The end of 2020 saw the inaugural cohort of 12 medical doctors completing their training in the Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care for the Elderly (PGDPCE) programme, under the Department of Medical Sciences at the School of Medical and Life Sciences. These were medical officers and general practitioners from across Malaysia where they started their training in January 2020. Due to the extended Movement Control Order lockdown in Malaysia, their graduation ceremony was delayed until December 2021.

The doctors were:
1. Dr Cheng Maong Hui
2. Dr Chung Wai Mun
3. Dr Gan Jia Ching
4. Dr Ho Willee
5. Dr Khoo Vi Vien
6. Dr Nabeela Saadah binti Shafwan Badrie
7. Dr Nagammai A/P Thiagarajan,
8. Dr Lawrence Ng
9. Dr Nor Faizah binti Ghazali
10. Dr Ooi Q-Lun
11. Dr Tan Wan Chuan
12. Dr Wong Ping Foo

Among the graduates, Dr Nagammai Thiagarajan was awarded the Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Jeffrey Cheah Scholastic Award during the graduation ceremony. She went on to develop ground-breaking initiatives to address falls in the elderly by developing a falls clinic.

With the growth of the ageing population in mind, this postgraduate diploma programme was developed in collaboration with the Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine (MSGM) to address the current needs of doctors. It was designed to provide medical practitioners with advanced knowledge and competencies in geriatrics, which is a specialization within medicine that focuses on the health care of elderly people.

Led by Head of Department and Program Leader, Professor Datin Dr Chia Yook Chin, the one-year full time programme consists of seven core modules and one elective, with each module running for six weeks at a time. These modules include weekly live streams, three days of clinical attachments every six weeks and weekend workshops every three months for face-to-face learning. The nine lecturers for the programme were experts in geriatrics and members of the MSGM. Eight consultant geriatricians served as clinical trainers at geriatrics attachment centres all over the country.

Graduate of the programme, Dr Lawrence Ng, a Medical Officer at Klinik Kesihatan Taman Universiti, Johor Bahru, commented that the programme was very timely and needed because geriatric medicine was hardly a topic during his basic medical training. “I am now more confident in examining and treating elderly patients. Our trainers were very dedicated geriatricians from around the country. We had maximum learning from weekly online classes and hospital attachments, all for a very reasonable fee!” said Dr Ng.

Dr Ho Willee, who is a general practitioner in Tangkak, Johor expressed his great satisfaction with the programme. He said that it was very impactful for him to realise the condition of current geriatric practice in Malaysia compared to more advanced countries. Dr Ho added, “Geriatric medicine is very important because of the increasing ageing population but yet is commonly neglected with more emphasis given to the health of younger populations. This programme provides comprehensive modules on elderly care and management by very experienced geriatricians”.

Professor Chia expressed her joy and pride in the success of her first batch of graduates, “I am happy that this programme took off and produced medical practitioners who are more adept at dealing with geriatric issues. I am very grateful to all the instructors who took time off their very demanding schedules to contribute to upskilling medical officers!” She added, “We focus on empowering more medical practitioners to have a caring, systemic and holistic approach in managing the health of their older patients, especially now during the COVID-10 pandemic.”

The School of Medical and Life Sciences congratulates the new graduates of the PGDPCE programme and wishes them all the best in their endeavours towards better healthcare for the ageing population. It is also hoped that this programme continues to produce competent medical practitioners in geriatric medicine to ensure there is adequate health care for the ageing population.

Professor Alvin Ng Lai Oon 
School of Medical and Life Sciences
Email: @email