Consolidation time for medical schools in Malaysia?

Is Malaysia Education Ministry failed to plan or the education plans  failed us?

Just few years back in 2011, Malaysia was facing in shortage of doctors nationwide and the government had taken steps to bring back Malaysian specialist doctors who were working abroad, as well as to employ on contract basis foreign specialist doctors, like from Egypt and India. 

The government at that time believed that with the presence of 33 medical institutions in the country, including 11 owned by the government, would be able to produce more doctors. 

(Read more : 1. More than 32,900 doctors serving in Malaysia  2. Foreign doctors to ease shortage in government hospitals)

Just a short span of 3 to 4 years down the road and in 2014, the government said we are now facing a situation of over supply of doctors in the coming years. One of the main reason is too many private medical schools are flooding in the profit oriented market in Malaysia. 

Below are the number of medical schools and its accreditation status published by Malaysia Medical Council:

1. Total number of accredited government funded public universities - 9
2. Total number of accredited private medical schools - 14
3. Total approved local undergraduate medical schools awaiting accreditation - 20
4. Pending approval and accreditation medical schools - 27
(Read more : Malaysia Medical Council Annual Report 2013) 

This mean we have whopping total of 70 medical schools in Malaysia and this number surpassed the total number of medical schools in both U.K. and Australia with a larger population. 

So what are the reasons behind the mess? Fail to plan or the planning failed. I would said both.

In a profit oriented market, a fundamentally strong and good quality company can withstand onslaught challenges and competition. A weak and rotten one especially those heavily dependent on government support for student enrollment is set to disappear from the market place. 

So do more research before you decide which private university to spend your memorable campus life and do not let the rotten one to ruin you and your parent life.

Please read full story and the links pertaining to above post below.

Consolidation time for medical schools in Malaysia?

Posted on August 19, 2014 by palmdoc

Is the gravy train coming to a halt for the lucrative business of setting up medical schools in Malaysia. There was in recent years a rapid increase of medical schools in this country, exceeding even that of the UK which has a larger population.

Some of these private medical schools are now running into financial problems e.g.

AUCMS

PERDANA

After these two, who’s next?

The problem is that there is already a GLUT of junior doctors and jobs will be getting harder to come by even at present and worse for the future generation of doctors.

We’ve already mentioned these in the blog series on the The changing landscape of junior doctor jobs in Malaysia :

The changing landscape of junior doctor jobs in Malaysia

The changing landscape of junior doctor jobs in Malaysia II

The changing landscape of junior doctor jobs in Malaysia III


Now even public medical schools will face problems as the Government has declared they will offer fewer places in public medical schools, acknowledging the glut of junior doctors.


I wonder which medical school will be the next to fold?


See the MMR’s LISTING OF MEDICAL SCHOOLS

Source - new.medicine.com.my