SIBU: The government has been urged to recognise Malaysian graduates majoring in dentistry from Taiwan universities or institutions.
Sarawak United People’s Party Dudong Branch chairman Cr Wong Ching Yong said the Federation of Taiwan University Alumni Association Malaysia (FAATUM) has appealed to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to register the graduates with the Malaysian Dental Council (MPM) immediately after they passed the examination in the Taiwan Examination Board.
He said, Taiwan dental graduates should not be marginalised because they would not be able to work or undergo training in government or private hospitals without recognition of their qualifications.
Meanwhile, the Dentistry Act 2018 which comes into force in 2023, will require all dental graduates to sit for the Malaysian Dental Qualification Test before training in Malaysia.
“While there are not many difficulties with the Act where all dental graduates will be given the same examination before undergoing training, the government should consider the position of current graduates until 2023,” he stressed.
Wong revealed that FAATUM had requested the government to consider extending the registration of affected dental graduates with MPM until the Professional Qualification Examination is implemented.
According to Wong, MOH on January 24 last year agreed that this criterion would only apply to Taiwanese graduates who register from 2016 to 2021 or until the Dental Act 2018 is implemented whichever comes first.
“Our request is that this latest criterion remain effective for Taiwanese graduates enrolling from 2016 to 2021 or until the 2018 Dental Act is fully implemented.
“The reason for this FAATUM proposal is that, if the implementation of the Act is delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, inevitably, Taiwanese graduates will not face the same difficulties they faced before.
“We believe that our proposal will give certainty to the future of dental students who are currently studying at seven universities or dental institutions in Taiwan,” he explained.
On December 16, 2019, a meeting was held between FAATUM, MPM and MOH to discuss Circular 2016 signed by the then Minister of Health.
It was required that dental graduates from Taiwanese institutions to sit for local examinations conducted only at the University of Science Malaysia (USM) even though they passed the Taiwan Examinations Board examination to enable them to practise in Malaysia.
The SUPP Education Bureau said that the consensus reached at the meeting was the abolition of Circular 2016 to allow every dental graduate from seven Taiwanese schools listed to register with the MPM immediately until 2021.
The seven universities include Taiwan University Medical School, National Defense Medical School, Yangming University Medical School, Taipei Medical University, Zhongshan Medical University and Kaohsiung Medical University.
Wong explained that in 1996, the seven Taiwanese dental schools were recognised under the Dental Act 1971.
He said that graduates from these universities or institutions could register with the MPM without preconditions and work in government hospitals.
