USM PENANG, 6 October 2022 – The Special Panel which has looked into the allegation of misconduct regarding the offering and assessment of examinations for the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme that was chaired by Emeritus Professor Dato' Dr. Raymond Azman Ali from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) has concluded that the allegation is baseless and without any validity.

The Special Panel was set up by USM in July 2022 with members comprising of five specialists in various medical disciplines representing the public universities, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), Academy of Medicine Malaysia and private bodies, following the allegation published in an online news portal on 31 May 2022 and in an online complaint made through e-Aduan at the USM School of Medical Sciences, which cited unfairness and a lack of transparency in the process of offering and conducting assessment of the abovementioned programme.

The Special Panel has conducted a comprehensive inquiry into various aspects in relation to the allegation, with regard to the overall offering of the programme, the examination process, academic staff concerned, seeking out witnesses who can testify and verify any relevant information relating to this issue.

The Special Panel conducted the inquiry process in August 2022, in listing down the necessary documents to be compiled and scrutinised, which was then followed by a visit to the USM School of Medical Sciences on September 2022 to view all the documents and to hold a meeting with the management, such as the Dean, Programme Chairperson, students and alumni members.

Members of the Special Panel also conducted a visit to the Institute of Postgraduate Studies and the Examination Vault. The Panel members were given a briefing on the operational procedures in detail by the officer who is assigned to administer the examination process.

The Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme was introduced at the School of Medical Sciences in 2001. Currently, only USM is offering this programme. It is reported that Universiti Malaya will be following in the footsteps in December 2022 and will establish a Joint Council for the Neurosurgery programme. This programme is a 4-year study programme.

To date, 109 students have successfully completed their studies in the Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme at USM; 55% of the neurosurgeons in Malaysia come from USM.

Only one candidate has failed in the programme in 2018, while 3 candidates withdrew, respectively in Year One in 2002, 2004 and 2019 due to personal problems.

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 with regard to 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 the implementation of 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, this Special Panel would like to conclude that the allegation made on the Master of Surgery (Neurosurgery) programme at USM is utterly baseless.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin