Page 63 - Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

The University of 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 University of 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 University of Malaya was
st
established on 1 January 1962. The student population at that time was about 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 University of 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 University of 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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