January 2009 New Medical Training Programme Twins Ireland and Malaysia

(Leagan Gaeilge) A new medical twinning programme has been agreed between NUI Galway, UCC and the Allianze College of Medical Sciences, Kapala Batas, in northern Malaysia. Some 120 Malaysian and other south-east Asian students will study medicine in Galway and Cork for the first two and a half years, before completing their five-year degree in Malaysia. On successful completion, students will be awarded the NUI degree of MB, BAO, BCh. The agreement will initially run for 15 consecutive years of student intake but with the potential to be extended beyond that. During the period of the agreement, other health profession programmes may be developed by mutual agreement. Up to now, NUI Galway and UCC have only accepted Malaysian students into the Irish five-year medical programme. This initiative shifts the clinical training of the students to their home country. However they will still obtain an Irish medical qualification that will be approved and accredited by the professional accrediting authorities of Ireland and Malaysia. Commenting on the agreement, Professor B.G. Loftus, Dean of NUI Galway's College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, said: "Hospital based clinical education will take place in Malaysia, which will be of huge benefit to the graduates. The students will develop their clinical skills and knowledge in the context of their own culture, traditions and health needs. We believe the new twining project has real advantages for the Irish and Malaysian parties, the students themselves, and the people of Malaysia". The twinning programme is being developed within the context of ongoing bilateral links between Ireland and Malaysia, particularly the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding between the Irish and Malaysian Ministries of Education, and the Malaysian Government s invitation in 2004 to the Irish universities with renowned medical schools to develop a campus in Malaysia. According to Dr James J. Browne, President of NUI Galway, "In NUI Galway and UCC, we welcome this opportunity to work together as a single team to deliver a programme of which both universities can be proud. In recent years, Irish universities have developed strategic partnerships in many areas of graduate education and research. We realise the importance to both governments and to the students and people of both countries that Irish education in Malaysia is seen as operating consistently and to the highest international standards and that any elements of competition are managed within the overall national interest". There are documented records of Malaysian students studying in Ireland in such subjects as Medicine, Commerce and Engineering since just after the Second World War, and increasing rapidly since Malaysian independence in 1958. In 1988, Trinity College Dublin, UCD, UCC and NUI Galway established the Irish Universities Medical Consortium with the purpose of developing Irish medical education links with Malaysia and placing them on a firmer footing. Ten years later the Penang Medical College was established by UCD and RCSI. These Irish Malaysia links in the field of medical education have to date led to somewhere in the region of 3,000 to 4,000 Malaysian doctors with Irish medical qualifications. Michael Hanna, Manager of the College of Medicine and Health at UCC, said: "There is also a global dimension to this partnership. As our countries develop in the most challenging of times, and seek to provide for the heath needs of our peoples, we can learn from each other better ways of doing things and better ways of understanding and respecting the differences between us". The aspiration is that the relationship being established with ACMS will in time come to include other health programmes and research dimensions. In this context, NUI Galway and UCC are hopeful of developing strategic links with Universiti Sans Malaysia (USM), one of the five institutions selected by the Malaysian government as the country's lead universities in teaching and research.

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Clár Nua Oiliúna sa Leigheas ina Chleamhnas idir Éirinn agus an Mhalaeisia (View in English) Táthar tar éis clár nua cleamhnaithe leighis a aontú idir OÉ Gaillimh, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh agus Coláiste Eolaíochtaí Leighis Allianze, Kapala Batas, i dtuaisceart na Malaeisia. Déanfaidh thart ar 120 mac léinn de bhunadh na Malaeisia agus oirdheisceart na hÁise staidéar ar an leigheas i nGaillimh agus i gCorcaigh ar feadh na chéad dhá bhliain go leith, agus críochnóidh siad a gcéim, a mhairfidh ar feadh cúig bliana ar fad, sa Mhalaeisia. Bronnfar céim MB, BAO, BCh de chuid Ollscoil na hÉireann ar na mic léinn a n-éireoidh leo. Mairfidh an comhaontú faoina nglacfar le mic léinn gach bliain ar feadh 15 bliana as a chéile ar dtús ach féadfar cur leis ina dhiaidh sin. I rith thréimhse an chomhaontaithe, féadfar cláir ghairmiúla leighis eile a fhorbairt ach gach páirtí a bheith aontaithe faoi. Go dtí seo ní raibh OÉ Gaillimh agus Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh ach ag glacadh le mic léinn Mhalaeiseacha ar an gcúrsa leighis cúig bliana Éireannach. Faoin tionscnamh seo is ina dtír dhúchais a chuirtear an oiliúint chliniciúil ar na mic léinn. Beidh siad i dteideal cáilíocht leighis Éireannach a bhaint amach, áfach, a bheidh faofa agus creidiúnaithe ag údaráis chreidiúnaithe ghairmiúil na hÉireann agus na Malaeisia. Ag labhairt dó faoin gcomhaontú dúirt an tOllamh B.G. Loftus, Déan Choláiste an Leighis, an Altranais agus na nEolaíochtaí Sláinte in OÉ Gaillimh: "Is sa Mhalaeisia a chuirfear oideachas cliniciúil otharlainne orthu, rud a bheidh ina shárbhuntáiste ag na céimithe. Déanfaidh na mic léinn a gcuid scileanna cliniciúla agus a gcuid eolais chliniciúil a fhorbairt i gcomhthéacs a gcultúir, a dtraidisiún agus a riachtanas sláinte féin. Creidimid go mbainfidh comhpháirtithe na hÉireann agus na Malaeisia, na mic léinn féin agus pobal na Malaeisia fíorthairbhe as an tionscadal nua cleamhnaithe." Tá an clár cleamhnaithe á fhorbairt i gcomhthéacs na nasc déthaobhach leanúnach idir Éirinn agus an Mhalaeisia, Meamram Comhthuisceana idir Aireachtaí Oideachais na hÉireann agus na Malaeisia, go háirithe, agus i bhfianaise an chuiridh a thug Rialtas na Malaeisia in 2004 d'ollscoileanna Éireannacha a bhfuil scoileanna cáiliúla leighis acu campas a fhorbairt sa Mhalaeisia. Dúirt an Dr James J. Browne, Uachtarán OÉ Gaillimh, "Fáiltímidne in OÉ Gaillimh agus i gColáiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh roimh an deis seo oibriú le chéile mar aon fhoireann amháin chun clár ar díol mórtais é don dá ollscoil a chur ar fáil. Le blianta beaga anuas, tá ollscoileanna Éireannacha tar éis go leor comhpháirtíochtaí straitéiseacha a fhorbairt in go leor réimsí oideachais agus taighde. Aithnímid a thábhachtaí atá sé don dá rialtas agus do mhic léinn agus do phobal an dá thír go bhfeicfí sa Mhalaeisia go bhfuil an t-oideachas Éireannach ag feidhmiú go comhsheasmhach, go bhfuiltear ag cloí leis na caighdeáin idirnáisiúnta is airde agus go ndéantar bainistiú ar aon eilimintí iomaíochta chun leasa an dá náisiún." Tá taifid dhoiciméadaithe ann de mhic léinn Mhalaeiseacha a bhí mbun staidéir in Éirinn ar ábhair amhail an Leigheas, an Tráchtáil agus an Innealtóireacht ó dheireadh an Dara Cogadh Domhanda i leith, agus mhéadaigh a líon go mór ó bhain an Mhalaeisia neamhspleáchas amach i 1958. I 1988 bhunaigh Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath, An Coláiste Ollscoile Baile Átha Cliath, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh agus OÉ Gaillimh Comheagras Leighis Ollscoileanna na hÉireann a raibh sé de chuspóir aige naisc oideachas leighis a fhorbairt idir Éirinn agus an Mhalaeisia agus bonn níos daingne a chur faoi na naisc sin. Deich mbliana ina dhiaidh sin bhunaigh an Coláiste Ollscoile Baile Átha Cliath agus Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in Éirinn Coláiste Leighis Penang. Is é an toradh atá ar na naisc seo idir Éirinn agus an Mhalaeisia i réimse an oideachais leighis go dtí seo go bhfuil idir 3,000 agus 4,000 dochtúir Malaeiseach ann a bhfuil cáilíochtaí Éireannacha acu sa leigheas. Dúirt Michael Hanna, Bainisteoir Choláiste Leighis agus Sláinte Choláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh: "Tá gné dhomhanda ag baint leis an gcomhpháirtíocht seo. De réir mar atá ár dtíortha ag forbairt sa tréimhse an-dúshlánach seo, agus iad ag iarraidh freastal ar riachtanais sláinte an phobail sa dá thír, is féidir linn bealaí níos fearr a fhoghlaim óna chéile le rudaí a dhéanamh agus le tuiscint agus meas a bheith againn ar na difríochtaí atá eadrainn." Táthar ag súil go gcuimseoidh an caidreamh atáthar a bhunú leis an ACMS cláir agus gnéithe sláinte eile de réir a chéile. Sa chomhthéacs seo, tá dóchas ag OÉ Gaillimh agus ag Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh go ndéanfar naisc straitéiseacha a fhorbairt le Universiti Sans Malaysia (USM), ceann de chúig institiúid arb iad rogha rialtas na Malaeisia iad mar scoth-ollscoileanna na tíre sin sa teagasc agus sa taighde. -críoch-