The Penang Medical College was founded as a private medical school in 1996, in response to concerns over the relocation of Universiti Sains Malaysia's medical faculty to Kelantan; it was felt that the State of Penang should also have its own medical school. Geoffrey Geh Sim Wah, a surgeon by profession who had been trained at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, approached his alma mater to gauge the latter's interest in setting up a branch campus in Penang. The Penang Development Corporation, the economic development agency of the State of Penang, at that time was also interested in setting up a medical college. It had earlier negotiated with Monash University, Australia to set one up. The negotiations with Monash failed over prospects of obtaining recognition for students graduating in Malaysia to be recognised as doctors in Australia. Mr. Geh then teamed up with the PDC to negotiate with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. RCSI then bought in University College Dublin as a founding member. PMC was subsequently established with equal ownership held by PDC, RCSI, UCD and Geh Sim Wah Sdn. Bhd.. The first intake consisted of 14 students, all of whom were sent to Dublin, Ireland for medical training. In 2012, the PMC became fully owned by both the RCSI and the UCD when the PDC and Geh Sim Wah Sdn. Bhd. disposed their stakes in the college. PMC was accorded University status in 2018 by Malaysia's Ministry of Higher Education. With the upgrade in status, the institution was renamed as RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus.
Aside from these courses, other examinations organised by the RCSI Surgical Training Office are also conducted at RUMC, as per listed below:
MRCS – The RCSI Membership Examination is an intercollegiate exam consisting of two parts: MRCS Part A and MRCS Part B. The Intercollegiate MRCS Examinations are held at RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus several times a year, with Part A held worldwide simultaneously.
FRCS – RCSI collaborated with sister Royal Colleges to offer the Joint Surgical Colleges’ Fellowship Examination in response to the growing need for an international examination that marks an endpoint of surgical training for doctors and certifies their capacity to act as independent practitioners.
BSSC – The Intercollegiate Basic Surgical Skills Course is usually held 2-4 times a year at RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus and at other venues around the country. Certification and quality assurance is by RCSI.
Affiliations
RUMC is fully owned by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the University College Dublin. In addition, graduates of the RUMC are conferred degrees awarded and recognised by the National University of Ireland.
