Well, I have been quite busy lately. I started off last week with someone not being happy with what I have written in the latest Berita MMA magazine. It seems,  name of a hospital was mentioned in my article and thus the pengarah is not happy. He called my boss and complained! Anyway, who cares? If you don’t agree with what I have written then proof it to me!

Then, one of my patient, a 21-year-old university student, was readmitted for SLE flare. Her mother decided to become a doctor and asked her to stop taking Prednisolone. She flared with pleural and pericardial effusion. Thank God it was a minor flare. BUT, actually  it is a blessing for her. Why do I say so?

I prescribed T.Hydroxychloroquine 200 mg in February 2010. She did complain to me that she feels giddy after taking it for 2 days (somewhere in March 2010), thus she has not been taking it. It was only during this admission that I realise that she was actually given T. Hydrochlorothiazide 200mg od!!!!!!!For those who don’t know, T, Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic based anti-hypertensive medication where the usual dose is only 12.5 – 50 mg od. Here, she was given 200mg od which can be fatal by causing hypokalaemia, hyponatraemia and cardiac arrest! Thank GOD she did not force herself to take it. If not because of this admission, I would not have known about it.

I traced back my prescription and it was quite clear what I have written is correct. The pharmacy decided to dispense the wrong drug. I have written a love letter to the pengarah.

Then, came the joke of the week. My friend sent me 2 photos. It were pictures of a circular sent out by the “Unit Sumber” of the hospital regarding private locum  for government doctors. The best part was that, under the “senarai edaran“, there were 4 specialist who have already resigned from civil service almost a year ago!!!

This is what happens when you have a bloated civil service when the Head doesn’t know what the tail is doing!!! Am I wrong when I wrote about it in my MMA article?

As usual whenever a by-election is held, many new announcements will be made. But they will claim that it was already in the pipeline but just announcing earlier.

Actually, the news below is nothing new. The total number of years of compulsory service before was 4 years which include 1 year of Housemanship followed by 3 years of MO.

Then the Housemanship was extended to 2 years in 2008.

Thus by reducing the compulsory service to 2 years just brings the number of years to the same. Now, you do 2 years housemanship followed by 2 years MO, total : still 4 years!!

Sometimes I don’t now whether to laugh or cry looking at our politicians statements.

Compulsory service for docs cut to two

years with immediate effect

By NG CHENG YEE

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KUALA KUBU BARU: The compulsory service period for medical practitioners has been reduced from three years to two years with immediate effect, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said this was in accordance with the longer internship training from one year to two years.

“The move to shorten the compulsory service would encourage doctors to remain in the country,” he said, adding that it would indirectly discourage a brain drain.

Liow also announced that Malay­sian doctors working overseas and who had pursued their studies abroad at their own expense were exempted from compulsory service.

“However, they must have documented clinical experience of more than 10 years,” he said at the launch of a healthy lifestyle campaign here yesterday.

Previously, Liow had announced that doctors above 45 years would get total exemption.

For those below 45 years, exemption will be given if they possess a rare sub-specialty as determined by a committee on exemption of compulsory service or if they had served in public or private universities or military hospitals for a continuous period of two years.

Liow also announced that an additional building would be built at the Kuala Kubu Baru Hospital dialysis unit.

“We will also add four more dialysis machines for kidney patients here,” he said.

He said there were currently four dialysis machines servicing 18 patients while 17 others were still on the waiting list.

On Influenza A(H1N1), Liow said 11 cluster cases had been confirmed and noted that the disease is still active in Malaysia.

On dengue fever, Liow said Selangor had recorded the highest number of such cases for 2008 and last year.

“In Hulu Selangor, there were 1,069 cases in 2008, 642 last year and 68 cases until April this year,” he said.

Why do people leave Malaysia? I think everyone knows the answer. Over the last 40 years, thousands of people especially non-Malays have left Malaysia. They were systematically kicked out of this country by positive discrimination policies by the government. The situation got worst during Mahathir’s era and subsequently during PakLah’s era. Najib is trying his best to beg these people to come back as I have mentioned in my earlier post. But again, we have people within UMNO who still believes in “ketuanan melayu” and we have PERKASA who supposedly fighting for Malay rights. I wonder whether they are fighting for Malay rights or their own elite rights.

Over the years our country has been going down the drain and to the dogs. People have lost faith in the system, education, judiciary etc etc. Even the educated Malays have come to realise this and have started to migrate. It is sad to see this country who was once the tiger economy of Asia in 60s and 70s going in the direction of the Philippines. You must read the history of Philippines to know what I am talking about. It use to be the best economy in South East Asia till the early 70s before corruption sets in. You see where they are now?

Once, an “old” friend of mine told me that Malaysia is booming as evidenced by the thousands of workers flogging our country to get a job. I laughed at her argument because these are unskilled labourers where as we are loosing thousands of professionals and the best brains. Mahathir thought that by taking short cuts to make the Malays look successful, he can slowly phase out the non-Malays but it did not work. A system without merit will never succeed. The majority of Malays were brought up in a non-competitive environment and they have developed inferiority complex which have stopped them from progressing any further.

Now, they ave started to beg people to come back! The article below was published in Malaysiakini today……………

‘Leaving Malaysia a necessity’

Apr 14, 10 2:03pm

In response to the Malaysiakini report ‘Why I left Malaysia’ – emigrants tell their tale, readers write in on the various push and pulls factors that influenced their decision to leave the country for good.
Raj
Leaving Malaysia was a necessity more than a desire for me. Having been involved in the infrastructural development of the country from the 80s through to 2000, I am proud to have seen Malaysia at its best.

However, the refusal of the powers-that-be at that time to face the reality of the day, ie, the financial crisis and the propping up of failed and unsustainable enterprises while all the neighbouring countries ‘bit the bullet’ and restructured their economy showed the lack of honesty in looking for a holistic solution.

Instead, self-interest took over in what seemed like a frenzied desperation for survival. All the efforts to build a more equitable society went out the window.

Then the obvious departure of hundreds of well-qualified and experienced productive young and old Malaysians and the stagnant if not failing economy and half-witted policies, the race and religious issues, the lack of freedom of speech and the ‘Sodomy I’ trial all saw the deterioration of a beautiful, peaceful and prosperous Malaysia into a quasi-banana republic (almost).

The rise of Islamic fundamentalist, the biased justice system and the treatment by the various arms of the legislative, judiciary, police, etc, have all contributed to our decision to move out of our lovely country.

Citizenship is not an issue for the millions of illegals from neighbouring countries but only for those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder to make the country what it is today. At a time when we should be reaping the fruits of our labour having contributed constructively to the growth of the country, we are shunned as outsiders.

Well, we know our self-worth and so do the countries that welcome us as we continue to contribute to the growth and well-being of the societies we live in – for that is what we do best and all we need is a little bit of appreciation for a job well done.

Alas Malaysia, thou art a flower in a monkey’s hand. Until and unless the youth of today see the actualisation of a free and fair society, the laws of nature (such as water finds its own level) will force Malaysia to correct itself unceremoniously, and finally attain a steady state of social (and other) justices.
Aswad Abdul

My name is Aswad Abdul, female, 32 years old, living in Perth, Western Australia and working for the Red Cross Australia. This is not my real name because I used to represent Malaysia in junior tennis and also for the privacy of my family.

I left Malaysia in 1996 and have taken up Australian citizenship three years ago. My family is still in Malaysia. My heart is always with them but I left because I think I could help my family more and give better opportunities to them if one day they decided to join me here.

And by that I mean not to make my family unnecessarily rich because I lead a very simple life and I just want to see my family’s social standard in the community improve by allowing them the ability to buy good food or even get better healthcare with the money I send back home.

I also believe that by being here, I can help more people in Malaysia as we know that there are still those who are very, very poor and I send all my zakat money to them through the help of friends who will divide the money back home. I think that my proudest achievement is that I have also sold my terrace home in Section 7, Shah Alam, to raise money to help those in need such as orphans, single parents, the elderly, those with disabilities and others.

I pay for my siblings’ education so they do not have the rely on government loans or scholarships although they qualify. I believe they should give up their rights to others who really can’t afford it and need such opportunities more. Although I am now ‘homeless’; I feel calm and peaceful for the lives I have helped and changed.

I miss my parents everyday. However, I believe that my sacrifice will bring changes to those who have crossed paths with me – by them doing the same as I did or even better. I’m here not to get rich or for the laid back lifestyle but to share what I have earned with others and give them a better chance in life.
Usla Abdullah

I live and work in the United States. Alhamdulillah, my salary is in the six figures. I was a senior executive at public-listed company (listed on Amex) for two and a half years. My wife is from the US and we moved back to the US in 1998 because her father had a stroke and he was in coma for two years. We lived in Malaysia for five years – 1993 to 1998. My first child was born in Malaysia.

I am staying in the US because my family has developed roots here. We are becoming part of community here. Even though I like it here, but deep down I still prefer to go back to Malaysia (my tanah air). I always think about Malaysia (almost daily) and plan to retire there.
Shahrul Abdul Latip

Saya, Shahrul Abdul Latip. Berhijrah kerja ke negara-negara Teluk di Timur Tengah sejak dari empat tahun yang lepas. Bertugas sebagai Pegawai Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan di aliran minyak dan gas.

Berhijrah bukan kerana wang semata-mata tetapi kerana karenah birokrasi kerajaan dan juga kerenah majikan. Sukar untuk seseorang seperti saya yang hanya berbekalkan sijil dari Angkatan Tentera Malaysia mendapat posisi yang baik di tempat kerja walaupun mempunyai kredibiliti bekerja.

Majikan memandang kepada ‘kertas’ manakala kerajaan memberi kelebihan kepada siswazah – walaupun siswazah tidak ingin jawatan tersebut.

Di Timur Tengah, setelah memenuhi segala keperluan, saya diberikan taraf pegawai berdaftar dalam tempoh seminggu. Jika di Malaysia, saya akan dibolak balik ke sana dan kemari selama setahun sekurang-kurangnya.

Untuk mendapat posisi di Malaysia, soalan yang diajukan antaranya; ‘Siapa yang anda kenal’?

Di sini, setelah memenuhi kriteria dan selepas tempoh percubaan, maka pekerja itu di ‘confirm’ kan. Saya dihormati sebagai ‘army veteran’ walaupun saya dari ‘rank-and-file’.

Hao

I spent 22 years of my life in Malaysia, most of it in East Malaysia and I find Malaysia a beautiful country with amazing culture, food and people. When I left for Australia to pursue my engineering degree, I didn’t expect that I would leave Malaysia indefinitely. Just a few months of living in Australia changed my mind. Though the food they serve here is not even near to Malaysia’s hawker standard, but one cannot deny that Australia is much more multi-cultural than Malaysia.

Australia being an immigrant country, you will find every house along the street you live in comes from all over the world. You don’t see one race congregating in one area. People mix, people mingle, people socialise. The people have a say on the city’s infrastructure and development. Everything is designed and built for a reason, and not for the politician’s pocket.

I don’t get a second-level treatment here in Australia, compared to Malaysia where I’m a second-tier citizen. I’m far better off here in this so-called ‘foreign country’ even though I am not a citizen.

With equal opportunity being the primary driver, the good remuneration paid by the companies and great working conditions here seal the deal for me. I got my permanent residency soon after graduation, worked for the government in their power station as an electrical engineer. Paid off my car within a few months – no way a fresh graduate can do that in Malaysia.

Upon approval of my permanent resident status, I immediately receive a registration form from their electoral commission to register as a voter. Hey, Australia actually values me as a voter! Even though voting rights are only for citizens, at least they have the courtesy to invite me to register. Malaysia? Never even bothered about my existence. I’m not surprised if they preferred that I didn’t vote.

Looking back at all my peers who started working earlier than me back in Malaysia, they are still no where near me. What does Malaysia hold for its people? An ever-depreciating value of the currency only makes the conditions worse – pulling the dream of travelling around the world further and further away from those making a living in Malaysia.

Malaysia, once the tiger economy of Asia in the 60s, now overtaken by Indonesia and Thailand. What a shame for the country’s ‘leaders’.

Suresh Simson

My name is Suresh Simson, currently working as a mining consultant in Brisbane, Australia.
When I fist arrived in Australia in 2007, the job recruitment agent told me that I am are highly skilled and a lot of people will be lining up to hire me.

This was just the opposite of what I was told in Malaysia, where people only looked at my weakness and looked for ways to put me down and exploit me the maximum that they could.

Fed up with all the racism I felt as an Indian in Malaysia, this motivated me to move to Australia, which I now proudly call home.

Unlike Malaysia, I can see great future for my children in Australia and have no worries about racism. I was very surprised when I found out that the former Australian rugby captain was of African descent while the vice-captain of the women’s cricket team was of Indian origin.

As for coming back to Malaysia, unless Malaysia is hit by a real tsunami which in turn makes Malaysians think that God created all human equal, then I don’t want to be part of a racist country called Malaysia.
This is first of a four-part series where Malaysiakini invited the Malaysian diaspora to write about why they left the country. More tomorrow.

 After years of chasing away the best brains, now finally the government realised the mistake they have made! Once, one of my friend told me that there will come a day when the government will start begging the brains to come back to serve the country. Not surprisingly, most of these people will be non-Malays who left the country due to positive discrimination policies practised by the government. You can see this “begging” from the recent New Economic Model announcement where ex-Malaysians who return will be given PR status.

//

Apr 12, 10 4:10pm

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the programme, which was approved by the cabinet last week, would only be open to those who had self-funded their studies.

He said details of the programme would be announced soon and it was expected to be implemented this year.

“With the extensive planning and effort to strengthen medical tourism, it is time for us to lure them home. We hope they can come back and serve the country.

“We are increasing the facility in the private sector. There is big potential for them here,” he told reporters after opening the Healthcare Tourism Congress 2010 in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said that to date, some 100 Malaysian doctors had returned from abroad under the various brain-gain programmes.

On another matter, Liow said Health Director-General Dr Ismail Merican had been instructed to look into the long-standing issue of restricting doctors from advertising their services in the media.

“I recognise this problem. We feel there is a need to liberalise on this and to allow doctors to advertise their services,” he said.

He added that if this was allowed, doctors would have to follow strict guidelines which included disallowing them to do comparison with other doctors.

On health tourism, Liow said the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), which was launched last year, had actively embarked on several programmes promoting Malaysia as the preferred healthcare destination.

He said that from the traditional markets like Singapore and Indonesia, Malaysia was now targeting medical tourists from Brunei, Europe, Australia and the United States, as well as developing Asean countries like Loas and Cambodia.

Medical tourism was also poised to become one of the major revenue earners for the country to spur it towards its high-income economy ambition, he added.

He said that private hospitals’ revenue in the country grew from RM58.9 million with around 103,000 medical tourists in 2003 to RM299.1 million in 2008 with around 374,000 medical tourists and the arrival of medical tourists for this year was expected to rise to another 30 per cent.

– Bernama

I simply don’t get it at times. We have been hearing these kind of news, year in and year out. Billions have been wasted in such leakages and yet they get away so easily, just because they are UMNO/BN cronies.

Blacklisting will not do any damage to these contractors as long as there are no legal actions against them. From the news below we know that 6 contractors took up projects worth RM 180 mil, means RM 30 million per contractor. The main contractor would have already pocketed atleast 10%(RM 3 million) of the amount as their “birthright” before subcontracting it!! So do you think they care whether the government will terminate their contract? They are not interested in completing their project, they are only interested in making quick money!

So what if you are blacklisted? They will dissolve the company and from another company under their “wives” or children’s name!

As long as the government do not practise open tender policy and keep giving  to their cronies(under the name of ketuanan crap), this situation will not change. We will be hearing this for many years to come untill our country goes bankrupt, which I think is very near!

Six contractors blacklisted by Education Ministry

By FARIK ZOLKEPLI and KAREN CHAPMAN
farik@thestar.com.my

Deputy Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the errant contractors had failed to complete projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The projects included SMK Sri Putra in Bangi, SM Bayan Lepas in Penang, Regional Science and Mathematics Centre in Sarawak, the teachers’ quarters in Kuantan, SM Sains Gua Musang in Kelantan and SM Sains Batu Pahat.

“Among their favourite excuses are shortage of funds and manpower. We are not going to tolerate such contractors. We hope to teach them a harsh lesson by blacklisting them,” he told newsmen after visiting the SM Sains Batu Pahat abandoned project yesterday.

Dr Mohd Puad said that 33 more contractors had been issued warning letters, which would be followed by termination if the projects were not completed.

“All abandoned projects will be revived by appointing new contractors,” he said, adding that future contractors would be screened thoroughly.

On the SM Sains Batu Pahat project which costs RM46.5mil, Dr Mohd Puad said that work was supposed to be completed in September last year and the first intake of students was to have been in January.

“However, after two warning letters, the contractors still failed to complete the project.

“We have already fired the contractor and a new one has been appointed,” he said, adding that the project is now expected to be completed by year-end.

Asked for more details later, Dr Puad said the blacklisting of the contractors involved 45 projects classified as “sick projects”.

This meant that they were uncompleted.

He said the 45 projects represented 0.32% of the total 14,181 projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Dr Puad also said that the 33 contractors had received warning letters for breach of contract.

“We are considering whether seven more contractors should be given extensions to finish their projects which are either incomplete or late. They may also get warning letters if they are unable to finish their work,” he said.

He said once a new contractor was appointed for a project, they would proceed with the work that had been left uncompleted.

Education Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang told The Star that other relevant agencies would also be informed about the contractors blacklisted by the ministry.

He said the ministry would call for tenders for new contractors to complete the projects.

Asked how the ministry would recover the money after the contractors were blacklisted, he said their deposits would be forfeited.

“The ministry is also losing time as these projects are uncompleted,” he said.

“Went to pick up passport appli form @ 3pm. Saw 7 fellas in cust relations booth eatin goreng pisang.. told to go to counter borang. Fellow there pulled down shutter.Kita sibuk, tlg naik atas. Peeped and saw another 6 fellas eating kuih. Went up and was told to go down again to wait.. Took me 1hr for that form! Why are they eating when they are supposed to be working?”

A friend of mine sent me the SMS above yesterday. Franky speaking, this is what that is happening in the civil service at the moment. Due to our poor, politicised education system, we have successfully produced thousands of unemployable undergraduates. The government decided to absorb all these graduates by giving them jobs in civil service and thus bloating the civil service.

These has produced the situation above. 7 fellows being appointed to distribute forms in some government departments!. In Hospital Sultanah Aminah, 3 staffs are appointed to sit at the counter to entertain any people who wants to meet anyone in the office. The office door is closed to everyone! Most of the time these 3 fellows will be chatting among themselves as they got no other work to do. The best part is that, this counter is mainly for hospital staffs. Why cant the hospital staffs just walk into the office and meet the relevant people and safe a lot of time for everyone!

You will see this kind of situation in each and every department in civil service. Hospital Sultanah Aminah now has 9 Timbalan Pengarahs!!!! God knows for what? I am sure it is the same in many other big hospitals.

Now you know where your tax money is going? To pay these fellows who are jobless and the best part , they don’t even pay any tax!