I was puzzled myself on how fast this year just passed by. My last entry was in August 2022 when I wrote about my journey back to Malaysia after almost 2 years +. Since then a lot of changes has happened to the world, myself and Malaysia. Just before the year ends, I thought of writing another piece.
The year started with a new government in Malaysia. After the election in November 2022, where i voted as a postal voter, sent by runners from Perth, Malaysia once again went into political instability. Even before the election, almost everyone knew that no single party will win the election and it would definitely be a coalition government. But the type of coalition government that came from the 15th GE was rather unique with UMNO/BN and DAP joining hands. The arch enemies have to sleep together to form the new government. Well, i feel it is better than the other bloc which consist of nationalist and fundamentalist. But, having Anwar as the PM, something that he has been fighting for since 1998 and being imprisoned twice sounded like a fairy tale come true. While he is definitely a better option, I don’t trust him 100%. He is, after all , a fundamentalist himself. Who can forget the major changes in education system (KBSR/KBSM which resulted in the current mess), bahasa baku etc when he was the education minister in 1980s.
Well, it has been a year since he became our PM. I have not seen him tabling any reforms in the Parliament as what PH has been promising over the past few elections. Not a single concrete reform has been tabled in Parliament. All talk with no actions. Yes, the economy needs a lot of work to be done but trust of the people is also important. If you do not even do your own promised reforms that you have been screaming and shouting about since 1999, you have just lost all the trust that people have put on you. A politician will never change his colours. Rhetorics are easy to scream about but real action is what matters. He once spoke about merit but now says that quotas are still important. Was there any reforms to address poor non-Bumi students not being given public university places? Any policies put in place other than asking people to appeal? The latest data shows that only 18% of students in public universities are non-bumis, a shocking figure that explains a lot. Furthermore, just look at the top courses being offered for these students ( I can assure you it is not pilihan!):
It is a well known fact that majority of students who do STPM(science) are non-bumis as it is the only way for them to enter the public universities. The rest who can afford or made to afford, will go to private universities via their own pre university courses. So, you can clearly see the huge difference between STPM and Matriculation in the type of courses they are entering into. For those who are still not aware, only certain universities provide 10% of places to non-Bumis for matriculatiom. Not all matriculation programs are open to non-Bumis, albeit only 10%. The moral of the story is, even if you want a slightest chance of entering into a science field in public universities, it is better to fight for the 10% quota in certain Matriculation. If you ask me, looking at all the discussions on social media etc, I have no hope that any concrete merit based policy will ever come about in Malaysia. You tak suka, you boleh keluar.
While I was slowly winding down my interest in Malaysian politics, a sad news appeared in May 2023. My dad aged 82, who was once an active politician in Negeri Sembilan MIC (Vice President) before resigning in 1990s passed away peacefully on 5th of May 2023. He was the only member of my family who I always talked about Malaysian politics. A teacher who was involved as a part time politicians during the era of Tun Sambanthan and Dato Samy Vellu. Till the day he died, he was still active in NS pensioners society and was still serving all pensioners irrespective of race or religion. A wonderful and hard working man who never rested. He has helped countless number of people over the years. I still remember those days when he use to come back from his school at 2.30pm and immediately after lunch, goes to settle other people’s problem in government departments. Most of those he helps are poor Indians who are not very good in Malay or English but need something to be done in government departments. My dad is fluent in Malay, English and Tamil. He use to translate NS MIC Chairman’s speech from Tamil/English to Malay! I had to cancel my conference trip to Tasmania to fly down urgently to Seremban to attend his funeral and do my final rights for him. Appa, may you rest in peace!
Well, life has to move on. While I know my dad’s health has been declining over the past 2 years, I just hoped he could have waited to see my kids during my already planned family trip to Malaysia in June 2023. He had not seen them since January 2020. Unfortunately, he could not wait!
The doctors situation in Malaysia also looks like it has not changed much. While new permanent positions were created, as I had always said, the numbers will never be enough to absorb everyone. Furthermore, you need to go where the post is. If you reject , no further appeal is entertained. This once again has opened up the flood gates. I received so many emails and questions in this blog asking about migration. The good news is, post Covid, many countries are facing shortage of doctors. This is due to resignation and also some countries have tighten their registration rules. For example, it seems that UK GMC has now said that they will remove from registration anyone who does not work in UK for more than 2 years. This has prevented many doctors from UK coming to Australia. It also resulted many already in Australia, going back to UK as they have no intention to migrate permanently to Australia. I was told that previously whatever training they had in Australia will be recognised but this is not the case anymore which is another reason why many left back to UK. The phenomenon has created a vacuum in many major hospitals but in turn opened up opportunities for doctors from Malaysia etc to apply. The Australian government has also improved their visa application process and the time taken to receive one is way faster, less than 6 weeks compared to minimum 3 months before. However, all AHPRA rules for registration still applies. If you are coming under standard pathway with just AMC Part 1, please make sure you are prepared for Part 2. The waiting period for WBA is getting very long, sometimes up to 2 years.
The brain drain from Malaysia is getting worst, from what I can see. How will the country survive with best brains leaving the country, economy in shambles, declining ringgit, racial and religious politics on the rise and general population suffering in silence. The entire system need restructuring but how do you do it while still maintaining special rights for certain groups? You need a strong and capable leader to do this, who is willing to bite the bullet. Unfortunately, I don’t think Anwar is the person. Political ambition is likely the priority, unless he does it after consolidating his power. Time will tell.
Finally, i just came back from my family holiday. The last overseas family holidays I had was in 2016 and again in 2017 when we came to Perth for a holiday, just before migrating officially. Covid pandemic has taken almost 4 years of our family fun. While we did travel locally within Australia, nothing excites us more than travelling overseas together. Thus, we travelled to Dubai for almost 12 days, something we had to cancel in 2020. My eldest just graduated as an Electrical engineer and would be starting his first job next month! As everyone knows, once your child starts to work, they start their own life!
Well, it has been 6 years since my family moved to Australia. No regrets and never been happier while being sad watching Malaysia from far away. May 2024 be a better year!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you for writing again. What a pleasant surprise. Happy and blessed festive season
I’m sorry for your loss Dr Paga. I hope you and your family are healing from it.
glad to hear from you after a long gap…..happy new year to you and family….just a two ringgit advice…..situation in Australia will reach UK levels soon as dedollarisation happens…take care
Anything can change is this world but Australia is a rich nation with multiple natural resources,ynlike UK. HAPPY new Year to you too.
Firstly, my deepest condolences to you and family. I hope 2024 will be kind. I read your blog when I was a house officer 13 years ago. My husband and I watched all our fears unfold while we worked and witnessed your predictions come to light. I finally decided to submit my resignation recently and have become part of the sad brain drain. However, reading your blog has brought me comfort now that I am working in Perth. Wishing you and family all the good things for 2024 and thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Komella
Thank you for the compliments! I presume you are working as a GP?
Hi sir. A new reader over here. Excellent posts, very informative, sir. I wish I had the chance to go through your posts before choosing medicine as my career. No regrets; it is just that, out of all careers, medicine seems to be very complicated and full of uncertainties. I enjoy medicine and seeing patients. I want to serve people. Yes, I want to serve back our community and our society, after all everyone are patients and I would love to see my country people getting better, but after what I have been went through, I might don’t want my future generation to go through the same. I am about to join HO soon. However, I am planning to migrate to the UK. Currently, I am interested in paediatrics, and that may change when I am doing my housemenship. I am planning to sit for PLAB 1 during my first year of housemenship, then start to prepare for my MRCPCH and sit for MRCPCH Part 1 during my second year of housemenship. Then, I will proceed for PLAB 2. So far, this is my plan, sir. By God’s grace, I am hoping to pass my MRCPCH Part 1. May I have your input in this matter, sir? I am the first doctor in my family. My dad is a driver, and my mom is a housewife. I am from Seremban too. I have worked very hard since primary school and secured a medical seat at a government university. As you know, it is very hard for Indians as minority in terms of government university placements, especially for medicine. (I am grateful still). If you don’t mind, may I get your email, so that I can ask you more regarding this matter, sir? Thank you and take care, sir
It is OK to plan but not necessary that your plan will happen as you planned. A lot of things will change when you start working as a doctor. Trust me, being a student and being a doctor in real life is 2 different scenario. I have countless number of people who said exactly what you have said but ended up leaving medicine all together. MRCPCH is recognised in UK and you can work in UK with it. So, you have to decide which one you are going to sit, PLAB or MRCPCH. Remember, these do not come cheap. Once you start working and your financial aid from parents is cut off, situation will not be the same anymore, especially if you are going to have a family of your own. My main advise is, whatever happens, at least complete your HO and get the full registration. It is very difficult to prepare for exams when you are an HO. You can conatct me at pagal72@gmail.com
Hi Dr Paga, I’m truly sorry for your loss.
My daughter has completed her MBBS in University Malaya. She is currently doing her housemanship, in her second posting now. She has also applied to do her housemanship in Singapore, and if all goes well she will be able to start this August. The only problem is, she’s not sure whether this is the right move as she’s unsure if it’s a mistake to not have our local housemanship certificate. Please advise doctor.
Thank you.
As long as she does not come back early, there is no issue. Training in Singapore is recognised in Malaysia as far as I am aware. Most people who go to Singapore, never come back unless as a specialist and go private. So, I would not worry much about that. Just make sure whatever she does in Singapore is recognised by the NSR.
Hi Dr. Pagalavan, I hope you are doing well.
I’m a medical grad from UM. My future plan is to specialize in General Surgery and eventually settle down in Malaysia.
Recently, I went for interview for HO position in Singapore and was offered the position.
One of the main reasons I am considering working in Singapore is because of the mature education/training pathway compared to Malaysia, which could potentially allow me to specialize earlier. Additionally, issues with contract positions and limited spots for training make pursuing a Masters program in Malaysia challenging.
However, as General Surgery is a sought-after field, I am curious about the availability of spots for residency in Singapore. I have heard (and from what I read) that it is very competitive, with only 1-2 training spots for each specialty every year. Hence, I am wondering if the chances of doing residency there are low. Might as well I stayed in MY and try to apply masters here.
I have sought opinions from some of my seniors who are currently doing housemanship in Singapore. They mentioned that at times they regretted coming to Singapore, mainly because they came alone without friends (lack of support system) and also due to the lack of hands-on skills and exposure to other postings (since Singapore HOs only need to do 3 postings instead of 6, unlike in Malaysia). These also somewhat holds me back from doing HO in Singapore.
Is it better if I complete my HO in malaysia first or straightaway do HO in singapore and join the system there ?
I am honestly confused and would really appreciate your help. Thank you in advance for your response, Dr. Pagalavan.
I have replied to your email
Dear Dr Pagalavan,
I’ve left a question for you in your email. Would you mind taking a moment to check and respond when you have the chance?
Thank you so much Dr 😊🙏
replied
What is your advice for Malaysian doctor with a non-Irish basic medical degree and 2 years housemanship preparing to get into the Irish Medical Health Services?
Ireland has started a job freeze on new doctors being hired and causing uncertainty.
If they can secure a place, then I think it is worth it as it opens up future opportunity to work in other countries like Australia, NZ etc
My deepest condolences for you and your family’s loss.
I just want to know what is your opinion regarding the current issue of parallel pathway for specialization in Malaysia , at the end of Dec 2023, a statement done by MQE state that parallel pathway is not recognized by MQE, thus for those who completed the exam (intercollegiate) will not get their NSR. No NSR mean not a specialist.
A lot of people opted to venture into parallel pathway since master seat is limited and there is always some “funny business” in selection process of candidates for master program.
bad attitude, poor skill, inadequate experience is not a big issue,as long as you are somebody’s son/daughter you will get the master seat. Hospital university is even worse, professor creating a seat for his/her own children for master program. Once gazette as specialist, performance and professionalism is below par and very very bad.
(I work long enough to be able to say this)
But since, parallel pathway is not recognized here,and the one who joined master program are “not really good”, i think another issue will arise soon..
I am well aware of these issues that has been going on. It is more complex than what people think. There are many hands at play here to “shut down” the parallel pathway as it is producing specialist of different colours and of course the politics between KKM and universities. The issue of poor quality occurs in both pathways and not unique to just Master’s. As for me, I have written about this many years ago, we should have an independent body like the colleges to run the post graduate training program with a unified training system. Otherwise, this problem will never settle. With NSR coming under MMC, political intervention cannot be avoided.
Hi Dr Pagavalan, my deepest condolence ls to you & your family on your recent lost.. I have been reading your blog on & off for the past years. I am currently a medical officer in public service for more than 10years (primary care) setting & i am currently at the stage where i feel there is a need to further upgrade myself to remain relevant in primary care. Your post about your wife migrating to Australia after obtaining her fracgp has movitated me to take the similar path for the betterment of my kids tertiary education as well as future. However, i found out that all parellel pathway will only be awarded by hlp under kkm since 2022 as i plan to pursue fracgp on self sponsor as i felt the rm350k for a rm50k+ study fee wasnt worth it at all.. Secondly, i have heard from fellow comrades that with icfracgp, there may be need to gazet for a year in australia & take an exam before being able to practise in australia.. Lastly, is there an age limit for primary care practitioner to be accepted into service in Australia? Your thoughts are much appreciated. Thanks in advance Dr Pagavalan. 🙂
please check with Academy of physician regarding the latest issues with icFRACGP. I was told that there are some recent changes. Previously, you need to do 12 months peer review in Australia before receiving full registration. The age limit for work permit to work in Australia is 50 but for skill migration visa is 45.
There have been recent reports of contracts not renewed. This is happening in a situation where there are alleged shortage of MO’s and houseman. May I have your personal comment on this matter? And is it really true?
Contract are renewed for those doing speciality. Those who are not, some have rejected the contract renewal as they were transferred. And there are also people resigning when their permanent job application is unsuccessful.
Hi Dr, I don’t know if you are aware of this or not But from this year onwards, only the state hospitals and university hospitals are taking house officers only. Despite the reduction of hospitals these house officer posts are still not filled up for the past few batches. Why is this so? Although 100s of med students are graduating yearly?
The most important reason is because, many are not applying and sitting for foreign entrance exams to UK, US, Australia etc. Also due to covid 2 years ago, there were reduction in number of graduates due to delays and many quit due to financial reasons. I have been contacted by many graduates even from 2022 who have not even applied for housemanship but have sat for AMC part 1. Most UM and UKM graduates are going to Singapore and Monash graduates are going to Australia. However, this phenomenon will reverse soon.