Sunway Medical Centre is the First Private Hospital in Malaysia to Host MRCP(UK) Paces Exam to Doctors
The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom has approved Sunway Medical Centre as a recognised PACES (Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills) examination centre for medical officers who want to specialise in General Medicine and become General Physicians, making it the first private hospital in Malaysia to host the exam. PACES is designed to test the clinical knowledge and skills of trainee doctors as part of the MRCP(UK) examinations.
Sunway Medical Centre, a 617-bedded private tertiary hospital now offers this internationally recognised examination that is designed to test the clinical knowledge and skills of trainee doctors. The exam sets rigorous standards to ensure that trainees are competent across a range of clinical skills and ready to provide a high standard of care to patients.
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This follows the successful running of a PACES preparatory course and mock PACES exam delivered by Sunway Medical Centre at the end of 2019, which saw 15 candidates from all over Malaysia and Singapore.
“As part of our strong collaboration with the Royal College of Physicians since 2019, we were delighted that physicians from the UK joined our doctors from Sunway Medical Centre who are also PACES examiners during the 2019 mock exam,” said Mr Lau Beng Long, Managing Director, Sunway Healthcare Group.
As a leading tertiary hospital with more than 60 specialities, coupled with multiple Sunway Medical Centre’s consultants who are experienced PACES examiners in Malaysia, the hospital was recently appointed as a certified examination site in 2021.
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Dato Dr ST Kew, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at Sunway Medical Centre added, “PACES is accepted worldwide as a benchmark assessment of medical knowledge and clinical skills in internal medicine. After a highly successful mock examination in 2019, in collaboration with the RCP and Cambridge University, we are pleased that the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK has taken this positive decision to accredit Sunway Medical Centre as PACES exam centre for its clinical examination”. Dato Dr Kew is also the Chair, MRCP (UK) PACES Examination Coordinating Committee, Malaysia.
Mr Lau also noted that improving the quality of health professional education is one of Sunway Healthcare Group’s (SHG) priorities. “Our aim is to improve the quality of healthcare in this country and the region. This appointment is a validation of the capabilities we have developed here as well as a testament to the quality of services we offer.”
PACES involves senior physicians in real patient situations evaluating trainee doctors’ abilities in diagnosis, treatment and management of patients. 10 candidates were assessed and evaluated during this PACES examination which took place on 14 November 2021 at Sunway Medical Centre (Sunway City), the flagship hospital of SHG.
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Dr Ang Kong Hui, Chief Operating Officer of the Clinical Research and Medical Education division of SHG noted, “PACES requires extensive coordination to recruit patients for the practical exam, which we were appreciative of the doctors’ support in finding suitable patients from our two hospitals.”
“The examination was conducted under strict vigilance as per the guidelines laid down by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK. There were five stations through which the candidates had to go through where they were assessed for clinical skills, history taking and communication. Due to the pandemic, an exception was made where only local examiners formed the evaluating team,” added Dr Ang.
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Sunway Medical Centre has 5 experienced specialist doctors as certified MRCP PACES examiners for Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, United Kingdom, namely:
- Dr Alexander Tan, Consultant Endocrinologist
- Dr Amir Azlan Zain, Consultant Rheumatologist
- Dato’ Dr Chang Kian Meng, Consultant Haematologist
- Dr Cheah Chee Ken, Consultant Rheumatologist
- Dato’ Dr Kew S T, Consultant Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist
“Postgraduate medical training must take a holistic approach, to include teaching, supervision and assessment in a comprehensive curriculum. Our MRCP(UK) examinations, including PACES, are respected worldwide as benchmarks of medical knowledge and clinical skills. We are delighted that Sunway Medical Centre is spearheading initiatives to enhance the education and training of healthcare professionals. We look forward to continuing and growing our partnership with Sunway,” said Dr Mumtaz Patel, RCP Global Vice President.
With the aim to shape the future of healthcare, SHG has embarked on strategic collaborations in the domain of medicine, clinical research, and medical education with world-class institutions such as University of Cambridge, Royal College of Physicians, Royal Papworth Hospital and Harvard Medical School for continuous development of healthcare professionals.
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