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Fees Are Up ?Any Extra Benefit ?

Part II

The “Saga” Continues…………………

                    It has been 6 months since I first wrote an article in Berita MMA on the same topic mentioned above (Berita MMA January 2005). Unfortunately, I don’t think MMA has considered my views seriously then. I am not seeing any changes taking place in MMA marketing strategies. My worst nightmare and what exactly I mentioned in my January Berita has finally come true. I understand that as of June 2005 only 64 new members have joined the association. Over 3000 members have lapsed. This is really a disastrous figure to look at but I think I have pointed out that this disaster is going to happen 6 months ahead. So where are we now?

            In my article then, I mentioned the ways MMA can improve in its marketing strategies to attract newer generation of doctors. It may look silly to many senior members but at the grassroots level, it may really bear some fruits. Below I summarise the proposals I made in my earlier article regarding the ways MMA can improve its marketing strategies: 

1)     I suggested that MMA should come up with a Membership Kit like  many other associations and clubs and the materials that should be included into the kit are :

–                     Membership card

–                     Receipt of payment

–                     Latest Berita MMA

–                     Latest Malaysia Medical Journal

–                     Latest BMJ (if applicable)

–                     MMA car sticker

–                     Direst access application form

–                     List of achievement of SCHOMOS (if applicable)

–                     List of achievement of MMA in general

–                     List of benefits of joining MMA

–                     A copy of latest AGM report CD

–                     List of names and contact numbers of the MMA council

–                     List of subcommittees/Societies in MMA

–                     List of staff and e-mail address at the MMA Secretariat

2)     Non- MMA members who attend CME programmes organized by MMA should be charged a nominal fee of RM 10 per CME session.

3)     To try to get discounts for members in various fields such as conferences, hotels, medical bookshops etc etc.

4)     To make Malaysian Medical Journal available over the internet.

5)     To make the National AGM as a scientific meeting as well to encourage more doctors to attend and be attracted to join MMA.

 Here, in my second part of my opinion, I have few more suggestions which worth paying attention to. We are now living in the era of Information Technology (IT). MMA should also get itself into this era and look forward in making member’s life easier. Until today, the only way a member can pay his/her membership fee is either by cheque/money order/postal order or auto debit from Direct Access credit card. Many members have brought forward this matter to me as they feel it is very difficult for them to pay the membership fees. As doctors, we do not have the time to go to the post office to make the money order or postal orders required. Not all junior doctors carry cheque books anyway. As such, MMA should make an effort to find ways on how this issue can be solved in order to make the members feel easy to pay their fees. Honestly speaking, we are loosing many members because of these difficulties.

I suggest that MMA should affiliate with more credit card companies and banks in providing auto debit facilities in paying the membership fees. If local authority assessment fee can be paid by this manner why can’t a professional body? This will make many members’ life much easier and to remain as members. Now everyone is carrying a credit card as many banks are offering free annual fees. So by just depending on Direct Access credit card alone is not going to do the trick. Furthermore, Southern Bank is not available everywhere, especially for the doctors in the districts, to make their payments. This also results in many doctors not interested in taking the Direct Access credit card. MMA should be able to accept any credit card for its annual fee payment.

What about e-payment? There are many fees and payments that can be made via internet now, using credit cards. Even airline tickets can be booked and paid via online payments. I can book and pay for my train tickets in UK 2 months ahead via the internet but still has to walk to a post office to get a money order to pay my annual MMA membership fees! Where are we in this issue? Are we anywhere near 21^st century? Newer generation of doctors are now well versed with internet and computers in contrast to older generations. They are doing many transactions via internet from their homes. I still remember a houseman who asked me whether MMA membership can be applied through internet. Of course my answer was NO but I did tell him that he can download application forms from the MMA website. It is rather embarrassing to say that, as being a professional body we appeared to be backwards in technology. Our current website, which I could not access up to today, does not seem to do any good to anybody. We should make our website to be able to process on-line application of new memberships.

Finally, I think MMA should seriously restructure itself in improving the service to its members. We should not be sitting on what we have done 30 years ago and reciting it again and again today. We should progress together with the mindset of the current generation of doctors. If we do not do this then I think we are fighting a loosing battle against the “Dark side”. Soon the “Force” may not be with us unless we undertake drastic changes in our way of approaching newer generation of doctors. The “Saga” is never going to end and it will continue forever but towards the “Dark side”…………….