KUCHING: The State government is targeting to give scholarships worth RM100 million to 200 medical students in the next five years through Yayasan Sarawak Medical Scholarship Programme.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the initiative started last year when 40 students at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) were sponsored.
“This year 40 more students received their scholarships, so now we have 80 of them,” he said.
“God willing, next year we will have 40 more students, meaning that over five years at 40 per year, we will have 200 doctors.”
He pointed out that these are students who got scholarships, not those getting loans.
Johari was speaking at the presentation of Yayasan Sarawak scholarships to 40 Unimas medical students for the 2018/2019 academic year. The presentation was held in the atrium of the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.
He said usually medical studies are very competitive and expensive and certain scholarships are very restricted.
“But the State government takes it as its responsibility to give scholarships to enable you to pursue medical studies,” he said.
“This is a good opportunity for you and I to call upon young people to pursue medical studies and, God willing, become doctors and contribute back to society,” Johari said.
The emphasis now is on the medical field and not yet on engineering, various technologies, and also other fields, he said, adding that whatever income the government earned would be returned to the people especially the young ones.
“Therefore, what is required of them now is discipline to continue their efforts, and I have asked Yayasan Sarawak to identify new courses required to transform our economy, and in the midst of transforming our economy, we need new disciplines and new subjects for our young generation so as to move forward, and God willing by 2020, Sarawak will be a very developed state.
“That is our hope. Me and my colleagues in the cabinet will continue to assist the young especially students to work together to contribute towards the development of the State and country,” said the Chief Minister.
Of the 40 recipients of the scholarships, 11 were males and the rest were females.
