THE business side of medicine has various moral, ethical and legal aspects that require it to be managed differently from other business sectors.

As such, medical business administration is a specialised skill that involves familiarity with unique issues governing medicine and healthcare.

“In hospital administration, for example, medical tourism is having a positive effect in the revenues of private hospitals. Malaysian private hospital services are popular with people from Indonesia and the Philippines.

“However, hospital managers need to be keenly aware of laws and industry practises when promoting medical services as tourism products,” said Asia Metropolitan University (AMU) deputy chief executive officer Datuk Jayles Yeoh.

AMU is one of the few universities globally that confers a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Business Administration with intense specialisation in medical business.

“Commonly, business adminis-tration degrees are classified as an arts or commerce field. AMU’s conferment, however, is a health sciences lore and the degree holders will be specialists in managing medical businesses.”

Yeoh said the degree was uniquely developed by AMU to encompass all relevant business skills and management principles, while at the same time providing students with practical training in business, healthcare and hospitality organisations.

“Every area of business studied in this degree programme, such as marketing and human resources management, is specific to hospital administration and healthcare management.

“Undergraduates pursuing this degree will also undergo practical training in the field of hospitality and tourism management,” he added.

He also said that AMU’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration was ideal for those holding diplomas in health sciences.

“Those with a diploma in Nursing, for example, can upgrade themselves with this degree without abandoning the medical knowledge that they have acquired at the diploma level.”

Yeoh pointed out that this degree programme was into its third year and the first batch of 60 undergraduates would graduate this year, adding that they were now having a third intake.

AMU is no newcomer to the field of medical education. Incorporated in 1997 and formerly known as Masterskills College of Health Science, it has been providing nursing and allied health educa-tion ever since.

It is also one of the first Malay-sian universities to confer the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), with a lecturer to student ratio of 1:4.

AMU will share more details on its courses at The Star Education Fair 2014 at sPICE in Relau.

source:the star