Setiausaha Bandaraya or Deputy Mayor of IPOH Malaysia, Tuan Haji Ahmad Munir Bin Ishak, and his delegation visited Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) on Thursday (17/10) at the UMSU Auditorium on Jalan Muchtar Basri No.3 Medan.
This visit aims to establish friendships and strengthen the cooperation between UMSU and IPOH, which has been built since 2021 through the collaboration of UMSU FM and Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI) Radio international radio broadcasts. Tuan Haji Ahmad Munir expressed his delight at the warm welcome from UMSU. ‘We are very grateful to the Rector of UMSU and the staff who have kindly welcomed us. We will always remember this festive welcome. We hope this visit can strengthen the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia between UMSU and Ipoh,’ he said.
During the meeting, Tuan Haji Ahmad Munir emphasized the importance of closer cooperation in the future, especially in the fields of education and health. He also explained that Ipoh is the third largest city in Malaysia, with a population of around 850,000 people, and is famous for its diversity of Malay, Chinese, and Indian food flavors.
‘We hope to realize close cooperation between UMSU and Ipoh, especially in the field of education and sharing other opportunities. This cooperation will benefit both parties and the wider community,’ he said.
The Deputy Mayor of Ipoh hopes that UMSU can visit his residence and further discuss cooperation in the future. Previously, UMSU Rector Prof. Dr Agussani, MAP, expressed his pride and respect for this visit in his remarks. ‘UMSU is proud to be attended by honored guests from IPOH Malaysia.
This relationship has been established since 2021 and is part of our commitment to building international activities. We are happy if this relationship continues to be strengthened in the future,’ he said.
Prof Agussani also added that the Faculty of Medicine (FK) UMSU has been accredited as Excellent and is working to obtain recognition from the Malaysian Government. ‘We hope that diplomas from UMSU, especially the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, and Faculty of Engineering, will soon get recognition from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC),’ he added. Currently, all diplomas from UMSU except the three faculties have been recognized by MQA.
Prof Agussani also said that UMSU has its own hospital to support the practice of Faculty of Medicine students and has sent 30 students to study at the Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI). In addition, UMSU has a solid international cooperation network, especially with various institutions in Malaysia.
‘We really hope this collaboration can be outlined in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). Then, it is implemented in cooperation programs. We can learn many things from IPOH,’ continued Prof Agussani.
The visit was filled with discussions on potential collaboration between UMSU and Hospital Seri Botani (HSB) in Ipoh, presented by Dr Tham May Wan and Puan Yeun Yin Fong.
‘Medan and Ipoh are very close, and there are many similarities. This cooperation is not only limited to medicine but also many other opportunities that can be explored,’ said Yeun Yin Fong. Seri Botani Hospital also invited UMSU to IPOH for further cooperation.
The visit was followed by a review of the Deputy Mayor of IPOH to various spaces at UMSU such as PUSKIIBI, Studio UMSU to UMSU Radio.
This visit is expected to be a good start to expand strategic cooperation between UMSU and IPOH, especially in education, health, and other international cooperation opportunities.
Also present during this visit were Ahli-Ahli Majlis Bandaraya IPOH, Councilor Encik Faidz Bin Ismail, Councilor Encik Basri Bin Mohamad Nor and staff, Seri Botani Hospital and MBI Studio Pincer, UMSU Daily Board of Trustees (BPH), Tuan Guru Besilam Langkat Sheikh Dr H Zikmal Fuad MA. Also present were the Chairman of PWI North Sumatra H. Farianda Putra Sinik and Secretary, Sahat Hamonangan Panggabean; Chairman of KPID North Sumatra, Anggia Ramadhan, SE, MSi; Head of Bureau Detik North Sumatra Baringin Parlindungan Lumban Gaol and, Chairman of the Indonesian Cyber Media Network (JMSI) North Sumatra Rianto Aghly, S.H and religious and community leaders.
