SIBU: The Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) Education Bureau and the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities, Malaysia (Faatum) met Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye to iron out an issue pertaining to the sudden non-recognition of seven Taiwanese dental schools.
According to a press statement from SUPP’s Education Bureau, the Malaysian Dental Council (MDC) was asked to explain why dental degrees were recognised but not gazetted in 1995 when a team of council members from MMC, MDC and Malaysian Pharmacy Council visited eight Taiwanese universities to accredit medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.
MDC’s lawyer replied that the Taiwanese dental degrees were only conditionally recognised. The representatives of SUPP and Faatum countered in unison that the need for Taiwanese dentists to pass the Taiwan national examination was the only condition and was never an issue since 1996 and Taiwanese dental graduates have never objected to complying with this condition.
MDC said the JPA approval letter issued in 1996 was incorrect because Malaysia did not have the Dental Act 1991 and did not have Section 12(a) but Section 12(1) of the 1971 Dental Act.
Faatum chairman Datuk Lawrence Ting immediately said that this excuse was unacceptable, especially when it was only raised after 22 years.
Meanwhile, former Faatum president Ngeow Yiiing Ngee highlighted that from a legal point of view, JPA’s letter in 1996 clearly stated that Taiwanese dental degrees were conditionally recognised and that only one condition was that the dental graduates must pass the Taiwan national examination. He said that if the MDC wanted to make any changes, the MDC must clearly inform the public at the earliest hour.
He hoped that this unfortunate issue was not a masterpiece of the “Little Napoleons” in the Health Ministry.
Ngeow further said that since the Dental Act 1971 is still valid, the correct approach would be for the current Health Minister to invoke his ministerial power of Section 12(9) of the Dental Act 1971 to reinstate the seven dental schools into the Second Schedule of the Dental Act 1971.
Faatum had also presented two letters from MDC, which were given to two Taiwanese dental graduates respectively in 2015 and 2016. The 2015 letter stated that the dentist could register directly with MDC without an examination but the other dentist needed to attend a one-year course at USM and then sit for a professional dental examination.
“At this juncture, MDC officials revealed that MDC revised the relevant regulations in 2016, which stipulated that graduates of Taiwan and all the dental schools not in the Second Schedule of the Dental Act 1971 would need to go to USM to study for a year and then sit for the Malaysian Dentist Professional Examination,” it said.
MDC further said that this amendment was approved by then Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam where the MDC admitted that it did not inform the public on this matter.
Dr Lee remarked that if the Health Ministry decided not to recognise certain universities, the decision would not be effective immediately because it would be unfair to the students who are still studying.
He said that likewise, if Taiwanese degrees were not recognised today, the decision should not be effective immediately. “The effective time must be five years later so that parents and students, including potential students would be aware of the decision and be prepared.”
He said that this was a worldwide practice.
Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had on July 17 said basic dental qualifications from Taiwanese dental schools were never recognised under the Dental Act 1971.
Dr Noor Hisham was referring to news reports that seven Taiwanese dental schools were suddenly removed from an approved list of dental schools.
SUPP Education Bureau chairman Ding Kuong Hiing had claimed that the MDC had removed Taiwan University School of Medicine, National Defence School of Medicine, Yangming University School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, China Medical University, Zhongshan Medical University and Kaohsiung Medical University from the Second Schedule of the Dental Act.
