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The Universiti Malaya was established on 8 October 1949 as a national institution to serve the higher
educational needs of the Federation of Malaya and of Singapore. In 1960, the Government of the
Federation of Malaya indicated that the Kuala Lumpur Division of the Universiti Malaya should
become the national University in the Federation with effect from the beginning session 1962/63.
Likewise, the Singapore Division should become the national University of Singapore. Steps to achieve
the establishment of these two separate universities were finalized during the year 1961 and the
Universiti Malaya was established on 1 January 1962. The student population at that time was about
st
330. Since then, the University has grown and developed rapidly. Today, the student population has
grown to almost 30,000.

Establishment of the Faculty of Medicine at the Universiti Malaya

Up to the 1950’s, the Faculty of Medicine, University of Singapore, which was known previously as
King Edward VII College of Medicine had been the only medical school in Malaya and Singapore. The
output of doctors at that time was small: 60 per year. Many Malaysians had to go overseas to seek
undergraduate medical education. It was not until 1960 that a determined effort was made to double
the intake of students to 120 per year in Singapore. In 1960, a board of studies of the Universiti Malaya
was appointed to study the feasibility of establishing a medical school with its own teaching hospital.
The board recommended the early establishment of both.

To this end, the Government agreed and the Ministries of Education and of Health provided the
necessary capital funds. In 1962, a Dean for the Faculty of Medicine was appointed.

FIRST BATCH- 1969

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