Amidst recent reports on questionable education standards and the oversupply of medical graduates, Malaysian Medics International (MMI), a non-profit organisation run by medical students, aims to promote knowledge-sharing and facilitate dialogue on key issues pertaining to Malaysian healthcare through the Malaysian Medical Students’ Summit (MMSS) 2016.

Touted to be Malaysia’s largest annual international summit for medical undergraduates, MMSS 2016 is expected to draw over 1,000 delegates from both local and overseas universities. The Summit held at SEGi University is kindly sponsored by SEGi, Sunway Medical Centre, and Elsevier South-East Asia.

“MMSS 2016 is a strategic and timely event where current healthcare issues can be deliberated upon. Issues such as inadequate housemanship jobs in government hospitals and poor training at medical schools, threaten to undermine the future of Malaysian healthcare whilst eroding the public’s confidence on healthcare standards, if remain unresolved.

“MMSS seeks to promote understanding and urgent affirmative actions, whilst serving as a platform to gather medical students and key figures from the Malaysian healthcare sector under one roof for networking opportunities.” says Vikkineshwaran Siva Subramaniam, the chief convener and chairperson of MMI.

Themed ‘Future of Malaysian Medicine’, the summit not only endeavours to address the causes of high dropout rates of doctors from the medical profession such as lack of postgraduate opportunities, unsatisfactory financial remuneration, mismatched expectations and lack of career counselling platforms, but also aspires to bring about a solution.

“We have invited a vast array of doctors and healthcare experts from the local, international, public and private settings. Access to these credible sources of information will be beneficial for medical students, house officers, medical officers and pre-medical students alike, allowing better preparation in facing upcoming challenges.” says Vikkineshwaran.

The summit offers a mix of plenary lectures, symposiums, workshops and competitions covering a broad range of topics such as the reformation of the Malaysian healthcare system, healthcare economics and innovation, humanitarian aid, specialising opportunities, women in medicine, research, first aid, model MOH, and many more.

Leading speakers expected at the summit include YBhg Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (director-general of Health), YBhg Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai (deputy director-general of Health), Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus (president of Mercy Malaysia) and Prof Dr Syed Al-Junid (founding president of the Malaysian Health Economic Association and Professor of Public Health Medicine and Health Economic).

Options after graduation

One of the main highlights of the summit is the career exhibition, allowing preliminary job-matching between prospective graduates and various medical organisations. The rationale for this is explained by Vikkineshwaran, “There is a lack of career counselling in Malaysia despite the necessity for it.

“This may be part of the reason why doctors do not have a clear idea of their options after graduation and end up entering the workforce with vague ideas about the realities of life as a doctor and the culture shock. We hope that the career exhibition will allow, medical students to directly interact with the local specialists and be better prepared”.

The career exhibition is organised in collaboration with members from the Academy of Medicine, Malaysia and its various colleges (College of Pediatrics, Surgeons, Ophthalmology etc), and also doctors involved in the local Masters Training Program in Malaysia.

Representatives from more than 15 specialisations will be present during the career exhibition. These include Paediatrics, Dermatology, Urology, Surgery, Forensics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Clinical Research and Academics.

MMSS 2016 will be held on July 23 and 24, 2016 at SEGi University with a participation fee of RM130 per person. Earlybird registration is available at RM100 per person only with limited slots available. For further details about the summit and registration, please visit MMSS 2016 website or Facebook or e-mail [email protected].

MALAYSIAN MEDICS INTERNATIONAL (MMI) is a student-led organisation established in 2013, is dedicated to creating a professional and conducive environment for Malaysian medical students to network, keep themselves updated on healthcare issues, and develop skills essential for their career. The organisation also provides information and advice to prospective students wishing to pursue a medical degree in other countries such as the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.malaysianmedics.org