KUALA LUMPUR: Miscommunication and the questionable quality of food served seem to be the crux of the problem between a group of nursing students and the management of the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).

Feeling they had nowhere to turn to, the nursing students took matters into their hands and emailed a complaint to TV3, claiming they had received a low monthly allowance compared with other public university nursing students and had been served poor quality food.

The email was also directed to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Senator T. Murugiah, who also heads the Public Complaints Bureau.

"The allegations were serious, so I decided to iron out matters between them," Murugiah said at the hospital.

UMMC clinical deputy director Prof Dr Jamiyah Hassan said there was a miscommunication between the students and the management.
"The hospital management pays partly for their food and lodging. Other nursing students receive a higher monthly allowance because they have to pay for their own lodging and food."



She said the food served at the hospital was constantly being monitored. "We have penalised the food supplier before and will continue to do so if the quality deteriorate."