PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has recognised two medical schools in Shanghai, China under the Medical Act 1971, its minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said today.

The schools are Shanghai Jhiao Tong University School of Medicine and Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University.

Liow said the recognition was given after the accreditation panel found that the medical courses offered by the two schools were able to help meet the demands of medical services in Malaysia.

"With the recognition, medical graduates from the two universities need not to sit for medical qualification test in Malaysia. They can register directly at the Malaysian Medical Council and become medical practitioners.

"Besides, they will also have bigger chances of returning to the universities to pursue specialist courses in the future," he told a press conference here today.

At present, 375 institutions offering medical courses have received the recognition from the Malaysian Medical Council.

Meanwhile, Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Public Service Department (PSD) had also recognised the Bachelor's degree in traditional Chinese medicine issued by Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

"In line with the development in traditional and complementary medicines in Malaysia, the government will also offer two scholarships for students pursuing Master's degree in acupuncture anesthesia in surgery at the universities in China beginning this year," he added.

source:NST