I wanted to refrain myself from commenting anything about this student’s death but I thought that there are some lessons to learn from this tragedy. When the news appeared 2 days ago and sent to me via email, I told the sender that I know what is the likely problem. It is unlikely going to be anything to do with stress of medical educations as he did complete 2 years of education in Ireland. It must be something else, likely personal and inability to handle acute stress/emotional disorder.
The next day, his own father has revealed the truth. Not only he said that it is a love triangle but he admitted that money can’t buy everything!! He had given valuable advise to all parents as highlighted below.
I know of many doctors who are busy earning big fat money in private sector, working day and night but forget to spend time with their family. How much money is enough? Being a doctor means that more money is equivalent to less family time. Most of them think that by throwing money to their children and getting them everything they ask for will make them happy. I know some consultants who dedicate their entire life of medicine in setting up departments, units and treating patients in the hospital but hardly spend anytime with their children. To cover their guilt, they buy all sort of things for their children including buying big expensive cars and even paying everything for them. Trust me, it is this type of attitude that destroys a child’s life.
This 3rd year student was driving a BMW sports and I have seen many students driving big cars nowadays , all bought by parents. Of course, you can’t do medicine nowadays unless you are from a rich family or under scholarship. Money can’t buy everything, I use to say this! How true has it become.
Children who grow up in this kind of environment will not be able to handle a simple stress in their life. I have seen many junior doctors who have similar problems. We call them “pampered” child! I had a good HO and subsequently became a MO who committed suicide by injecting Ketamine and potassium few years ago. He was the only child in the family who grew up by getting everything he wants. He was a top student in school and graduated from a local university. He even passed his MRCP Part 1 just after housemanship and wanted to become an Interventional Cardiologist. He was a good doctor thou. One fine day, he realised that he is Hep B +ve during routine investigations. Thinking that he can’t become a cardiologist and his future is not secured, he decided to take his own life!! This is similar to the case below as a simple dejection caused him to commit suicide.
So, to all parents out there, please take the advise given by this doctor below. I never pamper my children. Till today, they still go to school by bus and get only limited amount of money from me. They are thought to save their own money to buy anything and I always teach them to be independent. I hope they will grow up well and able to handle everything in life.
R.I.P………………………
Student falls to his death
GEORGE TOWN: A medical student fell to his death from a multi-storey car park of a shopping mall here.
Steven Ko Yiu Hing, 24, (pic) is believed to have fallen from the fourth floor of the car park. His BMW was parked on that floor.
Ko’s father, founder of a chain of skin specialist clinics, declined to speak to reporters at the Penang Hospital mortuary where his son’s body was sent for post-mortem.
OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said the father had told police that his son was under pressure since beginning his studies at the Penang Medical College here a few months ago.
He said Ko’s body was found sprawled on the ground floor by three workers at about 2am yesterday.
“Ko’s parking ticket showed that he had parked his car at the mall at about 4pm on Wednesday,” ACP Gan said, adding that police had not ruled out foul play.
The case has been temporarily classified as sudden death.
College president Brendon Lyons said he was saddened by the incident.
“Ko was an active person in college and had done volunteer work at an education fair,” he said.
Lyons said Ko had continued his studies at the college after completing about two years of his course in Ireland.
In another case, a Chung Ling High School Form Six student was found hanged at his flat in Gat Lebuh Macallum here.
The body of Arizona Tan, 17, was discovered by family members in a bedroom.
Initial investigation showed that Arizona could have died for more than six hours before his body was found.
It is learnt that the deceased was staying with his parents, a younger sister and a grandmother.
Neighbours described him as a well-mannered teenager.
One of them, who declined to be named, said she was told that Arizona had been a good student too.
Initial investigations showed that the teenager did not attend school yesterday.
ACP Gan said the case has been temporarily classified as sudden death.
Doc: My son was in love triangle
By TEH ENG HOCK and WINNIE YEOH newsdesk@thestar.com.my
KLANG: The father of the medical student who plunged to his death in Penang believed it was due to relationship problems.
Dr Ko Chung Beng claimed that his son, Steven Ko Yiu Hing (pic), 24, was dejected after deciding to give up his relationship with a girl.
Dr Ko, who is a skin specialist, said his son had been seeing the girl for a month, who also happened to be an ex-girlfriend of a friend.
Recently, the friend had expressed his intention of resuming his relationship with the girl and Steven decided to give way, said Dr Ko.
The trio had spent more than two years studying medicine in Ireland before returning to complete their studies at the Penang Medical College.
“He (Steven) had sent an SMS to the girl saying that he did not want to give her any trouble or pressure her. He advised her to watch the movie Casablanca,” he told reporters at the wake here yesterday.
On Thursday, at about 2am, Steven’s body was discovered sprawled on the ground floor of a shopping complex by three restaurant workers.
He was believed to have fallen from the fourth floor of the car park where his BMW was parked. He had gone to the complex at about 4pm on Wednesday.
Casablanca is a 1942 movie starring Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman set in World War Two. It features a love triangle between two men and a woman with Bogart’s character giving up Bergman.
Dr Ko, who has a daughter, blamed himself for not spending enough time with his son when he was going through an emotional phase.
“My advice to parents is to spend more time with your children. Do not pamper them too much by giving them all they want.
“Otherwise they may not be able to take rejection, as there are some things that money can’t buy,” he said.
In GEORGE TOWN, police are pursuing all angles, including relationship problems that could have led to Steven’s death.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said Steven did not leave behind any note.
“Police are ascertaining whether there was any foul play,” he said yesterday.
The case has been classified as sudden death and police have surrendered his belongings, including his car, to Steven’s family in Klang.
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