James Kon
Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) established the very first Private Health Science College in the Sultanate following the signing of a joint venture agreement with Far Eastern University (FEU) of the Philippines yesterday.
JPMC College of Health Sciences will be located at Jalan Ong Sum Ping in Bandar Seri Begawan, offering Foundation in Science Certification and Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It is accredited by the Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council (BDNAC) and endorsed by the Brunei Nursing Board.
The foundation will commence in October.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof was the guest of honour during the signing ceremony at Indera Kayangan Ballroom of The Empire Brunei.
Signing on behalf of JPMC was Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar in his capacity as Chairman and Executive Director of JPMC’s Board of Directors and on behalf of the JPMC College of Health Sciences Sdn Bhd was Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, while FEU was represented by its president and Board of Director member Dr Michael M Alba.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham explained the potential of the joint venture by saying that JPMC College of Health Sciences “seeks to produce the best healthcare providers and leaders to help modernise the lives of individuals and communities through innovative education and healthcare”.
At its core, he said, the college will be guided by its main values, ExCEL – excellence in healthcare, compassionate care, explore, discover and research, and lifelong education.
To support the core values, he said, “JPMC College of Health Sciences will allocate its resources to creating and maintaining quality programmes in an environment that focus on clinical competence across all scopes of practice, and hence, help to develop the appropriate competencies and cognitive skills needed to cultivate successful careers and a lifetime of continued professional learning.”
Through the institute, he hoped to be “able to produce healthcare professionals of the utmost calibre and at the same time, support the growing needs both locally and globally, and amid COVID-19’s impact, the call for more expertise in numerous areas of healthcare”.
He also said, “The pandemic caused a massive impact on healthcare worldwide. The very fundamentals of healthcare were challenged. Lessons learnt though costly points to a few directions. One of it is to prepare future healthcare professionals for the unknown.
“As threats evolve so to must the healthcare profession. Through dynamic practice models that maximise students’ potential, encourages proactive learning and collaborate effectively with other specialities, this is what the college aims for.”
The event was witnessed by Ambassador of the Philippines to Brunei Darussalam Marian Jocelyn R Tirol-Ignacio and former secretary of finance of the Philippines Carlos Garcia Dominguez III.
Dr Alba said, “FEU takes pride in the curriculum of its nursing programme, which is based on three frameworks: competency, community, and evidence. By highlighting these as the core focus areas of nurse training, the FEU Institute of Health Sciences and Nursing produces world class graduates who are value driven, critical thinkers, technologically proficient, research oriented and have the leadership skills and commitment to the nursing profession, such that they are able to provide safe, quality, and human care.”
With the collaboration, he said, “We hope to do the same with the JPMC College of Health Sciences’ nursing students so that they will be leaders who promote, practise, and pursue excellence in health science education and healthcare services and in compassionate care, and be committed lifelong learners. Let us look forward to developing the JPMC College of Health Sciences as a centre of excellence in nursing education in Southeast Asia.”
