Milestone MoU on TCM signed

"The signing of this memorandum of understanding (MoU) is an important milestone for UTAR," said Ir Prof Academician Dato' Dr Chuah Hean Teik, President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), at a signing ceremony of an MoU between UTAR and Peking Tongrentang (M) Sdn Bhd on 22 March 2013.

The MoU was signed in Hai-O Group office in Kuala Lumpur.  Signing on behalf of the parties were Prof Chuah and Tongrentang Deputy Chairman Tan Kai Hee, while UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Deputy Dean Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat and Tongrentang Deputy General Manager Gao Jinqing signed as witnesses.  Also present at the ceremony to witness the signing was Deputy Higher Education Minister Dato' Dr Hou Kok Chung.

Under the MoU, UTAR and Tongrentang would collaborate on several initiatives to widen the influence of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among Malaysians.  Tongrentang would facilitate UTAR TCM students for practical clinical session and internship by providing training locations. The two parties would carry out academic development including mutual visits by faculty members to pursue research, teaching, and to participate in seminars, conferences, workshops, and others. 

"The collaboration of both parties will facilitate further exchanges of theoretical and practise aspects of tradition medicines of Malaysia and China," said Tan, as Tongrentang has its headquarters in Beijing, China.

Dato' Hou said that the TCM programmes had been officially accepted as university programmes in Malaysia for the past five years, and added, "This is a major breakthrough for the development of TCM as a whole."

Exchanging MoU documents (from left):  Gao, Tan, Dato' Dr Hou, Prof Chuah and Dr Ong

After the signing