By Doreen Ling
KUCHING, Nov 19: The Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development is collaborating with the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) to establish the School of Veterinary Medicine in Semenggok to boost the number of veterinarians in the State to 1,000 by 2030.
According to Minister for Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, there are currently 96 veterinarians in the public and private sectors in Sarawak.
“We need at least 1,000 veterinarians, including animal scientists and para veterinarians, by 2030,” he said during his ministerial winding-up speech in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting here today.
The establishment of this School of Veterinary Medicine, he said, will strengthen veterinary services in Sarawak to eradicate zoonotic diseases and accelerate the development of RM3 billion worth of livestock in Sarawak.
“A few engagements between my ministry and MEITD together with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) have been held to discuss and finalise the management model for the proposed School of Veterinary Medicine.
“My ministry, through the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak, had presented their restructuring proposal for an additional 566 posts to the Sarawak Organisational Development Committee (SODC) which was agreed in principle on August 21, 2024,” he said. — DayakDaily
