The adage ‘education pays’ rings true for Choo Chi Fei who utilised education as a catalyst for change that drove him to success.

The eldest son of hawker stall owners, Chi Fei grew up witnessing his parents’ hardships in life, working tirelessly as they put him through school and this boosted his determination to pursue his dream to study Pharmacy to turn their lives for the better.

Chi Fei’s hard work and passion for learning finally paid off when he was named as one of the nine recipients of the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS)–Chemical Company of Malaysia Berhad (CCM) 2008 Gold Medal Award.

The annual MPS-CCM Gold Medal Award recognises and honours top graduating Pharmacy students in Malaysia who excel in academic and co-curricular activities. The final year students are nominated by local public and private universities that offer the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme. The award includes a MPS-CCM Gold Medal, a certificate plus cash award of RM 500.

“I am very grateful and thrilled to be receiving this award. Winning this award is truly the icing on the cake after being blessed with a scholarship to study Pharmacy at the International Medical University in 2004. It is one of the highest recognition Pharmacy students can achieve in Malaysia, as our capabilities are acknowledged by the industry,” said 25-year old Chi Fei, who hails from Shah Alam and is currently based at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang.

During his student days, Chi Fei also underwent industrial training with CCM Pharmaceuticals and the stint exposed him to the areas of manufacturing, packaging and quality assurance in the production of medicinal products. He plans to further his studies in the field of Formulation Development to enhance the delivery of drugs in the future.

Speaking at the award presentation ceremony, CCM Pharmaceuticals Division Director, Leonard Ariff bin Abdul Shatar said the MPS-CCM Gold Medal award was aimed at identifying the cream of the crop among Pharmacy students in Malaysia and acknowledging their achievements as they prepare to join their professional peers in the pharmaceutical industry.

“Malaysia’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the fastest growing in Asia Pacific and has received strong backing from the Government that recognises the sector’s growth potential. Inevitably, we would need a pool of talented and skillful pharmacists to help steer the industry to a higher level of global competitiveness,” said Leonard.

“We have been a loyal sponsor of the award for the past 11 years and feel privileged to be given the opportunity to do the same this year. We wish the award recipients well and hope they will use this recognition as a platform to continuously gain more knowledge and skills in order to strengthen their ability and professionalism in the field,” added Leonard.

Besides being the award sponsor, CCM also donated RM60,000 to the MPS Building Fund making CCM the biggest donor for the fund, contributing a total of RM120,000 since last year.

“We hope to acquire our own building which will consist of MPS’ administrative and training centre by 2011. We appreciate the support of the industry players and CCM’s generous contribution has certainly boosted our goal in accomplishing our dream building,” said MPS President, Datuk Nancy Ho.

For 25-year old Nur Eizera Md Jahaya from Bangi, having lost both parents at a young age did not deter her from gaining success in life.

“I am truly honored and thankful to be given this award. I chose to study Pharmacy to learn various ways to help others. Now, I am glad to be able to apply what I have learned in class into practice. This recognition will spur me to achieve my goal of becoming a specialist in the field of Pharmacology,” said the former Universiti Teknologi MARA student who now works at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan.

Other award recipients include Siti Nadiah Rusli (University College Sedaya International), Chan Siok Yee (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Wong Mun Kit (HELP International College of Technology), Lau Boon Tiang (Universiti Malaya), Ng Pei Yuen (International Medical University) and Chong Li Yin (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia).
CCM, Malaysia's largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, is listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia and is a key player in the fertilisers, chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries.

ooOoo

Issued with the compliments of Chemical Company of Malaysia Berhad
Through Eric Pringle Associates Public Relations Sdn Bhd.
For further information, please contact Ida Fazila Ismail
at 03-2161 7144/49/54 or e-mail at ifazila@epapr.com.my