Victorian Governor visits Clinical School

6 August 2008

The Governor of Victoria, Australia, Professor David de Kretser visited Monash University’s Clinical School and the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru on July 22.

The Clinical School, located on hospital grounds, provides teaching and practical training space for Year 3 – 5 medical students from the university’s Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine at the Sunway campus in Selangor.

Opened in February 2007, it currently has approximately 150 students and 40 full time and sessional staff members.

The Sultanah Aminah Hospital, meanwhile, is one of Malaysia’s oldest hospitals, providing tertiary care to a sizeable population from Johor Baru and surrounding areas.

During his visit to the hospital, Professor de Kretser also had the opportunity to meet with senior hospital administrators and tour its facilities. He also met with Monash staff and students based at the Clinical School.

Professor de Kretser was at the Sunway campus on Monday to officiate its 10^th Anniversary Celebration. Medical students at Monash University will spend their first two years at the Sunway campus before proceeding to the Clinical School to learn and train to become medical professionals.

Head of the Clinical School, Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Kadir said the visit provided the Governor, a former Monash academic staff in medicine, an opportunity to view first-hand the Monash University facilities in Johor.

He also spoke about the expansion plans for the Clinical School in order to facilitate the rising number of students each year. - Jasbir Singh