A Malay saying declares that a house is sturdy on account of its beams. Â So too, the strength of UKM flows from its continued relevance to society. Â It is in pursuit of this relevance that UKM collaborates with other institutions for the advancement of the health of the populace. Â The latest initiative is the partnership that the UKM Medical Centre (UKMMC) has forged with the South Korean-based Samsung Sono School.
At the Opening Ceremony of the UKMMC-Samsung Sono School and Exchange of Memorandum of Agreement on November 17, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Noor Azlan Ghazali, proclaimed that the School was the product of the strategic alliance between UKKMC and Samsung. Â The partnership will also involve Samsung donating five sets of ultrasound equipment to the UKMMC. These equipment represent the most advanced ultrasound technology in the region. Additionally, Samsung will develop the necessary training infrastructure to produce world-class clinical expertise in sonography and medical imaging.
The Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, who is UKM Chancellor and Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Aishah Rohani Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud graced the ceremony.
In his speech, Prof Noor Azlan added that the UKMMC-Samsung Sono School will produce expertise in sonography to fulfil the needs of medical institutions and society in Malaysia. Â The school is housed at the Advanced Surgical Skills Centre (ASSC) of UKMMC which was set up to meet the demand for high-tech sub-specialty expertise.
“So, this cooperation is very welcomed as it will provide a teaching centre that uses the latest ultrasound technology in the region,” Prof. Noor Azlan said.  “With this Sono School, the ASSC will now be equipped to conduct workshops in sonography and develop skills using ultrasound equipment of high specification.”
Prof. Noor Azlan expressed the hope that this cooperation will spur the ASSC to forge further collaboration with other parties so that it can assume a leading role in advancing surgical skills the Asian region. The ASSC is well positioned to do so given that it is held in high esteem locally and abroad, including by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. As a further testament to ASSC’s potential to be a world-beater in advanced surgical skills, Prof. Noor Azlan proudly declared, “The [Royal] College has bestowed the International Medal Award to Associate Prof. Dr. Hanafiah Harunarashid, the head of ASSC. Assoc. Prof. Hanafiah is the first Malaysian to receive the award and is the youngest recipient in the 500-year history of the Royal College of Surgeons.”
In his opening remarks, the Corporate Affairs Director of Samsung Malaysia Electronics, Dato’ Roh Jae Yeol praised the establishment of the UKMMC-Samsung Sono School as it will meet the ever-increasing demand for skills in sonography.  The location of this School at the ASSC is ideal as the latter is a hub for surgical-skills training. He also expressed Samsung’s gratitude at being able to partner with UKM as it allowed Samsung to realise its purpose of enriching people’s lives through the development of advanced medical technology. The UKMMC-Samsung Sono School is a testament to Samsung’s corporate responsibility.
The collaboration forged between UKM and Samsung attests to Charles Darwin’s assertion that, “It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” UKM salutes Samsung for this noble partnership and assures Samsung in the words of Napoleon Hill that, “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”
