It has been almost 2 weeks since I last posted. It has been quite a busy 2 weeks with a lot of things to settle before the new year. Year 2011 has been a relatively good year for me, being my first full year in private practise. So far everything seem to be going on well.
Same can’t be said about the future of medical education and practise in Malaysia. The mushrooming of medical schools is a big screw-up. Unemployed doctors are going to become a reality. The ministry has already started to give housemanship on contract basis indicating that the system is bursting. I can only say that the situation will get worst soon.
I had given enough advise to many budding doctors to decide on their fate. It is all up to them to analyse and decide on their future. Being a doctor is no more prestigious, money-making or easy life. The salary in government sector after the recent introduction of the new salary scheme (SBPA) is fairly good but getting a job in civil service is going to be the major problem in near future. On the other hand, the income of doctors in private sector is gradually dropping and unethical practises are increasing as a mode of survival. I will write more about this soon.
Well, whatever said, I hope 2012 will be a better year for everyone. I hope it will not turn out to be like the 2012 movie.
Happy New Year 2012 to everyone………………………
Pagalavan's Avatar 
Happy New Year to you all. Recently I just encountered one established pharmacy actually not manned by a pharmacist but just normal senior worker. She even prescribed to her customer urti med and treating infected wound herself with antibiotic as well. So a normal layman does work as doctor now. What is health ministry doing?
The health ministry will only act if there is a complain.
Happy New Year everyone!
Im still dreary eyed from the night out… havent slept at all
Dr Paga, do consider compiling all the valuable information you have written into an easily downloadable PDF for circulation. You have written lots and lots, but it’s sort of all over the place.
I hope the system in Malaysia improves this year.
Thanks for the good reads in 2011. May every day of the new year glow with joy and happiness. Wishing you and family a great 2012, Dr Paga.
Happy New Year!
Thanks. Same to you.
Happy New Year.
Dr Paga,you can keep on criticising a painting a bleak future for the young docs out there cos you already have your FRCP and admitted to the AM,which enabled you live an easy life as a consultant.Think about the sacrifice that some young doc have made but still stuck in the chronic MO level.
Yes, that is exactly what I am trying to say. Why are you still stuck in chronic MO level? did not get a Master’s seat, family commitment ? fail exams? or simply like to stay and do office hour jobs ( for those in KK)? That is what I am trying to explain in my blog. The situation will only get worst in the next few years. So, the youngsters who are going to do medicine should understand all these problems that they are going to face. I still get plenty of emails and querries from budding doctors and even medical students who got no idea about medical training system. There are many out there still think that they can become a surgeon after housemanship!!
AND who said consultants are having easy life? Are you talking about government consultants? I do agree that there are a lot of government consultants who hardly do any work and are known as “world travellers”. Same can’t be said about private consultants. I work 24hrs a day, 7 days a week and 365days a year. If I do take leave, I need to get a locum cover. I had also undergone hard life before. I have done my district postings and worked as a medical officer in one of the busiest hospital in the country ( use to cover 2 wards at a time). I had a debt of RM 12K when I finished my MRCP! that’s how pathetic the salary of government doctors were at that time.
Thanks Dr Paga, seriously, ur blog is the Malaysiakini for doctors. Happy New Year to you and your family and have a fantastic 2012.
haha ‘unlucky ones’… don’t stress out brother (sister?)
relax.. Dr Pagas articles are just an opinion. why don’t you research the meaning of a Black Swan? The biggest disruption cannot be predicted, because if it can, it would have been mitigated against.
Anyway, the future of malaysian healthcare would depend on the outcome of the GE. Either BN gets 2/3 majority or simple majority; and that would determine a lot of things.
I do disagree that the SBPA is good for the civil servants. its only good for the Jusas and newly minted specialists. Its terrible for senior-non jusa specialists and non-specializing doctors. Secondly, the money part is easy, but if KKM decides to pull an ‘Attorney General on the Cow-shed’, than the consultants are all screwed. In other words, if the new DG seriously gets cracking on the Jusas to start producing performance, than things are not going to be pretty.
Also, the private fellas are doing very very well. Not in the traditional sense, thats all. The profits are there, its shifting to low value high volume producers from the high value low volume ones.
In other words, it does not really pay to be a private specialist/consultant these days, but if you happen to own a couple of clinics/pharmacies or even dabble in some holistic/traditional medicine; with the right business acumen, that person is doing very very well. Provide REAL value for your customers, not stuff which anyone can wiki or google from their iPads.
Lesson of the day, don’t just learn medicine. Learn business. Get an MBA or business education of some sort. Ride with the wolves and don’t cry with the pigs.
On paper SBPA may look good but in reality it may not be that great. I am talking about removing civil servants etc. The salary is obviously better with JUSAs getting 100% pay hike but who monitors these JUSAs. I know many who hardly even come to work but are they going to sacked? Most likely not. In terms of salary, it is definately better than SSM.
Yup, many GPs nowadays are going into complimentary medicine to survive. I know many who had gone into ozone therapy, homeopathy, selling supplements, cosmetics, laser therapy, botox injection, Vit C injection etc etc. Forget about ethics and just think about money, then you will obviously survive and earn big amount of money! wang haram I mean! haha
haha.. so i guess 2012, with the liberalization of health care, is going to see more and more unethical practice and marketing tactics by providers.
And MMA has not got its act together.
Wow.. this is going to be THE year for Malaysian doctors
Another new medical school in Kedah.
http://medic.insaniah.edu.my/v1/
Wow……..
Actually they started in 2010 with twinning programme with Yemen university. It looks like they have introduced a 5 year programme. Most of their academics seem to be non clinical people/expats.
dr paga…i m a houseman aspiring to be a surgeon…currently contemplating to sit for my external papers..ie mrcs…but after reading all this and seeing what is happening in the government service, i m a bit worried about the future…how to establish a good life and a secure future? i guess its too late for me to turn back so its full throttle forward from here…i reckon soon there is no other option but to migrate…whats your take on this?
I am sure you are aware that the only way to become a surgeon in Malaysia is via the Master’s programme. MRCS is not a surgical degree. You can still sit for it just for the sake of having a foreign diploma and make you eligible to go to singapore. Migrating as a doctor is not easy. Migrating is much more easier if you have chosen some other degree. If you want to migrate now, either your degree must be recognised in the particular country or you need to sit for their entry exam and start all over again.
And not to mention if you migrate to Australia, there’s a ten-year moratorium waiting for you, meaning no comfortable, urban life for at least a decade.
Hi, I used to visit your blog post on Bluray. Now Im a SPM school leaver! I got a spark of fire in me to become a pharmacist and I would like to know more about your opinion on the choices I make. Is pharm a good secured job? Which is a better choice?, A-Level, Foundation in Science, STPM , or wait for my applied Matriculation? Tough on choice and parent’s budget but opinion matters guys…….
There is no such thing as a secured job anymore. Medicine use to be but not anymore. If you are doing pharmacy I would suggest to go for MPharm. It is always better to do an internationally recognised Pre-U course like A-levels, STPM, IB etc.
Again I wish to emphasize medicine is done by a large group of people today merely for the DR.title in their names.Subsequently boast about it in their wedding invitation cards. If we were to ever describe our dissatisfaction towards incompetent doctors in our own experiences, they claim we are mocking them for no reasons. The young doctors these days lack maturity such that they can’t accept criticism. No one is condemning the whole lot, but the bad apples really make patients feel miserable during their visit/stay at the hospital/clinics.I am telling this from my own experiences.