PERDANA University Graduate School of Medicine (PUGSOM) is the first institution in Malaysia to offer the four-year doctorate of medicine degree modelled entirely after the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM).

JHUSOM is widely considered a leader in medical education.

“There has been a proliferation of this American model in Britain and Australia, which traditionally follow the six-year British system,” said PUGSOM dean and chief executive officer Prof Charles Wiener (pic).

He explained that the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School programme in Singapore was the first in South-East Asia to adopt the model.

Launched in 2011, the programme currently has two classes with 55 students and will have its third intake this September.

Half of the 14 full-time faculty staff are seconded from JHUSOM thus giving students the chance to be taught by renowned JHUSOM faculty members.

Other advantages of the programme are rooted in its American curriculum, said Prof Wiener, which accepts students only after they have completed a separate undergraduate degree.

“Because students enter medical school as older and more mature individuals, they are more committed to a career in medicine and are more likely to have made the decision themselves.

“Students also come in with a diverse set of experiences, many with Masters degrees and with time spent living and studying abroad.”

Prof Wiener also discussed bringing US-style specialty training to Malaysia whereby physicians can immediately specialise in a chosen field upon leaving medical school.

Currently, Malaysian physicians must undergo two years of housemanship training and another two years of compulsory service before contemplating any specialisations.

As a result of this system, Prof Wiener explained that there is an undersupply of specialists in the country, especially in the areas of family medicine, general medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and even sub-specialists in oncology and infectious diseases.

In line with this issue, PUGSOM is building the Perdana University Hospital that is slated for completion in 2015.

The hospital will be a centre for clinical research and education, working in affiliation with JHUSOM, with the aim of providing a viable alternative model for graduate medical education in Malaysia.

“The starting point is to focus on what the health demographic of the country will look like in 10 to 20 years,” said Prof Wiener.

He added that Malaysia was no longer a rural population but one that is undergoing rapid urbanisation with an ageing Westernised population that is fast developing complex diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“This is what the medical education and healthcare systems should be preparing for. If we anticipate the health needs of the people, then we can provide them with the best healthcare.” — BY LUWITA HANA RANDHAWA

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