#pugsom

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/08/18/stop-sending-psd-students-perdana-universitys-medical-programme/

Stop sending PSD students to Perdana University's medical programme

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18, 2014:

The interests of students at the Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine (Pugsom) should be safeguarded as the first group is expected to graduate next year.

Serdang Member of Parliament Dr Ong Kian Ming said the Pugsom programme was a “Graduate” programme, meaning that the current students already have a degree.

He added that medical school in the United States, like law school, is a post-graduate degree and only those who has an undergraduate degree can apply for these programmes.

Ong, in a press statement, said that as of July 31, Johns Hopkins, its faculty and its curriculum were no longer associated with Pugsom due to late payments to the Johns Hopkins.

The DAP lawmaker added that there was also non-payment to Johns Hopkins for 12 months under the service agreement with Pugsom, which is based in the Perdana University campus in Serdang.

Ong said the solution might not be as simple as to suggest a transfer of these Pugsom students to the Perdana University-Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (PU-RCSI) five-year undergraduate medical degree programme.

Proper consultations, he said, must be held with the stakeholders, especially the students and their parents.

“The government should stop sending new Public Service Department students to Perdana University for the Pugsome programme as well as the PU-RSCI programme.

“Especially if the ability of the owner of Perdana University — Academic Medical Center Sdn Bhd — to continue as a going concern is questionable.”

Ong said according to the financial accounts submitted to the Companies Commission, Academic Medical Center Sdn Bhd had negative reserves of RM189 million and it made a loss of RM63.6 million as of year end last year.

He said welfare of medical students must not be jeopardised or taken lightly.

Ong said it was announced that 50 students per year were to be funded by JPA scholarships and the programme was estimated to cost up to RM1 million per student.

“The government should immediately stop putting any government funding into the RM2.3 billion public Private Partnership Project to construct the Perdana University campus which includes a 600-bed teaching hospital.”

He said the he fact that the project was allocated to Chase Perdana, the parent company of Academic Medical Center, raised many questions.

Ong went on to question why a construction company was given the land and licence to operate a medical university.

He asked why the construction of this university campus had to be awarded to the parent company of Academic Medical Center.

“I hope this is not another example of a Public Pirate Partnership masquerading as a Public Private Partnership where the private party involved gets to reap all the financial benefits with the public having to bear the ultimate cost.”