After almost 6 months of planning and almost weekly meeting since February 2014, the 54th MMA AGM is finally over! We had a wonderful weekend with almost 400+ doctors attending the AGM held at Persada Convention Centre, Johor Bahru. The committee especially the Secretary Dr Mohan and Treasurer Dr Guruparan played the most important role in running this AGM. Despite many pharma companies declining to participate, we still manage to get close to 50 booths for the event. Despite some initial glitches, we manage to end the event with a wonderful Informal Night themed “Arabian Nights”.
Many interesting discussions took place during the AGM. MMA AGM usually gives an opportunity for many doctors to come together and meet each other. I manage to meet and discuss many issues regarding medical education and the future of medical life in Malaysia with many senior & junior people in MMA and MOH. I also manage to meet and be reunited with my 2003-2005 SCHOMOS Johor committee members DR Nirven ( who I last met 5 years ago) and Dr James Lew (selfie below).
The MMA Oration was given by Dr David Quek, who is a Past President of MMA and a MMC council member. His topic was “What Ails The Medical Profession And then What Ails Our Health System? ” He reiterated the fact that we are producing too many doctors at too fast a pace. We will see surplus of doctors by 2017 and MO jobs will not be guaranteed anymore. The government has finally come to realise this fact and making steps to minimise the “complications”. MOH and MMC is seriously considering either an entrance exam or an exit exam. Reducing compulsory service is also on the cards. The government cannot stop anyone from doing medicine despite the minimum entry requirement but they need not necessarily provide you a job. They also can’t close down the medical schools as it is a business and the government need to support businesses. Probably, some of them will die a natural death when surplus of doctors occurs.
Unfortunately, unless there is a standardised entry or exit exams, we would not be able to remove the poor quality doctors. WE will have surplus of doctors but how many of them will be of good quality? The situation is so bad that many specialist has given up. The shift system just made it worst. Some good hard-working housemen have openly told me that even though their fellow housemen are their friends but they would not send any of their relatives to these doctors. It looks like we are releasing many with a “license to kill”.
The article below which was published in The Star on 25/03/2014 summarised what I have been saying over the last 10 years. Too many students in too few “training” hospitals and “shop-lot” medical colleges with too few academics (diluted within 36 medical schools). Many from non-medical field do not understand all these issues. Many believe that as long as the college is attached to a hospital, it is well and good! Training in medicine is more than that!
Finally, I hope doctors will be more united in becoming MMA members, take a break and attend AGMs like this to meet one another for the betterment of the medical profession…………….
I will be off again for a Family holiday starting 8/06/2014. Hopefully I will reach Hong Kong safely……..
Docs in govt hospitals stretched by private students
BY LOH FOON FONG
PETALING JAYA: Too many private medical programmes nationwide are over-taxing public teaching hospitals.
While the Education Ministry’s university hospital teaching staff taught mainly their students, the general hospitals under the Health Ministry doubled up as teaching hospitals for private university students, resulting in a heavy workload, said a source.
“The doctors are overstretched. They have to divide time to attend to their patients, teach students from private universities and guide house officers,” said the source.
The source was concerned this would lead to students receiving little attention.
Private hospitals in Malaysia were not used as teaching hospitals as they did not have the needed case-mix (various types of patients) and high bed capacity to provide the needed training and exposure to students.
The source said the Cabinet needed to reduce the number of programmes and the number of students entering local medical schools by 70%, or get the private schools to merge and pull their teaching staff together.
Although the Government had argued that it needed to increase the number of doctors for the nation, he said there was more than enough doctors now and it was a case of uneven distribution.
In the Klang Valley – the doctor-patient ratio was 1:100 while in Sabah and Sarawak – 1:1,000, he said.
In Putrajaya, Deputy Health director-general Datuk Dr S. Jeyaindran admitted there were too many students taxing the limited resources.
The ministry would have to look at the nation’s needs first before deciding if it could reduce the number of medical programmes in private universities.
He said the system could cope with 2,500 to 3,000 medical graduates a year currently and foresees some private schools subsequently closing down or merging.
Pagalavan's Avatar 
OMG a selfie!
how much specialist locum rate per hour ?
is it easy to find specialist locum work ?
It depends on the payor, no fixed rate. Usually calculated on a day basis rather than hourly.
Not easy as it depends on hospitals. Usually most hospitals have enough in-house specialist to cover the specialist on leave.
Hi Dr Paga,
First of all, i would like to thank you on your daringness and stern insight in discussing under-the-carpet issues circulating our medical community. I am a first year medical student from a local public university. And as the will-be graduate of 2018, i’m well versed on the fact that there will be HO glut after my graduation. Therefore, i’m thinking of doing residency instead of continuing with HO. I’m also aware of the competitiveness of residency program in the US, and how it is not just about passing the USMLE, but rather having an above average score and may other technicalities.
(Not to boast, but rather sharing a bit about myself so that you can have a better insight) Despite that, i’m pretty sure that i can go through all that. I aced my SPM and got a perfect 4.00 for my foundation studies (the fact that i was taking both exams in a ward due to my asthma)
Other reason that prompted me into considering residency is the prospect of continuing my subspecialty. (Correct me if i’m wrong) in order to continue my subspecialty here in Malaysia, i need to get a Master degree. That means i need to have a scholarship, and with scholarship, that means i’m bonded with the government till death. With Fellowship program, i don’t need any scholarship. And i am planning to serve here in Malaysia as soon as i finish my training (because i’m a bumiputra Sarawakian, and i know how bad my state needs doctor that is willing to go to the ulu’s)
Hence, i really need your opinion regarding this matter. What do you think? And i thank you in advance 😄
Where/what is the “Fellowship program”?
Under the US medical training program, it’s the subspecialty training right upon finishing residency. Like taking CT surgery subspecialty right after finishing general surgery residency.
If you are in public university, are you bonded ? It is entirely up to you on what you want. Whatever it is, you chances of getting residency in US followed by fellowship is quite low. During this time, you may still need to work in Malaysia.
Majority who go overseas, never come back!
Thank you Dr. But if i’m not mistaken, for the IMGs who took residency program with the J-1 visa, they need to come back and serve their country for 2 years, unless there is a waiver. Are they still practicing this?
Yes i’m currently having JPA scholarship, but i intended to terminate it. I’m just planning for the future, looking for options.
After completion residency program in the US (under J 1 visa), one do need to leave US for two year unless getting a visa waiver job. It’s not difficult to get a visa waiver job in the US, hence lots tend to stay back in the US or leave to countries like Singapore
If you’re didn’t intend to serve, you shouldn’t have taken the scholarship. There are many other students who needed it and are willing to work out their bond. We invested in you but you decided to shirk your responsibility. Please have the decency to pay back every cent loaned to you, it wasn’t a gift for you to take and enjoy elsewhere.
Agree with Disgruntled Tax Payer. Students and their parents think that a JPA scholarship is a right rather than a privilege. Hence the many complaints in the newspapers from students and their parents soon after the SPM results are announced year in, year our about their “deserving” children being denied a JPA scholarship. The Malaysian taxpayer (that includes me) is paying for your education. The least you can do is to honour your scholarship terms and complete your compulsory service before you leave for greener pastures. If your parents are the ones footing your education, by all means don’t come back. But if you have signed a contract to serve your country after completing your (free) education overseas, then you should do so, or pay the penalty.
Girl gets RM2.8m compensation. Read:
http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/girl-gets-rm2-8m-compensation-1.612820
Yup, it is increasing day by day. MAny are being settled out of court
Random Question: Currently is it better to get into matrikulasi rather than a level(then private local uni) for doctor? And let’s say um mbbs graduate can he sit for exam to become doctor overseas ? How should one get subspecialty in Malaysia, I have read the article about mrcp but heard people say can straight away get enrolled in foreign royal college or uni….to study master then get qualification from overseas….and if this is true does this mean they can work overseas? How widely accepted local mbbs programme from respective local and public uni is in australia uk us china? (sg known)…For young readers sake, Can you suggest a better way for one to become a doctor locally and overseas respectively? And if money is an issue what do u suggest him to take right from pre-u (a level or stpm or matrik) to becoming a specialty?
ALL these has been written and answered in this blog ! What PreU depends on where you intend to do medicine. Yes, UM degree holders can sit for any countriy’s entrance exams with no guarantee you will get a job.
I have written enough about subspeciality. There is NO such thing as Masters degree overseas.
None of our degree are recognised elsewhere except UM/UKM in Singapore and Monash in Australia.
Random Question: Currently is it better to get into matrikulasi rather than a level(then private local uni) for doctor? And let’s say um mbbs graduate can he sit for exam to become doctor overseas ? How should one get subspecialty in Malaysia, I have read the article about mrcp but heard people say can straight away get enrolled in foreign royal college or uni….to study master then get qualification from overseas….and if this is true does this mean they can work overseas? How widely accepted local mbbs programme from respective local and public uni is in australia uk us china? (sg known)…For young readers sake, Can you suggest a better way for one to become a doctor locally and overseas respectively? And if money is an issue what do u suggest him to take right from pre-u (a level or stpm or matrik) to becoming a specialty?
As of now, high-flying students interested in medicine who get both a level for free under bursary(automatic for 9 A+ Spm student and matrikulasi, what should they choose to become 1. doctor loacally 2. doctor overseas
If you can get a place in a well established and reputable university, that is the best
Death of a young doctor. Tragic news. Read:
https://my.news.yahoo.com/doktor-mati-dalam-tandas-205228843.html
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