The idea of forming a society of radiologists and radiotherapists was first mooted by Allahyarham Dato’ Dr Hj Omar bin Din way back in 1971-2. However, this was met with poor response. It was not until 1976 that things got moving. (Then) Associate Professor Dr Joginder Singh in his capacity as the pro-tem secretary drafted the constitution for the society.
Proposed names for the society included ‘Malaysian Society of Radiologists’ and ‘Radiological Society of Malaysia’. Dr Hussain Abd Ghani was the pro-tem chairman. The inaugural General Meeting of the Society was held on Saturday, 27th November, 1976 at 4.30pm at the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. A total of 13 radiologists and radiotherapists attended: Dr AH Ang, Dr NK Ghouse, Dr Hussain Abd Ghani, Dr Ismail Sa’ad, Dr Joginder Singh, Dr K Kulaveerasingam, Dr AK Mukherjee, Dr Narinder Singh, Dr K Ragupathy, Dr SK Dharmalingam, Dr Perdamen Singh, Dr V Mahadev and Dr K Narashima.
President: Dr SK Dharmalingam (Department of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, GHKL)
Vice-President: Dr Hussain Abd Ghani (X-ray Department, GHKL)
Secretary: Dr Joginder Singh (Department of Radiology, UHKL)
Treasurer: Dr Perdamen Singh (Department of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine)
Councillors:
Dr Ang Ah Hoo (Department of Radiology, UHKL)
Dr Ismail Sa’ad (Department of Radiology, UKM)
Dr NK Ghose (c/o Drs Lim & Hoe, Lee Lian Yan Building, 709 Jalan Tun Perak, KL)
Dato’ Dr Hj Omar bin Din, being the most senior radiologist in the country then was unanimously elected as the first Honorary Life Member of the society under Article VII of the Constitution. The society’s name was finally decided as ‘Malaysian Radiological Society’ and an application for registration was made to the Registrar of Societies on the 26th of January, 1977.
The very first AGM of the MRS was held on 17th June 1978 at Lecture Hall 3, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya and was open to all doctors, Final Year Medical Students and radiographers. Why, even the lunch was held at the UH Cafeteria. Dinner was however sumptuously held at the Selangor Club.
The first MRS newsletter was compiled by Dr Joginder Singh and typed by Ms Janet Low on 9.9.78.
As at 1980, there were 37 radiologists, radiotherapists, oncologists and those practising nuclear medicine to serve a population of 12 million then. Because of this small number, general practitioners and personnel not trained in the use of X-rays were rampant and this was a subject of much debate in the early years of the MRS. In maintaining a high quality in imaging, the MRS Council then, in particular, Dr Joginder Singh, had gone to great lengths to oppose the formation of a GP X-ray Society. Thus was the humble beginning of what we are today. We thank the wisdom of our pioneers.
On 23rd August 2001 the MRS joined, en block, the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia and is now known as the College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia. The MRS has been officially dissolved and all previous functions including new activities and responsibilities are now performed by the College of Radiology, under the umbrella body of the Academy of Medicine. The College of Radiology members comprises clinical radiologists, clinical oncologists, medical physicists and allied professionals. It is a non-profit professional body and aims to serve patients and society by maximising the value of radiology, clinical oncology, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, medical physics and other allied health sciences by:
Improving the quality of patient care with better outcomes, cost-effectiveness and safety
Advancing the science of radiology/biomedical imaging/clinical oncology/nuclear medicine through adoption of newer proven technologies and treatment modalities
Positively influencing the socio-economics of the practice of radiology/biomedical imaging/clinical oncology/nuclear medicine
Facilitating continuing education for radiology/biomedical imaging/clinical oncology/nuclear medicine and allied health professions
Supporting, facilitating and promoting the conduct of research for the future of radiology/biomedical imaging, nuclear medicine and clinical oncology
Forging closer relationships with other colleges to form partnerships in post graduate training and research activities
Advising and assisting the relevant regulatory authorities
Participating in educational community projects
Establishing standards and practice guidelines in the use of Information Technology in the related disciplines.
