The Secretary-General of Health, Dato Seri Dr Chen Chaw Min, today witnessed the signing of MOU between the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya and St John Ambulance Malaysia with the Chang Gung Memorial Foundation, Taiwan in a historic international collaboration in medical care and research. Chang Gung Medical Foundation, a nonprofit organization, and the largest medical organization in Taiwan was represented by its President, Ms Diana Wang, steering committee Chairman, Prof Cherng Wen Jin and Kaohsiung CGMH Superintendent Prof Wang Chih Chi. The University of Malaya was represented by Prof Yong Zulina Zubauiri, Associate Vice Chancellor for International Affairs and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Dato Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman. St. John Ambulance Malaysia, an NGO founded in 1908, providing pre-hospital and first aid services was represented by Dato Lai See Ming, Commander in Chief.
“UM is looking forward to establishing a strong collaboration with Chang Gung Memorial Foundation and its ten specialist hospitals and Chang Gung Medical University in student and academic exchanges, specialist training and research. We hope to initiate joint seminars in areas of mutual interest such as Urology and Infectious Diseases”, said Prof Dato Dr Adeeba. Prof Cherng noted that CGMH has had 42 years of developing outstanding clinical care has the biggest medical facility in the country, serving one-tenth of Taiwanese patients every year. It is true that many medical/ surgical techniques developed at CGMH are first in the world and it holds patient rights in many of these cutting edge devices and techniques. CGMH has had the opportunity to learn from developed countries in the past, in return, CGMH feels that it is now in a position to share its experiences with other countries in order to improve healthcare quality and public health in communicable and non-communicable diseases management with its Malaysian counterparts. Prof Sue Huei Cheng also express willingness to share their integrated cloud information and hospital management system which is paired with a national medical database and National Health Insurance.
On behalf of the Chang Gung Medical Foundation, President Wang symbolically presented a mock diagram for 15 units of hemodialysis machines to St. John Ambulance Malaysia. Dato Lai See Ming, Commander in Chief of St John in accepting this donation said “St John Ambulance Malaysia is indeed extremely grateful to CGMH for this timely gift to replace its very old dialysis machines that will enable them to continue to serve the public”. Chang Gung Hospital and Orient EuroPharma, represented by Mr Jason Leu will co-donate a set of Argus II retinal prosthesis to the Faculty of Medicine, UM and will be involved in training UM eye and neurosurgeons in this delicate surgery that will be the first of its kind for Malaysia and lay the foundation that will benefit visually-challenged people in Malaysia in future. Prof Yong Zulina in her acceptance speech remarked that “ this will provide a chance to bring the light back to a visual-challenged patient in Malaysia, can you imagine the joy of the patient and family”. According to Dr Lee Toong Chow, the coordinator for this event: “This collaboration between academia, and non-profit organizations with CGMH will bring enormous benefit to the public. We are extremely grateful to Chang Gung Memorial Foundation for their generous contribution to Malaysia that has amounted to RM3 Million. Also present from Chang Gung are Dr Jacob Pang, Prof Liu Hui Ping, Dr Wu Yu Jen; from University Malaya are Dr Sheena Kaur, Prof Ong Teng Aik, Prof Tengku Ain Fathlun, Ms Rohaizan Ramli, Ms Zura Syazleena Hamizan, from Pantai KL is Ms Erica Lam and from St John is Dato Yeo Kim Thong.
