GEORGE TOWN: The special panel, tasked to look into allegation of misconduct in the offering and assessment of examinations for Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)'s Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme, has concluded that the accusation was baseless.
The special panel, chaired by Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Raymond Azman Ali from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), was set up by USM in July following an allegation published in an online news portal on May 31 and in an online complaint made through e-Aduan at the USM School of Medical Sciences.
The allegation cited unfairness and a lack of transparencies in offering and conducting assessment of the abovementioned programme.
Members of the special panel comprised five specialists in various medical disciplines representing the public universities, Health Ministry, Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), Academy of Medicine Malaysia and private bodies
USM, in a statement, said the special panel had conducted a comprehensive inquiry into various aspects in relation to the allegation, regarding the overall offering of the programme, the examination process, academic staff concerned, seeking witnesses who could testify and verify any relevant information relating to this issue.
It said the special panel conducted the inquiry process in August, in listing down the documents to be compiled and scrutinised.
This was then followed by a visit to the USM School of Medical Sciences last month to view all the documents and to hold a meeting with the management, such as the dean, programme chairperson, students and alumni members.
It added that members of the special panel also conducted a visit to the Institute of Postgraduate Studies and the Examination Vault.
The members were given a briefing on the operational procedures by the officer, assigned to administer the examination process.
"The special panel has ascertained that this programme is a postgraduate training programme that is well-rounded in scope and content, fulfilling professional standards, well-implemented in terms of the programme itself or regarding the management and confidentiality of the examination scripts and clinical cases.
"The special panel has also established that the number of qualified academic staff and professional trainers meets the requirement in implementing this programme, and they are well-assisted by the support staff.
"The clinical facilities and practical training that support this programme are more than adequate, in terms of quantity and quality, and the evaluation system is good; clearly, a good student will pass and a weak student will fail in the examination.
"Therefore, the special panel would like to conclude that the allegation made on the Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme at USM is utterly baseless," it said.
USM said the Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme was introduced at the School of Medical Sciences in 2001.
Currently, only USM is offering this programme.
It was reported that Universiti Malaya would also follow in USM's footsteps and would establish a Joint Council for the Neurosurgery programme in December 2022
This programme is for a four-year study programme.
"To date, 109 students have successfully completed their studies in the Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme at USM — 55 per cent of the neurosurgeons in Malaysia come from USM.
"Only one candidate has failed in the programme in 2018, while three candidates withdrew, respectively in Year One in 2002, 2004 and 2019 because of personal problems," it added.
