Perdana U teams up with another US med school after fallout with Johns Hopkins

Perdana University is partnering with the University of California to develop its medical school after another American university, Johns Hopkins, terminated its collaboration with the Malaysian varsity, citing frequent late payments. – Pic courtesy of perdanauniversity.edu.my, February 5, 2015.

Perdana University today announced that it has partnered with the University of California (UC), San Diego, for its medical and research programme, just months after another renowned American varsity severed ties with the Malaysian institution.

It said the collaboration was to develop its Graduate School of Medicine (Pugsom) programme, which was first established in 2011 with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“This venture will drive Perdana University towards its goal of achieving international distinction as well as bring it recognition as an elite and successful academic institution,” Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is the Chancellor of Perdana University, said in a statement.

Pugsom came under the spotlight in August last year after The Malaysian Insider reported that Johns Hopkins terminated its ties with Perdana University due to frequent late payments.

The American medical school said it made the "difficult decision" of ending the partnership with Pugsom – Malaysia’s first private teaching hospital with research facilities – because payments were often late, adding that payments were 12 months overdue when the partnership was terminated last August.

Perdana's vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Sothi Rachagan said today that the 10-year partnership will assist in creating and refining infrastructure and facilities necessary for the growth of the programme such as student enrolment and research.

The joint statement also said that the collaboration between UC and Pugsom will include exchange of faculty, students and staff.

“This collaboration will help PU to achieve its vision of becoming a top-tier academic medical centre serving the 21st century healthcare needs of Malaysia and the broader region,” said chairman of Perdana University's board of governors Tan Sri Datuk Dr Mohan Swami.

Pugsom, established in 2010 under the initiative of the Academic Medical Centre Sdn Bhd (AMC), offered a four-year medical course in collaboration with John Hopkins, which reportedly cost RM800,000.

When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the partnership between Johns Hopkins and Malaysian and American investors in September 2010, he said the school would become a regional medical research hub.

But, Johns Hopkins later pulled out of the collaboration and said since the notice was sent on March 17, it had voluntarily, and at its own expense, allowed its faculty to remain teaching at Pugsom until July 31, 2014, to protect the interests of the students.

DAP's Lim Guan Eng and Dr Ong Kian Ming were concerned over the fate of the 80 students enrolled with Pugsom and urged Putrajaya to step in to protect their interest, saying the RM2.3 billion Perdana University campus project should be put on hold.

Sothi had assured then that the rights of the students would not be compromised in any way and they were entitled to their rights, which includes a teach-out on the terms on which they were admitted into the programme.

The campus is located at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang. It was reported in 2011 that it would move to a 141-acre campus costing RM2.3 billion by 2014.

The new campus, also located in Serdang, is expected have its own 600-bed private teaching hospital.

- TMI