KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — Universiti Malaya’s faculty of medicine has taken another step in international collaboration.

This time it is with Taiwan’s largest non-profit medical organisation Chang Gung Medical Foundation.

To mark the collaboration, Chang Gung Hospital and Orient EuroPharma will co-donate a set of Argus II retinal prosthesis to the faculty, and will be involved in training the university’s eye and neuro surgeons in a delicate surgery that will be the first of its kind in the country.

The initiative aims to lay the foundation that will benefit the visually-challenged in Malaysia in future.

UM Associate Vice Chancellor for International Affairs Professor Yong Zulina Zubairi said this would provide a chance to bring help visually-challenged patients in Malaysia.

The Chang Gung Medical Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding between University Malaya (UM) Faculty of Medicine and St John Ambulance Malaysia for an international collaboration in medical care and research valued at RM3 million.

Held at Le Meridien Putrajaya, the MoU was signed between Chang Gung Memorial Foundation (CGMF) President Diana Wang and Yong.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Chen Chaw Min.

Present at the ceremony were UM Medicine Faculty dean Prof Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, St John Ambulance Malaysia Commander-in-chief Datuk Lai See Ming, CGMF Steering Committee Chairman Prof Cherng Weng Jin, and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Superintendent Prof Wang Chih Chi.

Speaking at the event, Dr Adeeba said UM was looking forward to establishing a strong collaboration with CGMF and its 10 specialist hospitals and Cheng 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,” she added.

Prof Cherng said CGMH has had 42 years of developing outstanding clinical care and has the biggest medical facility in the country, serving one-tenth of Taiwanese patients every year.

"It is true that many medical and surgical techniques developed at CGMH are first in the world and it holds patient rights in many of these cutting-edge devices and techniques,” he added.

He said CGMH has had the opportunity to learn from developed countries in the past and, in return, 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. 

Wang also presented a mock diagram for 15 units of hemodialysis machines to Lai to be used at St John Ambulance Malaysia.

Founded in 1908, St John Ambulance Malaysia is a non-governmental organisation providing pre-hospital, first aid and humanitarian services in Malaysia and abroad.

"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,” said Lai.