1. I gave a talk after I was conferred an honorary degree by the International Medical University. I directed a major part of my talk to the new graduates.
2. I explained that medicine is not just a profession, a qualification for earning a good income. It is a vocation, a calling which involves dedication to the job of healing the sick and caring for them.
3. What their qualification confers upon them is not just a degree but as doctors they have been elevated to a special status and endowed with special powers. They would have in them the capacity to inspire confidence and trust in their patient. The confidence and trust are such that people would literally entrust their lives to them, allowing them to cut open their bodies and do things which could kill if done by others.
4. The skill and the power they acquire owe much to the society in which they were brought up and their access to education up to the highest level. Not all human society can do this. A poor society, an unstable society, an uncaring society would not be able to give them even primary education, much less training to become a doctor. The cost borne by the society is high.Whether they get a scholarship or their parents pay for their education, they all owe a debt to society. It behoves them to repay to society through the service in which they are trained.
5. They should therefore be ready to offer their services to the society in which they lived. It may be by serving the Government or if this is not attractive enough, at least their country. They can earn a good income in Malaysia's private sector.
6. But some easily forget their debt and are easily enticed by higher pay in other countries. These countries paid nothing for their education and training and yet for a little bit more money they get the services of the people we paid a lot to train whether in Government school and universities or in private ones. Quite often the countries which get the service of our doctors are developed and rich.
7. The nation loses a lot when the people we train opts to work in other countries.
8. But the association of doctors make matters worse by refusing entry to foreign doctors to practice. It wants to keep the opportunities for making money in this country to its members only. It does not mind Malaysian doctors going out but foreign doctors may not come in. Only if they work with the Government can they come in.
9. The flow is one-way. Our doctors can leave the country but foreign doctors cannot replace them. We are losing the brains that we develop without the foreign brain coming in.
10. Despite all the Government's efforts we are losing especially the much-needed specialists.
11. There is something wrong here. If the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) wishes to close the country to outsiders then it should also object to Malaysian doctors from leaving the country. As it is the MMA seem to be wanting to have their cake and to eating it as well.
12. I am not suggesting that as we have embraced globalisation and the free flow of capital etc that we should now allow foreign doctors to come and open their hospitals here. But I do think that if local hospitals need to employ foreign doctors then they should be allowed to.
Some of my batch gone to Singapore, and most of them are the best students in the faculty.
Of coz we can blame them just because gov has support their education eventhough they only apply loan (ptptn), but still of fee about RM1800/year (RM9000)is the cheapest fee to produce a doctor compare to the private medical school which nearly cost RM200,000. But do they care eventhough they were using 'rakyat' money ?
We are currently shortage of doctor, overall a doctor to patient ratio is about 1:1,145. Tan Sri Ismail Merican, director of health said in 2012 the ratio would be 1:600.
Calculation numbers of HOs:
Currently my batch 170. Those who go to singapore are about 10+, those who fail including me are 21 students. That doesn't include pass but then quit medicine which i think less than 5 students. So how much/percentage of doctors currently practice in GOV hospital? - about 75% only! I don't know other university, but i assume it's the same. Can we get our target of 1:600?
I do agree that some of them are too arrogant but can we blame them just because they are not practicing in Malaysia? We cant totally blame them. Working in gov hospital is like working in HELL although we've not been there, yet. Some said doctors should do charity, helping people, bla bla bla etc. Of coz we are helping ppl, but in the end what we get?
Scolded by the patients?
Almost all not appreciate what doctors do?
Low salary?
On Call 3 times/week?
No time for luxury/entertainment/family?
Working like in a factory with polluted air?
Sweating even at night because there is no air-cond?
Lost 5Kgs every months because too busy and forgot to eat?
Getting HIV because of needle prick?
I also do agree on the other hand, most of the doctors are certainly very loyal to the Gov hosp. But try asking them, do they willing to work at gov for the rest of their life if nothing change? Some of them even lost hope to Malaysian Gov, which are just waiting their bond to finish.
Practice in singapore, with only 4 night shifts/months, Salary of $3000++ --> convert RM7000 (eventhough they said they live in singapore the cost of living is high, bullshit i said to them. Do they have savings? They might have about $1000 then later come back to Malaysia once a month and blanje sakan! waaa ternganga mulut aku...) comparing to Gov hosp here basic RM2500. So basically can get about RM 3500++. RM7000-3500 = 3500.. So u actually need to work 4 times harder here to earn that singapore money.. This is HO u know.. Not a MO, Specialist, or Consultant.
So think again, by going to singapore, eventhough we feels like rakyat have been betrayed, whatever u tried to label them such as mata duitan, tak kenang budi, tak semangat patriotik, lupe daratan, selfish doctor, etc, do they care after a lot of benefits and privilege they got. Adding summore, there is no law to prevent them working outside of the country
Of coz malaysia cant support their salary to be as good as our neighbour to prevent loss, but we certainly can put an act. This law should be strict and if ever broken, immediate action such as terminate their license to practice or the worst the university should take back their degree.
What can i said is, Malaysia need a new hope. That's all. If the BN can't do it, who else can do it? PR? such a loser..
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