KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) has welcomed 70 new members into its ranks during the inaugural diploma ceremony held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.
Traditionally held in Edinburgh, Scotland, the ceremony saw 70 diplomates from Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, Brunei, India, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Pakistan receiving their scrolls.
RCSEd president Professor Michael Griffin said the college's very first diploma ceremony held in Malaysia provides accreditation from one of the oldest, most prestigious and respected surgical bodies.
"The college is recognised all over the world for its assessment by examination. We have continued to develop alongside the community it serves which now extends across the United Kingdom (UK) and throughout the world.
"Some of the exams today are a result of collaboration between the four surgical colleges in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and we are deeply proud of the quality assurance we have in our assessment process.
"You, and most importantly your patients, can be assured you have succeeded in the most rigorous assessment and are well trained and knowledgeable in your craft as a surgeon," he said in his speech during the ceremony.
Griffin said RCSEd has had a long association with Malaysia.
"The College was invited in 2014 to assist in the development of a curriculum aligned National Training Programme in Cardiothoracic Surgery, to produce surgeons who could be benchmarked against the highest international standards.
"This programme has been in progress for the past six years, and the first batch of trainees take their exit exam next month with the potential to become Fellows of RCSEd.
"The College envisages that this model will be used for other key specialities in Malaysia and other countries."
RCSEd has a membership of 30,000 from over 100 countries worldwide and more than 1,000 in Malaysia.