KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 – The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Monash University Australia, in its pursuit to encourage a capacity building programme for embryologists in Malaysia.
Malaysia, known as the fertility hub of Asia, boasts approximately 62 fertility centres to date, in meeting the growing demands for fertility treatments from local and international patients.
In meeting these fertility treatment needs, we are faced with the challenge of having a limited number of certified embryologists in Malaysia. This is associated mainly due to the unavailability of formal development programmes for fertility services.
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, now brings hope by offering Malaysian embryologists the opportunity to undertake the Master of Clinical Embryology as an off-campus student programme. This bilateral international partnership between both parties allows MHTC to facilitate the industry by continuously promoting this course programme.
The aim of this collaboration is to:
- Increase the volume of world-class certified embryologists in Malaysia.
- Build a formal embryologist training programme in Malaysia.
- Improve the quality of patient care provided in Malaysia and the region.
- Develop and advance fertility services in Malaysia and within the Asia-Pacific region.
- Position Malaysia as an educational hub for fertility treatment within the Asia-Pacific region.
Prof Christina Mitchell, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University, which offers the Education Programme in Reproduction and Development (EPRD), has confirmed that Monash University will be the official training partner for Malaysia’s fertility industry, and will, in the future, provide on-campus teaching facilities locally through Monash University Malaysia.
“We are pleased to work in collaboration with MHTC, the government agency that globally promotes Malaysia’s health care travel industry. With Malaysia’s renowned reputation in providing top-notch fertility treatments, we trust that this embryologist capacity building programme will further uphold Malaysia’s medical and service excellence and continue opening more doors for patients seeking fertility treatments in Malaysia,” said Prof Mitchell.
“Having navigated the pandemic over the past 20 months, we recognise how crucial it is to maintain and build new partnerships which continually uphold medical excellence, patient safety, and experience standards. We are delighted to establish this partnership with Monash Universitu in our endeavour to have more embryologists trained right here in Malaysia,”said Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, chief executive officer of MHTC.
“Malaysia is recognised as the preferred destination for health care travellers, particularly since the country has been positioned regionally as the fertility hub of Asia, having experienced a 300 per cent increase in demand for fertility treatments between 2011 to 2016,” he added.
For more information on the embryologist programme, visit Monash University’s website. More information about MHTC can be found here.
