Vet gap strains food safety
Day for heroes: (From left) DVS senior director Dr Aida Muhid, Badrul Hisham and Akma launching World Veterinary Day celebration at Wisma Tani in Putrajaya. —AZHAR MAHFOF/ The Star
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia requires at least 6,000 veterinarians to meet demand, says Prof Emeritus Datin Paduka Setia Datuk Dr Aini Ideris.
The Pro-Chancellor of IMU University said there is a need for more universities, including private institutions, to offer veterinary medicine courses.
'There are thousands of students who are interested, but there are insufficient placements available for them to study in the country.
'The gap between the current number of vets and the required ones is about 4,000.
'For example, Malaysia can produce an average of about 200 vets in a year from Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.
'Imagine how long it will take to fill the gap.
'It is also an expensive course because you need a hospital and state-of-the-art equipment. This is why public universities cannot expand more than their capacity,' she said when met here yesterday.
She added there was no shortage of potential veterinary medicine students as thousands apply for such programmes every year. But only a handful make the cut.
Dr Aini was speaking to reporters after receiving the Excellent Veterinary Award for Veterinary Education in conjunction with the World Veterinary Day celebration organised by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
In her opening remarks, DVS director-general Dr Akma Ngah Hamid said based on Veterinary Council of Malaysia data, there are 2,553 active veterinary practitioners in the country.
'The number of veterinarians is insufficient to cope with the demand for the various services related to this field.
'The rapid development in the livestock industry, the increase of veterinary clinics for pets and research, and the growing number of higher education institutions in the veterinary field have caused the demand for these services to surge.
'As such, the country still needs more experts in the veterinary field,' she said.
In his speech, Agriculture and Food Security Ministry deputy secretary-general (Development) Datuk Badrul Hisham Mohd said many people are unaware that the role of veterinarians goes beyond just caring for sick animals.
They also have a big responsibility to ensure food supplies are sufficient, clean, of good quality and safe for human consumption, he added.
'In the food supply chain, the veterinarians are the frontliners in ensuring food from farm to table is constantly monitored.
'At the DVS level, the team not only implements disease control, but they also carry out research and development and improve the livestock industry,' he said.
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