UTM - Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Application of engineering techniques in bio-medical sciences is gradually expanding. Today, with the ever increasing complexity of medical technology, there is a growing demand for technical professionals that could inter-relate the fields of bio-medical and engineering. Personnel that are capable of understanding a medical problem in terms of engineering sciences will be able to solve problems that are of interest to engineers and medical practitioners. This new field of Bio-Medical Engineering has made significant contributions in the technological advancement in the field of medicine, such as the creation and production of artificial human parts, communication aids and assisstive tools for the handicapped, new diagnostic and therapeutic tools that lead to new medical procedures, etc. The use of equipment and devices in modern medicine is so prevalent that we cannot imagine a situation without it. It has even come to the stage where there are now medical devices for home use.

Besides that, the Government of Malaysia will be introducing the Medical Devices Act in the very near future. This act will put in place a more comprehensive and stringent set of regulations to ensure the safety of patients and personnel when using medical devices. Suppliers of medical equipments and health centers/hospitals will be made to be more responsible when dealing with medical devices. Devices will have to be properly maintained and calibrated in accordance with established regulations and standards. Authorized body set by the Government to oversee the Act will require qualified staff in this area. In addition, R&D in this field will have to be aggressively pursued if Malaysia does not want to be left behind. Therefore, there exists a need for qualified bio-medical engineering personnel to undertake the tasks indicated above.