From Lim Kit Siang’s Blog
Plight of JPA medical scholars
Letters
by Frustrated JPA scholar
I am a medical student sponsored by JPA to study in Ireland about to complete my studies. I write to you after reading your article on the rot of the Malaysian healthcare system. We JPA scholars here have been very frustrated with the JPA enforcing us to immediately return to the country upon graduation, barring us from continuing training as interns (equivalent of houseman) in the countries where we graduated from This would mean we cannot obtain the sufficient exposure that would make our training complete, and would off course, mean a waste of taxpayers money as there would have been no difference with studying locally.
- JPA piggy bank comes from Taxpayer, JPA wanted their sponsored students to come home to Malaysia to serve is a logical thing. This should not be called a ‘Plight’, because JPA done a lot to ensure the fees get paid on time, your 3 meals are taken care off with pocket money to spare. Yes, healthcare system at home is in sorry state and JPA invested in YOU to come back to repair it. Trust me, I knew of many friends in Ireland benefited from it
JPA had announced recently that none of its medical scholars overseas will be allowed the opportunity to do further train overseas even at their own expanses, and are to return ASAP upon graduation. No scholar would be allowed to stay on regardless of the training posts they obtain upon graduation. To add to the spice of JPA’s foolishness, it seems that JPA gives priority to romantic relationships over the academic achievements of its scholars by giving exception to remain overseas to those who are married to a fellow JPA/MARA sponsored student who are still commencing studies in the foreign country concerned.
- Well, whoever paid the bill made the rule. Since you have taken the Taxpayer money, you have to follow the rule. On the rule of romantic relationship, I felt JPA is a bit shortsighted to allow such exception. The students in question should be pre-warned that their love ones is likely to be separated if they do not abide by it. Let the tears and emotion flow ….
Till today, I have yet to comprehend the narrow minded policies set by the JPA. JPA seems to fail to understand that by allowing its scholars to stay on for postgraduate training, many will be offered positions in world-renowned healthcare institutions.
- After they were offered the position, would they still want to come home to serve up their obligation to Taxpayer ?
- Narrow minded, hardly, after JPA and Taxpayer got cheated too many times, they just wised up.
The exposure and experience gained through these positions would be an invaluable asset to the country and the rakyat in the future.
- Sorry-lah , that reasoning was replayed many times already.
Unfortunately, JPA seems to be adamant in having fresh graduate doctors returning to receive Malaysian medical training, instead of allowing these fresh grads to further train themselves and one day return as first world specialists who will reform and infuse new uptodate skills in Malaysian Healthcare a few years down the road.
- Sad to say, many smart one did not want to come home, the reasoning is just too idealistic to be believable here.
Also of importance is the availability of funding to do research work in these foreign teaching hospitals, which is significantly lacking in Malaysia. Would it not make Malaysia proud if Malaysian Doctors were publishing their research work in heavy weight journals in the medical world. Upon return, these foreign trained doctors will then be able to start up a trend of research-based medicine, to the benefit of the ranking of Malaysian universities who lose out because of lack in research.
- Quite a valid point here, but the writer needs to understand the fact that a lot funding were used to send him/her overseas and not getting any return of investments because many do not want to come home and just buying time. So taxpayer wasted so much money. Perhaps we should just canceled this whole scheme of sending them oversea altogether because it is just so expensive and Taxpayer are not getting any return. Use that money to invest in local hospital for our local postgraduate instead.
This immediate return policy has also stunted the motivation of many JPA scholars. Housemanship placements in Malaysia show disregard to academic achievements.
- Yes, the piece of paper only get you the license to practice medicine and it cost a lot, how you do and where you do it is trivial.
- Talked about motivation ? Look at how many that was bright and denied the possibility to study and excel in academic world but instead use other means in business to become leaders in their field. If you do not know what you have, you will never be motivated to live another day longer.
It is random where one is sent to at best, and at its worst influenced by racism and cronism.
- No doubt about it !! Spot on !!
This off course does not help in encouraging JPA scholars to strive to improve themselves. Knowing the fact that additional experience, eg opitional research and academic grades do not count later on, there are some who have lost motivation, and many who have been apprehensive in taking further steps to improve themselves due to the fear that the JPAs immediate return policy might put all their effort into waste by abruptly discontinuing their work.
- I think to squarely blamed it on JPA is unfair , reason being JPA needed to do it based on social and demographic needs of sick patients (Taxpayer), not to cater to the wimp and fancies of its doctor wannbe .
- If you want to become doctor, you need to carry out your duty without prejudice. Yup, in overseas , they have free choice of selecting the field of interest. You can always go back to work on it after your contract is up, no one is stopping you.
Starting year 2008, there will be at least 2000 Malaysian fresh medical graduates from the various public and private universities sprouting throughout the country, not to forget graduates returning from Russia, Indonesia, India and Ukraine. This number is likely to rise over the coming years. Will MOH be able to cope with the demand for training posts?
- Well, that question had been asked many years ago, we are still short of doctors as of today. You do not need to worry too much about it. Just come back and serve your country.
Will the ministry of health be able to provide enough housemenship positions, and if yes, will these posts provide high quality training, as the saying goes ‘too many cooks spoil the soup’?
- Take a walk to the hospital today, you will know . Just come back and serve up your term and you are free to do whatever and go wherever. The quality is in your own hand.
In the long term, will the ministry of health be able to provide enough specialist opportunities, considering its eagerness to do away with MRCP and only recognize the local masters program? My fear is that there will be a bottleneck down the pipeline, and many competent doctors will be failed by JPA and the ministry of health’s poor planning.
- Maybe JPA should stop sending student to be trained overseas and use the money to invest in local research instead.
Henceforth, to lessen the burden on the Malaysian Healthcare system, it would only be simple common sense to allow those graduating from foreign universities who are offered good opportunities to continue with their post graduate training overseas without having to return immediately, as it is the easiest way to gain access to train in these countries.
- Sorry, after some time, many just never come back .
- Yup, even some doctors were known to be NOT that morally superior at all, that is why we are still short of the good ones !!!
During one of the talks given by JPA officials who visited Ireland, a student raised a question on the rationale of JPAs ‘immediate return policies’. The officer in charge went in a rage and accused the people who wanted to stay as ‘just wanting to earn money’. I could not believe the narrow mindedness behind these words. For one, what is wrong with earning money? Also, many JPA scholars are top achievers, and view further career advancement as the driving force behind their intention to remain and continue training overseas. The plight of these JPA scholars has fallen on deaf ears of the JPA authorities. Many of JPA’s policy makers are not doctors themselves. How are they to understand the need of good training even at a post graduate level.
- Yes, JPA got smarter this time and wanted their priced investment to go home starts working even though their officers were not well trained in handling emotion. Top achievers , so what ? They have obligation to repay the debt too, they cannot just keep on studying without contributing back to society.
Finally, I would like to stress that all JPA scholars love their country, and would love to return to serve.
- Really ? I think most (Not all) loves good life in those nice cool climate foreign land. I doubted that statement was true, because now asking them to come home quickly, so much noise already being made.
However to my view, it would be better to return after adequate exposure to first world healthcare, as this would bring the most benefit to the rakyat.
- Tropical country like Malaysia has more tropical sickness, in practice you should come home to understand what type of sickness are more prevalent here if you truly love your own country. Unless you want to know more about patient of different demographic which is in Ireland and prepare to stay for long term, then you want to gain the experience there instead. And please come home and serve up your contract.
I am also fully aware that a contract is a contract, (despite the fact JPA changed the contract one-sidedly half way through our training from a penalty of RM160,000 to approximately a million ringgit) without prior warning), and if JPA remains adamant to prevent its scholars to further develop their skills overseas, the only thing we can do is to return as housemen.
- Yes contract is contract and please do not belittle the houseman role and responsibility here in Malaysia, I knew some hardworking houseman eventually went on to become good specialist in their own field.
- 160K-1 million is a lot to pay, we, Taxpayer are paying that to ensure to get your license to practice. Trust me, when you started earning your money, is much more than that.
- Why grumbled now it involved so much money, perhaps you should blamed your own parent for not able (or not wanting) to cough out that money to send you over there , not JPA . Those that had their own parents paying for their tuition fees, they are free to roam around ,right ? Life is just never fair, get use to it !!!
The authorities in JPA, however, should understand that to attract talent in the public service, the more effective methods would be by improving pay, ensuring fairness by meritocracy and adequate training opportunities,. By using brute force, many may return, but only with the intention of leaving as soon as the bond imposed is over.
- That answered your question on why we are forever shortage of doctors and don’t worry, there will never be overflowed as long as so many like you that wanted to go away from serving their own honest tax paying countryman. Stop behaving like LOOTER.
- Yes,,, this time we voted for change, let’s hope that the new check and balance ecosystem will take its course to make it more conducive to attract talents.
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