Well, I have been saying this all the while. The government is set to meet the doctor:population ratio target of 1: 600 by 2015 and 1:400 by 2020. The news that appeared in the Star today http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/4/30/nation/11201514&sec=nation is a clear indication of what is coming soon. However, I feel that we will achieve the ratio very much earlier. With the highest number of medical schools per capita population in the world, we will likely achieve the target of 1:400 by 2017/2018. Our Minister’s calculation of 3500 graduates annually is grossly miscalculated. By 2015, we will be producing at least 5000 graduates locally and another 1000-2000 from overseas. I don’t think our Minister knows what he is talking about, as usual. I also don’t believe that there is a 60% vacancies in civil service for doctors. In a true Malaysia Boleh spirit, our Minister has proudly said that we will “do better than WHO’s recommendation“. WTH, of course he never says anything about quality! Chasing quantities is not going to take us far.
I have attached another article below which caught my eye 2 days ago http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/4/28/nation/11196903&sec=nation. I have highlighted 2 sentences which is what I expect to happen to medical graduates by 2017. When all the posts in MOH are filled, I am sure local public university graduates and government sponsored students will be given priority. The self sponsored, whether from overseas or local private universities will most likely have wait in a “Q” or just have to find another job !
Doctor target within reach
By CHRISTINA TAN newsdesk@thestar.com.my
KLUANG: Malaysia is optimistic of having a doctor-population ratio of 1:400 by the year 2020, beating the World Health Organisation’s standard of 1:600.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the Government was confident of meeting the standard despite currently facing a shortage of doctors with a ratio of only 1:800.
He said the ministry was however on track to achieve WHO’s standard of a doctor-population ratio of 1:600 by 2015.
“We are optimistic that we can do better than WHO’s recommendation,” he told reporters after visiting the new Kluang Hospital in conjunction with the MCA roadshow here yesterday.
Liow said the present shortage of doctors was quite high with 60% vacancies that needed to be filled nationwide.
Several measures, he added, had been drawn up to increase the number of doctors and medical graduates, with the country producing about 3,500 every year.
“With the continuing efforts and measures to increase the number of medical personnel, the country can achieve its target,” he said.
At the event, Liow said the ministry would also provide Kluang Hospital with CT scan facilities worth RM5mil and 25 doctors, including specialists.
He also said the hospital needed an additional 150 nurses and other staff, adding that he would talk to the Public Service Department soon on resolving the matter.
4800 New Teachers
PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry is taking steps to ensure Bachelor of Education graduates from public universities (IPTAs) will be absorbed in schools from May.
Over 4,800 new graduate teachers from IPTAs will receive their posting next month.
“A total of 4,671 graduate teachers will be sent to schools on May 23 while another 150 graduate teachers will be posted in July,” Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said in a statement.
He revealed that the Education Services Commission had interviewed 4,953 candidates from IPTAs.
Only graduate teachers from IPTAs will receive their postings while graduates from private institutions of higher education (IPTS) will not be called for an interview by the commission yet.
Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, explained that graduate teachers from IPTAs were given preference over those from IPTS because their intake and the subjects they majored in were planned by the ministry.
Graduate teachers from IPTAs had earlier experessed concern over a delay in their posting.
In Ranau, Sabah, Muhyiddin, who was on a two-day visit to the state, said the education system needed a revamp to produce a new breed of experts and skilled workers.
He said the current system had been adequate but the time had come to elevate it further to ensure the country achieved its goals.
“We must place importance on education to meet the manpower needs of the country,” he said when opening SMK Ranau and handing over of land to Institut Aminuddin Baki.
Malaysia, he said, would need another 3.3 million new workers in the next eight years in addition to the existing 12 million.
Meanwhile, at a dialogue in Kota Kinabalu later with the DPM, teachers said they were not given any special allowance for teaching the Kadazandusun language.
Muhyiddin urged teachers who were about to retire to properly plan for their golden years.
Also at the event were Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman and Ex-Education Officers Association of Malaysia Sabah branch chairman Datuk Khamis Noyo.
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adoi..how la i want to become housemen and later m.o….
now feel better i quit medical school..study also no point..still job is not guaranteed by government even under scholar..arghh!!depress!!
That’s why i keep telling people don’t do medicine but they seem to not listen. All I can say is GOOD LUCK.
Hi, Medical student,
U can be a home tutor. They are many graduates, both overseas and local could not get a job and end up as home tutors for many years. Make good money, especially science and maths subject for pre-U students. BM for SPM also not bad income.
Hi, medical student,
Yeah, you can also do sales for banks to promote their credit cards. There are many overseas graduates ( many with impeccable English) promoting credit cards in the shopping malls.
dont want la all these job..still want to become doctor..struggling 5year for nothing!!what!!
hope government do something..
to all the student from unrecognised university and college..they all make this situation become worst..from egypt, russia indon, and even some local college with minimun requirement to enter..hope government give susah kaw2 punya exam for them after they all graduate..no housemanship for them..wahahahaa…
Medical student : I’m appalled at your behavior that you being a scholar would be of such low attitude to wish evil for others, let alone in this noble profession. Who knows if you yourself in all your arrogance and so called ‘smartness’ may even get a chance to finish medical school and start your internship? They say, what goes around comes around…so…be nice!
Dear medical student,
Im a medical graduates from bandung INDONESIA. I am not bragging but i got a lot of compliments from my fellow HO and MO for my experience in doctor-patient communication, POLITENESS, creativity, and skills. I admit i got it all from years of hardwork and hands-on and all of the yelling fierce old consultants in my hospital back when i was doing my clinical years in rumah sakit umum pendidikan hasan sadikin (hasan sadikin teaching hospital) bandung INDONESIA.
A quote from a hematology and oncology consultant, whom i admire “SANA KETEMU SAMA PASIEN! PASIEN ITU ADALAH GURU YANG PALING BAGUS, NGAPAIN KALIAN DUDUK DUDUK BACA BUKU TEBAL TEBAL KALO CUMAN NGAPAL AJA”
(Go and meet the patients, patients is the best teacher that you can get. It is useless if you just sit around and reading thick medical books when you only memorizing the disease!)
Not everyone is the same not every doctors is the same and even not every patients with the same disease is the same. Medical school can only offers knowledge and oppurtunity but it doesnt make one a great doctor. What makes one a great doctor is his or her own will to become one.
For the politic point of view, i’m just gonna leave it to the blog owner for he knows best.
Stop stereotyping indonesia medical graduates and grow up.
Frankly speaking, communication skills is not something you learn in medical schools. It is something that you learn way before that! It starts from school and from your parents. In those days, there were no such thing as “communication skills” being thought in medical schools and yet we all became good doctors. Nowadays, the medical schools are giving too much emphasis on communication skills and from my experience teaching medical students, it does not change the student’s attitude much. It all depends on why you became a doctor in the first place. If you are in to help, treat and cure patients/humans then you will become a good doctor with of course good knowledge and grades.
Stereotyping is unavoidable. generalisation is human nature.
All this mess has further encouraged UM and UKM medical graduates to go to Sg to do housemanship.
to TLT: im feel it is just unfair to me and others..some of them are not even qualify to enter medical school but because of the have some money they can enter easily and even who take art steam in spm also can enter some of the medical school..what!!
so thats why we need to do a better exam and give a tough one to them..the good one will get intern and the one who are not so good should we just kick out..this is the sake for doctor future!so easy now to get a medical degree!
“them” that i mention above is who is do not pass the exam and not competent enough to enter our medical system….
you mention this as low attitude with evil to others????lol
Dear Medical student,
What the hell are you cakaping? Please go back to your engrish tuisyens cause I’ve read and re-read your reply thrice and I swear your last sentence still made no sense at all.
Warm regards,
ME.
You are casting a bad light on your colleagues by making such statements. Remember that the flow of thought in your post is a reflection of your person.
Actually, the “actual” number of functional house officers in Malaysia are less than 30%. So, usually most of those who are from the “top few” local uni could fare rather well and would not need to worry much. Of course, in a general sense, the standards of medical grads from these local uni are dropping, but it is the same elsewhere in foreign uni, even UK and Aussie. In fact, I think we whould not even send scholars to overseas university as they are not trained and groomed for our healthcare needs of doctors (The aka multitask errand boy houseofficer and must know everything from the 6 fields). Hence, that has also become one of the reasons for them not to come back after completing their studies despite paid under JPA funds.
Eventually, when we have enough doctors by 2017, the government might stop sponsoring students to overseas.
The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists have just announced that they will stop recognizing training in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong for the FANZCA. No reason given. Current trainees will not be affected.
Such a shame because training here has been recognized for the FANZCA (and the FFARACS previously) for the last 50 years. The only avenue for those in Malaysia now who wish to do anaesthesia is the Masters programme via UM, UKM, USM and soon UPM.
There is a huge shortage of anaesthesiologists in Malaysia. We aren’t training many and there is a constant leakage from public to private. There is a speech here by the health minister: http://www.acadmed.org.my/index.cfm?&menuid=93&parentid=24#NationalAnaesthesiaDay2011Walkathon
He admits that there is a shortage but his plans to ‘facilitate’ FANZCA training won’t be of much use now.
Is it because Australia got enough Anaesthetist and many who does FANZA do it to migrate to Australia?
Not really. Most of the Malaysians in Aus/NZ studied med school there or in the UK. Very few come via the specialist route.
Good day dr. I just want to know, can doctors who completed their degree in local gov. universities in Malaysia such as UKM,UM,USM etc apply for the World Health Organization (WHO) employment? WHO are sending people to work in Switzerland, Fiji, Philippines and other countries to help those people in need. What I know is that med. Degree from local unis aren’t recognized anywhere else in the world. So is it possible for the doctors to work internationally in WHO? If not, is there any way to make it possible?
I am not sure about this but this is what I know. As long as your uni is listed in the WHO medical school list, you should be able to get employment from WHO. Most of the doctors employed by WHO do voluntary work in 3rd world countries. They run special programmes in these countries and thus some exemption is given by the respective country’s medical council.
I’ve just found out that WHO has collaborated with Uni.of Copenhagen to create an online database called Avicenna Directories.so this is the newer version of WHO medical school list,and there are several msia’s med school listed.im delighted.thank you dr.
Being in WHO list does not mean anything. As long as the medical school is recognised in the country of origin, it can be listed in WHO listing. It does NOT confer any form of recognition.