The sudden decision by the Malaysian Medical Council to withdraw recognition of Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) degrees had caught the Ukraine government by surprise.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said the Ukraine embassy was as much in the dark as the 1,000 Malaysians pursuing medicine in CSMU due to the "completely unexpected announcement" on June 16 - barely four years after the university has obtained MMC recognition.

Yesterday, a delegation of DAP members of parliament visited the Ukraine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for a meeting with ambassador Oleksandr D Shevchenko and counsellor Olexander Nechytaylo.

Lim was accompanied by Ipoh Barat MP M Kula Segaran, Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan.

According to Lim, one of the ambassador's priority since being posted here last year was to secure official recognition for the degrees of the remaining 10 universities in Ukraine.

He said former health director-general Dr Mohd Taha Arif had given Oleksandr a "distinct understanding that there would be positive responses" to such applications from 10 other medical universities during meetings and discussions last June.

Parliamentary secretary to the Higher Education Ministry Dr Adham Baba had also indicated the same late last year.

"I'm no advocate nor defender for CSMU. I only want to see that justice and fairness is done," said Lim.

Why no grace period?

Urging the MMC to suspend the de-recognition, Lim said a grace period should be granted pending CSMU's compliance with the stipulated prerequisites.

"Why was CSMU not given a grace period? The MMC visited it in mid-2003 but had never informed the administration about its dissatisfactions."

Lim also questioned the rationale for the de-recognition given the government's consistent endorsement of applications to CSMU via a no-objection letter issued by the Higher Education Ministry to secure admission.

"The endorsement has a minimum requirement of three principal Cs in the STPM or equivalent or a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for medicine and dentistry.

"The CSMU (claims to have) strictly complied with the cabinet decision in August 2003 on the standards of the no-objection letter for Malaysians pursuing medical courses.

"I understand that in most cases, Malaysians in CSMU are high-achievers with more than the required CGPA 3.0 before a no-objection letter is released by the ministry ... The MMC owes Malaysians a full explanation on this," he added.

The MMC could not be reached at press time.

According to Lim, the low cost of pursuing medicine in CSMU - Ukraine's oldest and leading medical university - has made it the single biggest university with the highest concentration of Malaysian medical students.

He said medical degrees in other countries cost 'a bomb' such as the estimated RM400,000 in Australia, RM500,000 in Canada, RM630,000 in the UK and RM700,000 in the US.

"It costs about RM250,000 to pursue medicine in local private universities whereas the cost at CSMU is RM100,000.

"The MMC has acted most irresponsibly in failing to take these important considerations into account when deciding on the de-recognition."

Ranked second

CSMU is a full medical university registered with the World Health Organisation with international students from 38 countries and ranked second out of 27 medical universities in Ukraine.

It has over 40 years of teaching experience and has seen the graduation of more than 25,000 doctors. It has 68 department or faculties, over 600 professors and 12 hospitals with 8,000 beds.

When introducing the emergency motion in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Lim said that out of the 1,100 Malaysians in CSMU, 300 were Malays, 240 Chinese, 470 Indians and 25 from other ethnic groups.

"But I have received latest information that shows a figure of 231 Malays, 220 Chinese, 581 Indians and 25 others."

Besides the government, students have also been sent to CSMU by the Malaysian Armed Forces, Mara, Selangor Foundation, Terengganu Foundation, MIC's education arm Malaysian Institute for Educational Development, MCA's education loan fund Kojadi and various banks.

However, the MMC said that existing medical students in CSMU will not be affected by the new ruling.

There is no recent information on the MMC website which was last updated in September 2000.

Double discrimination

Lim said he was told that many from Cuba, a country internationally-renowned for the best healthcare services, were also studying medicine in Ukraine.

He said Ukraine's inclusion in the European Union in 2008 would further expand the recognition of Ukrainian medical degrees.

While acknowledging that the MMC was right to refuse recognition of CSMU with patient safety in mind, he said it should have acted with more "fairness, transparency and flexibility" instead of being "high-handed, arbitrary and insensitive".

"It has only itself to blame for being accused by (MIC leader S Samy Vellu) of trying to stop Indians from becoming doctors."

Lim hoped that MCA, Gerakan and Umno ministers and MPs would take a common stand in cabinet and Parliament for CSMU to be granted a grace period to ensure that deserving Malaysians are not subjected to double discrimination and denied opportunities abroad.