director Bahri Zin, said the Health Ministry rejected her daughter’s application because the PharmD, or Doctor of Pharmacy programme, is not recognised in Malaysia.
She noted that her daughter had enrolled at the university through an offer letter issued by the Higher Education Ministry.
Haslina said the Higher Education Ministry approved her daughter’s pharmacy studies at Alexandria University after the challenging Covid-19 pandemic.
She said the university later upgraded the programme from a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree to a PharmD Clinical programme.
However, the PharmD Clinical programme has yet to be recognised by the Malaysian government, preventing students from sitting the MPB examination required to qualify for practical training in Malaysia and ultimately become registered pharmacists.
Parents willing to sponsor visit to Egypt
Meanwhile, Razlan said parents had exhausted numerous avenues to resolve the issue and had seen little effort from the authorities.
“Various efforts have been undertaken, yet what has happened gives the impression that the government has failed to resolve this issue. More disappointingly, the authorities appear more willing to sit back than take responsibility for finding a solution.
“Families were even willing to bear the costs of bringing officials from the MPB to Egypt, but that effort was also rejected and not given due consideration,” he said.
Razlan added that they had raised the matter with the health minister, only to be informed that the ministry had no authority over the MPB.
“The hands-off attitude shown by all parties in this matter is a deeply disappointing failure,” he said.
Govt urged to act, responses pending
Razlan argued that the government should take a more proactive approach in addressing issues of this nature, especially when they involve public funds and the sacrifices made by families to finance their children’s education.
Malaysiakini has sought responses from Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad and Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir.
However, Zambry’s deputy, Adam Adli Abdul Halim, said when contacted that he would first look into the matter before providing any response.
Meanwhile, the MPB reportedly said it was not consulted during the process of offering the PharmD clinical programme at Alexandria University by the Higher Education Ministry.
According to a report by Berita Harian, the board said no application had been submitted for recognition of the new programme at Alexandria University, and it therefore remains unrecognised. - Mkini
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