KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (picture) said today that he considered himself a “Malay first,” and then only a Malaysian, in response to a challenge issued by DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang.
Lim had earlier this morning challenged Muhyiddin to state that he was Malaysian first, and Malay second to prove that he did indeed believe in the concept of 1 Malaysia which had been Barisan Nasional’s “unifying” slogan under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“I am Malay first! But being Malay does not mean you are not Malaysian. It is not a race issue. It’s an understanding of the term gagasan. I dont think Kit Siang understands what the word gagasan means,” said the DPM.
Muhyiddin, who is also Barisan Nasional Deputy Chairman claimed that Lim’s persistence in the matter was a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) tactic to try and drive a wedge between him and Najib.
“The question of 1 Malaysia should not be brought up. When a leader talks about the interest of his own race, it does not mean he doesn’t support 1 Malaysia. 1 Malaysia is based on the Constitution.”
“There is nothing wrong in leaders fighting for their own race. Don’t tell me Kit Siang does not fight for the Chinese?” he said.
Muhyiddin also accused Lim of using the benchmark of “middle Malaysia” on him, which was not applicable.
“I challenge Kit Siang to come out and say that PAS and PKR supports the concept of Middle Malaysia... can he do that? They don’t support it. It’s only a DAP slogan.”
“Look at Barisan Nasional, 13 component parties of different races and all believing in the message of 1 Malaysia. His (Kit Siang) party is a chauvinist party.”
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Ketuanan Melayu vs Cucu Datuk Merah — Hishamuddin Yahaya
MARCH 27 — Acute moral decadence plaguing the Malay youths today is reminiscent of what was described of the Malays, a hundred years or so ago: poor, lazy and indolent, habitually waking up late, addicted to opium, caught up with cock fighting, gambling and all other kinds of entertainment.
Flabbergasted Malays condemned the writer as a British stooge, paid to disparage them. Apart from that they did nothing and remained snug in their cocoon.
Great motivator
Outraged, a few Malays of later generations took it as a challenge. Among them was the valiant son, Ungku Omar (Datuk Dr Ungku Omar). He was an assistant District Officer (ADO), a glamorous, well-paid job, a rare attainment for a Malay during the British time. He decided to study science from scratch to enable him to study medicine. He sought permission of his British boss, the District Officer (DO), to study part-time. His bosses’ spontaneous response was to get his head examined!
Ungku Omar pursued. With relentless hard work, he qualified to study medicine and eventually became a medical doctor. He was later employed as a lecturer in one of the American universities, specialising in tropical medicine. Later, he was appointed as head of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur.
Ungku Omar died of coronary thrombosis in his early forties. To commemorate this great motivator, Politeknik Ungku Omar in Ipoh was named after him.
Datuk Dr Ungku Omar negated the people’s negative perception of the Malays. The Malays were not lazy, but given the opportunity, they would excel. But where were the opportunities those days?
Ungku Omar was an exception who possessed the rare qualities that others didn’t. He did not wait for opportunity to unfold before him, but he created and found the opportunity himself — the hallmark of success!!
Malay youths of today
Do the Malays of today have the qualities of the late Ungku Omar? Sadly no. They are simply drunk in perceptive hallucination created by the “Malay saviour” Umno, which somehow has made them feel they are in a “comfort zone” — not because of any exemplary achievement or excelled in any field, but because they are Malays. This is reminiscent to the Malay epic “Cucu Datuk Merah” (the grandson of Datuk Merah), who felt he was born privileged and arrogantly asked for favour simply because he was the grandson of Datuk Merah, who had to be respected, although the grandson was not good for anything.
With such a mindset, compounded by a false sense of security, the Malays do not seem to take life seriously and have become more inclined to sensual pleasures.
For example, the Malays are avid entertainment fans. Just look at last New Year’s concert held at Dataran Merdeka. They came in doves as early as six o’clock in the evening and by eight o’clock, we saw a sea of Malays on the padang. Adults, men, women and children stayed until mid-night to enjoy the concert. The same thing happened in all major towns that held the celebration.
Addition to opium (candu) and other crimes
Opium may not be the in-thing today, because all other kinds of drugs are now available. Just to prove that the consumers are Malays, one has to look at all the drug rehabilitation centres all over the country. Almost all the inmates are Malays. Many of the entertainment outlets in major towns are patronised by Malay youths. Mat rempit are exclusively Malays; bohsia and bohjan are mostly Malays. Many Malays are also involved in cases of infanticides and discarding new-borns.
Role of television stations
Television programmes are full of Malay dramas with fewer Chinese and Indian dramas. Certain television stations are training Malay boys and girls as young as 7-years-old to be entertainers; of course under the guise of “discovering talents”. Singers and comedians are honoured and given titles. It almost looks as though not a few Malays are born to entertain and to be entertained, as their ultimate objective in life.
With these multifarious negative images of the Malays, they audaciously talk about “Ketuanan Melayu”. As if these tainted Malay youths are “tuans” in the making. Or are they?
What is Malay supremacy?
What is the Malay supremacy based on, if we may know? Is it constitution based (which we find the constitution does not imply) or ‘son-of-the-soil’ based, like the Red Indians, the Maoris and the Australian natives?
But what’s scarier is what this indoctrination of Ketuanan Melayu entails. Instilling fanatical belief leads to blind faith that takes the mantle of religion. When translated into action, all means will justify the end. We have already experienced the May 13 tragedy, a manifestation of this fanatical belief.
We live by the Constitution and the Rule of Law. We uphold justice and equality of opportunity for all irrespective of race or religion, the bedrock of what we ourselves call “unity in diversity”. Towards this end, we have rightly condemned Biro Tata Negara and we are not inviting Biro Tata Huruhara in its place.
What is entrenched in the Constitution — whether it’s concerning the Malay Rulers and their prerogatives, the special position of the Malays, the Malay language and the Islamic religion, and any other provisions that are deemed Malay-based — are inviolable provisions, which are the basis of the nation’s foundation. They have been agreed to by all races before independence, and therefore they need no renewed claims on the pretext that they have been endangered. These provisions are there to stay, to be observed and respected by all, at all times.
A place in the sun
Political developments may take a turn in the country’s political journey. Not long from now, the Barisan Nasional may be relegated to the Opposition, with Pakatan Rakyat ruling the country. But even in this changed scenario, Pakatan Rakyat is wise enough not to tamper with the sacred document (the Constitution) at the expense of the country’s peace and security. With their having more statesmen then ordinary day-to-day politicians who do not think beyond the tips of their noses, like the BN has, it is safe bet that Pakatan Rakyat would be better able to steer the country into a truly democractic society, where social economic and cultural justice will prevail. It will be a day when every Malaysian is known just as “a Malaysian”, when the word “ethnicity” would be a thing of the past and when everybody will enjoy an equal place in the sun.
So where is the relevancy of Ketuanan Melayu? — aliran.com
MARCH 27 — Acute moral decadence plaguing the Malay youths today is reminiscent of what was described of the Malays, a hundred years or so ago: poor, lazy and indolent, habitually waking up late, addicted to opium, caught up with cock fighting, gambling and all other kinds of entertainment.
Flabbergasted Malays condemned the writer as a British stooge, paid to disparage them. Apart from that they did nothing and remained snug in their cocoon.
Great motivator
Outraged, a few Malays of later generations took it as a challenge. Among them was the valiant son, Ungku Omar (Datuk Dr Ungku Omar). He was an assistant District Officer (ADO), a glamorous, well-paid job, a rare attainment for a Malay during the British time. He decided to study science from scratch to enable him to study medicine. He sought permission of his British boss, the District Officer (DO), to study part-time. His bosses’ spontaneous response was to get his head examined!
Ungku Omar pursued. With relentless hard work, he qualified to study medicine and eventually became a medical doctor. He was later employed as a lecturer in one of the American universities, specialising in tropical medicine. Later, he was appointed as head of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur.
Ungku Omar died of coronary thrombosis in his early forties. To commemorate this great motivator, Politeknik Ungku Omar in Ipoh was named after him.
Datuk Dr Ungku Omar negated the people’s negative perception of the Malays. The Malays were not lazy, but given the opportunity, they would excel. But where were the opportunities those days?
Ungku Omar was an exception who possessed the rare qualities that others didn’t. He did not wait for opportunity to unfold before him, but he created and found the opportunity himself — the hallmark of success!!
Malay youths of today
Do the Malays of today have the qualities of the late Ungku Omar? Sadly no. They are simply drunk in perceptive hallucination created by the “Malay saviour” Umno, which somehow has made them feel they are in a “comfort zone” — not because of any exemplary achievement or excelled in any field, but because they are Malays. This is reminiscent to the Malay epic “Cucu Datuk Merah” (the grandson of Datuk Merah), who felt he was born privileged and arrogantly asked for favour simply because he was the grandson of Datuk Merah, who had to be respected, although the grandson was not good for anything.
With such a mindset, compounded by a false sense of security, the Malays do not seem to take life seriously and have become more inclined to sensual pleasures.
For example, the Malays are avid entertainment fans. Just look at last New Year’s concert held at Dataran Merdeka. They came in doves as early as six o’clock in the evening and by eight o’clock, we saw a sea of Malays on the padang. Adults, men, women and children stayed until mid-night to enjoy the concert. The same thing happened in all major towns that held the celebration.
Addition to opium (candu) and other crimes
Opium may not be the in-thing today, because all other kinds of drugs are now available. Just to prove that the consumers are Malays, one has to look at all the drug rehabilitation centres all over the country. Almost all the inmates are Malays. Many of the entertainment outlets in major towns are patronised by Malay youths. Mat rempit are exclusively Malays; bohsia and bohjan are mostly Malays. Many Malays are also involved in cases of infanticides and discarding new-borns.
Role of television stations
Television programmes are full of Malay dramas with fewer Chinese and Indian dramas. Certain television stations are training Malay boys and girls as young as 7-years-old to be entertainers; of course under the guise of “discovering talents”. Singers and comedians are honoured and given titles. It almost looks as though not a few Malays are born to entertain and to be entertained, as their ultimate objective in life.
With these multifarious negative images of the Malays, they audaciously talk about “Ketuanan Melayu”. As if these tainted Malay youths are “tuans” in the making. Or are they?
What is Malay supremacy?
What is the Malay supremacy based on, if we may know? Is it constitution based (which we find the constitution does not imply) or ‘son-of-the-soil’ based, like the Red Indians, the Maoris and the Australian natives?
But what’s scarier is what this indoctrination of Ketuanan Melayu entails. Instilling fanatical belief leads to blind faith that takes the mantle of religion. When translated into action, all means will justify the end. We have already experienced the May 13 tragedy, a manifestation of this fanatical belief.
We live by the Constitution and the Rule of Law. We uphold justice and equality of opportunity for all irrespective of race or religion, the bedrock of what we ourselves call “unity in diversity”. Towards this end, we have rightly condemned Biro Tata Negara and we are not inviting Biro Tata Huruhara in its place.
What is entrenched in the Constitution — whether it’s concerning the Malay Rulers and their prerogatives, the special position of the Malays, the Malay language and the Islamic religion, and any other provisions that are deemed Malay-based — are inviolable provisions, which are the basis of the nation’s foundation. They have been agreed to by all races before independence, and therefore they need no renewed claims on the pretext that they have been endangered. These provisions are there to stay, to be observed and respected by all, at all times.
A place in the sun
Political developments may take a turn in the country’s political journey. Not long from now, the Barisan Nasional may be relegated to the Opposition, with Pakatan Rakyat ruling the country. But even in this changed scenario, Pakatan Rakyat is wise enough not to tamper with the sacred document (the Constitution) at the expense of the country’s peace and security. With their having more statesmen then ordinary day-to-day politicians who do not think beyond the tips of their noses, like the BN has, it is safe bet that Pakatan Rakyat would be better able to steer the country into a truly democractic society, where social economic and cultural justice will prevail. It will be a day when every Malaysian is known just as “a Malaysian”, when the word “ethnicity” would be a thing of the past and when everybody will enjoy an equal place in the sun.
So where is the relevancy of Ketuanan Melayu? — aliran.com
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Too Many Doctors?
alaysia, a country with about 26 million inhabitants, boasts of 24 medical schools now.
The list is below:
Public universities:
* University of Malaya, Faculty of Medicine
* Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine
* Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Medical Sciences
* Universiti Putra Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
* Universiti Malaysia Sabah, School of Medicine
* Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
* International Islamic University Malaysia, Kulliyyah of Medicine
* Universiti Teknologi Mara, Faculty of Medicine
* Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
* Universiti Darul Iman, Faculty of Medicine
Private Universities and Colleges
* UCSI University, Faculty of Medical Sciences — School of Medicine
* Monash University Malaysia, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
* International Medical University, Faculty of Medicine
* AIMST University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
* Allianze College Of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
* Management and Science University, Faculty of Medicine
* Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
* Royal College of Medicine Perak, School of Medicine
* Melaka Manipal Medical College, School of Medicine
* Penang Medical College, School of Medicine
* MAHSA University College, Faculty of Medicine
* Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NuMED)
* Taylor’s University College, School of Medicine
* Utar
These are the medical schools in Malaysia. These schools, when fully functional, will produce about 4,000 doctors a year. There will be thousands more Malaysian doctors being produced overseas, since many Malaysians are studying medicine in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Russia, Taiwan and even Ukraine.
The sudden mushrooming of medical schools is apparently due to shortages of doctors in the public sectors. This is because most doctors in government service resign after their compulsory services and opt for the supposedly greener pasture in the private sector.
In most other countries, the logical thing to do to counter this brain drain of doctors to the private sector is to find out why doctors are resigning from government service, and then try to address the woes of the doctors, and hopefully, keep them in service. I call this common logic.
The Malaysian solution, like in many other instances, does not take common logic into account but rather uses the sledgehammer approach. After all, we do have Malaysian logic, which is different from common logic practised in most other countries. For example, if we cannot have spacecraft of our own, we can still produce astronauts by sending Malaysians into space, hitchhiking on other countries’ spacecraft.
In most other countries, the common logic will be to try to improve the working conditions in public sector so that doctors will stay back. But Malaysian logic is sledgehammer logic, and is very different.
If the doctors do not want to stay in government service, then Malaysia shall flood the market with doctors, so goes the Malaysian logic. Never mind that setting up of medical schools and training doctors are expensive businesses. We have petroleum and huge amount of development funds.
By building more buildings and buying expensive medical equipment to equip these medical schools, billions will have to be spent and, of course, in the Malaysian context, everyone will be happy, down from the planners, the contractors, the parents and all others involved, since the perception is that projects in Malaysia inevitably will have some leakages and wastages, and many people are very happy with these leakages and wastages.
Never mind that we may have the hardware but we may not have enough qualified people to man these medical schools.
The Malaysian logic seems to be like this: If enough doctors are produced, the market will be saturated with doctors, and thus, doctors will have nowhere to go but to stay in government service.
Well, the people may be clapping hands and rejoicing that, with more doctors than are needed, medical costs will come down.
Unfortunately, things do not function like this in medical education. Experience in some countries tells us that some doctors in private practice, when faced with too few patients, will charge higher and do more investigations, some of which may not be needed. So instead of medical cost going down, it will go up.
In any advanced nation, the setting up of a medical school requires a lot of planning and is not done on an ad hoc basis. Planning must include where to source for experienced and qualified teachers; where to build new or source for existing teaching hospitals, which are big enough for the placement of these medical students to do training.
Planning such as facilities, equipment, classrooms, curriculum. In the west, it takes many years of training for a medical school to be set up; whereas in Malaysia, we see more than 10 in the last five years.
In Malaysia, due to the sudden “exponential” increase in medical schools, we have medical schools pinching staff from each other, even the mediocre ones. With that number of qualified teachers only, it is unavoidable that many teachers may not have the experience and qualification to be medical lecturers.
The early birds (medical schools) are more fortunate. Their students are placed in bigger hospitals like the General Hospitals of Kuala Lumpur or Penang. Now, some of the medical schools just opened have to send their students to smaller district hospitals to do their training. The smaller hospitals are often manned by more junior doctors who are not qualified to be medical teachers, and these hospitals have only very basic facilities and equipment.
This is just the beginning of the problems. For a doctor, graduating from a medical school is the beginning of a life long journey, and the basic medical degree is more like a license to start to really learn how to manage and treat patients.
The most important year after a doctor graduates is the houseman-ship. If a doctor does not have proper houseman training, then he would face a lot of problems later on. He or she may know all the medical knowledge in the world (just for argument’s sake, since knowledge of medicine is so vast that no one can know everything), but without the proper houseman training, he or she will not get the hand-on experience so crucial and important to doctors.
A doctor without proper houseman training is not unlike a person who has only ever raced in arcade games, suddenly being asked to race in a real life race. He would not have the hands on experience to do well. A doctor without proper houseman training would be like a person given a license to kill, and a disaster waiting to happen.
Now, with 4,000 doctors being produced in a year, where do we find so many houseman positions for these young doctors?
Even now, with some of the medical schools just starting and not yet producing doctors, and the number of doctors being produced is much less than the 4,000, the wards in some of the bigger hospitals are filled with so many housemen that, in some wards, there are not enough patients for these housemen to learn management skills.
About a year back, I was told, in HKL some of the units have more than 20 housemen. Recently one doctor told me that in some units, it may have even more than that. I was aghast. Since with that many housemen in a single unit, and so few senior officers to guide them and so few patients for them to learn from, how are they going to learn the skill of doctoring?
When there is not enough training for these housemen, what do you think our policy planners do? In the typical Malaysian style, they increase the length of houseman-ship from a year to 2, hoping that the longer time will help to give better exposure to these doctors.
Compared to Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom, houseman-ship is still one year only. By increasing the length of the houseman-ship, it is a tacit admission that our one-year houseman training is not as good as the above mentioned countries.
A poorly trained houseman will become a mediocre medical officer, and since now most of the specialists are trained internally, it will be a matter of time before future specialists may not be as well trained as presently.
Many parents do not know about the actual situation and still encourage their children to take up medicine. They are not told of the actual situation. The day will come when there are simply so many doctors that none are adequately trained. There will come a day when a doctor graduating from a medical school cannot even be placed in a houseman position.
And that day is actually very near.
Credit to the writer Dr Hsu Dar Ren
The list is below:
Public universities:
* University of Malaya, Faculty of Medicine
* Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine
* Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Medical Sciences
* Universiti Putra Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
* Universiti Malaysia Sabah, School of Medicine
* Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
* International Islamic University Malaysia, Kulliyyah of Medicine
* Universiti Teknologi Mara, Faculty of Medicine
* Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
* Universiti Darul Iman, Faculty of Medicine
Private Universities and Colleges
* UCSI University, Faculty of Medical Sciences — School of Medicine
* Monash University Malaysia, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
* International Medical University, Faculty of Medicine
* AIMST University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
* Allianze College Of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
* Management and Science University, Faculty of Medicine
* Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
* Royal College of Medicine Perak, School of Medicine
* Melaka Manipal Medical College, School of Medicine
* Penang Medical College, School of Medicine
* MAHSA University College, Faculty of Medicine
* Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NuMED)
* Taylor’s University College, School of Medicine
* Utar
These are the medical schools in Malaysia. These schools, when fully functional, will produce about 4,000 doctors a year. There will be thousands more Malaysian doctors being produced overseas, since many Malaysians are studying medicine in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Russia, Taiwan and even Ukraine.
The sudden mushrooming of medical schools is apparently due to shortages of doctors in the public sectors. This is because most doctors in government service resign after their compulsory services and opt for the supposedly greener pasture in the private sector.
In most other countries, the logical thing to do to counter this brain drain of doctors to the private sector is to find out why doctors are resigning from government service, and then try to address the woes of the doctors, and hopefully, keep them in service. I call this common logic.
The Malaysian solution, like in many other instances, does not take common logic into account but rather uses the sledgehammer approach. After all, we do have Malaysian logic, which is different from common logic practised in most other countries. For example, if we cannot have spacecraft of our own, we can still produce astronauts by sending Malaysians into space, hitchhiking on other countries’ spacecraft.
In most other countries, the common logic will be to try to improve the working conditions in public sector so that doctors will stay back. But Malaysian logic is sledgehammer logic, and is very different.
If the doctors do not want to stay in government service, then Malaysia shall flood the market with doctors, so goes the Malaysian logic. Never mind that setting up of medical schools and training doctors are expensive businesses. We have petroleum and huge amount of development funds.
By building more buildings and buying expensive medical equipment to equip these medical schools, billions will have to be spent and, of course, in the Malaysian context, everyone will be happy, down from the planners, the contractors, the parents and all others involved, since the perception is that projects in Malaysia inevitably will have some leakages and wastages, and many people are very happy with these leakages and wastages.
Never mind that we may have the hardware but we may not have enough qualified people to man these medical schools.
The Malaysian logic seems to be like this: If enough doctors are produced, the market will be saturated with doctors, and thus, doctors will have nowhere to go but to stay in government service.
Well, the people may be clapping hands and rejoicing that, with more doctors than are needed, medical costs will come down.
Unfortunately, things do not function like this in medical education. Experience in some countries tells us that some doctors in private practice, when faced with too few patients, will charge higher and do more investigations, some of which may not be needed. So instead of medical cost going down, it will go up.
In any advanced nation, the setting up of a medical school requires a lot of planning and is not done on an ad hoc basis. Planning must include where to source for experienced and qualified teachers; where to build new or source for existing teaching hospitals, which are big enough for the placement of these medical students to do training.
Planning such as facilities, equipment, classrooms, curriculum. In the west, it takes many years of training for a medical school to be set up; whereas in Malaysia, we see more than 10 in the last five years.
In Malaysia, due to the sudden “exponential” increase in medical schools, we have medical schools pinching staff from each other, even the mediocre ones. With that number of qualified teachers only, it is unavoidable that many teachers may not have the experience and qualification to be medical lecturers.
The early birds (medical schools) are more fortunate. Their students are placed in bigger hospitals like the General Hospitals of Kuala Lumpur or Penang. Now, some of the medical schools just opened have to send their students to smaller district hospitals to do their training. The smaller hospitals are often manned by more junior doctors who are not qualified to be medical teachers, and these hospitals have only very basic facilities and equipment.
This is just the beginning of the problems. For a doctor, graduating from a medical school is the beginning of a life long journey, and the basic medical degree is more like a license to start to really learn how to manage and treat patients.
The most important year after a doctor graduates is the houseman-ship. If a doctor does not have proper houseman training, then he would face a lot of problems later on. He or she may know all the medical knowledge in the world (just for argument’s sake, since knowledge of medicine is so vast that no one can know everything), but without the proper houseman training, he or she will not get the hand-on experience so crucial and important to doctors.
A doctor without proper houseman training is not unlike a person who has only ever raced in arcade games, suddenly being asked to race in a real life race. He would not have the hands on experience to do well. A doctor without proper houseman training would be like a person given a license to kill, and a disaster waiting to happen.
Now, with 4,000 doctors being produced in a year, where do we find so many houseman positions for these young doctors?
Even now, with some of the medical schools just starting and not yet producing doctors, and the number of doctors being produced is much less than the 4,000, the wards in some of the bigger hospitals are filled with so many housemen that, in some wards, there are not enough patients for these housemen to learn management skills.
About a year back, I was told, in HKL some of the units have more than 20 housemen. Recently one doctor told me that in some units, it may have even more than that. I was aghast. Since with that many housemen in a single unit, and so few senior officers to guide them and so few patients for them to learn from, how are they going to learn the skill of doctoring?
When there is not enough training for these housemen, what do you think our policy planners do? In the typical Malaysian style, they increase the length of houseman-ship from a year to 2, hoping that the longer time will help to give better exposure to these doctors.
Compared to Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom, houseman-ship is still one year only. By increasing the length of the houseman-ship, it is a tacit admission that our one-year houseman training is not as good as the above mentioned countries.
A poorly trained houseman will become a mediocre medical officer, and since now most of the specialists are trained internally, it will be a matter of time before future specialists may not be as well trained as presently.
Many parents do not know about the actual situation and still encourage their children to take up medicine. They are not told of the actual situation. The day will come when there are simply so many doctors that none are adequately trained. There will come a day when a doctor graduating from a medical school cannot even be placed in a houseman position.
And that day is actually very near.
Credit to the writer Dr Hsu Dar Ren
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Intimacy during pregnancy
credit to the star online
Numerous concerns often lead to a downturn in sexual activity when a woman is pregnant.
IT IS common for women who are pregnant for the first time, to wonder whether sexual intercourse will affect the developing foetus.
The common questions include whether sexual intercourse will harm the foetus or cause infection and whether it can lead to miscarriage or premature labour.
Another common question in the last trimester of pregnancy is what position to use and if any position is safer than others.
There are many bodily changes in pregnancy that affects a woman’s sex life.
Some women feel sexier. Others are not in the mood, especially when they have nausea and vomiting in the first trimester.
Some women report an increase in libido in the second trimester. When the third trimester comes along, many women report a decrease in libido.
The variation in feelings and experiences are normal. It is important to remember that there is no norm. The feelings and experiences may also vary in the same woman in different pregnancies.
There is an increase in the blood flow to the reproductive organs during pregnancy, causing them to engorge. This increases sensation in some women but is uncomfortable in other women, to the extent that sexual intercourse may be painful.
An orgasm can cause an increase in uterine activity with contractions felt especially in the third trimester. The contractions last a few minutes and then go away, just like the Braxton Hicks contractions.
There may also be changes in the spouse or partner. His interest may wane in the third trimester because of a variety of reasons. It may be because of concern about the health of the pregnant woman and/or fear of harming the pregnant woman and/or the foetus. There may also be anxiety about impending parenthood.
Normal pregnancy
The developing foetus lies in a fluid-filled sac within the uterus. The sac and the uterine muscles protect the foetus from harm. There is a plug of mucus in the cervix that prevents infection from ascending from the vagina into the uterus.
Orgasm may cause some uterine activity which, however, does not harm the foetus. This increased uterine activity is not the same as the contractions that one gets in early labour. So it is safe for women with a normal pregnancy to have sexual intercourse during pregnancy even right up to the time when labour starts.
There is no relationship between sexual intercourse and miscarriage and premature labour in women with a normal pregnancy. In fact, there are reports that women who had regular sex during pregnancy were less likely to go into premature labour.
Sex during pregnancy may also enhance the relationship with the spouse or partner during the pregnancy and after childbirth.
It is important to confirm with the doctor on a regular basis that there are no pregnancy problems and that the pregnancy is normal.
There are certain conditions which, if present, would result in the doctor advising to refrain from sexual intercourse.
The doctor should be consulted without delay if there is bleeding and/or pain during pregnancy, whether associated with sexual intercourse or not.
An obstetric examination and an ultrasound will usually be done to elucidate the cause of the bleeding and/or pain and reassure that the foetus is all right.
The placenta may sometimes lie on the cervix (placenta praevia). In such a situation, the doctor will advise refraining from vaginal intercourse altogether.
If there is recurrent bleeding and there is no placenta praevia, the doctor may advise a reduction in the frequency of sex. This does not mean that one cannot partake of other forms of sexual activity.
The risk of infection to the foetus is not increased if the man does not have a sexually transmitted infection. If he does, it should be treated and once cured, sexual intercourse can be resumed. However, if the man has herpes, it would be advisable to refrain from sexual intercourse. If a pregnant woman gets genital herpes for the first time, there is a small likelihood that the foetus would be infected.
The doctor would also advise the pregnant woman to refrain from sexual intercourse if there is leakage of the fluid in the sac (liquor) surrounding the foetus because of the risk of infection of the liquor and through it, the foetus, as well. If there is a history of weakness of the cervix, it would also be advisable to refrain from sexual intercourse.
As the abdomen increases in size with advancing pregnancy, the woman may be uncomfortable with the traditional man on top position. It is advisable to find alternative positions. By trying out various other positions, the couple will find one that they are both comfortable with.
It is safe to have sexual intercourse in a normal pregnancy. It is important to check with the doctor on a regular basis that there are no pregnancy problems.
The doctor may advise refraining from sexual intercourse when certain conditions are present. One would need to adapt as pregnancy advances.
■ Dr Milton Lum is a member of the board of Medical Defence Malaysia. This article is not intended to replace, dictate or define evaluation by a qualified doctor. The views expressed do not represent that of any organisation the writer is associated with.
Numerous concerns often lead to a downturn in sexual activity when a woman is pregnant.
IT IS common for women who are pregnant for the first time, to wonder whether sexual intercourse will affect the developing foetus.
The common questions include whether sexual intercourse will harm the foetus or cause infection and whether it can lead to miscarriage or premature labour.
Another common question in the last trimester of pregnancy is what position to use and if any position is safer than others.
There are many bodily changes in pregnancy that affects a woman’s sex life.
Some women feel sexier. Others are not in the mood, especially when they have nausea and vomiting in the first trimester.
Some women report an increase in libido in the second trimester. When the third trimester comes along, many women report a decrease in libido.
The variation in feelings and experiences are normal. It is important to remember that there is no norm. The feelings and experiences may also vary in the same woman in different pregnancies.
There is an increase in the blood flow to the reproductive organs during pregnancy, causing them to engorge. This increases sensation in some women but is uncomfortable in other women, to the extent that sexual intercourse may be painful.
An orgasm can cause an increase in uterine activity with contractions felt especially in the third trimester. The contractions last a few minutes and then go away, just like the Braxton Hicks contractions.
There may also be changes in the spouse or partner. His interest may wane in the third trimester because of a variety of reasons. It may be because of concern about the health of the pregnant woman and/or fear of harming the pregnant woman and/or the foetus. There may also be anxiety about impending parenthood.
Normal pregnancy
The developing foetus lies in a fluid-filled sac within the uterus. The sac and the uterine muscles protect the foetus from harm. There is a plug of mucus in the cervix that prevents infection from ascending from the vagina into the uterus.
Orgasm may cause some uterine activity which, however, does not harm the foetus. This increased uterine activity is not the same as the contractions that one gets in early labour. So it is safe for women with a normal pregnancy to have sexual intercourse during pregnancy even right up to the time when labour starts.
There is no relationship between sexual intercourse and miscarriage and premature labour in women with a normal pregnancy. In fact, there are reports that women who had regular sex during pregnancy were less likely to go into premature labour.
Sex during pregnancy may also enhance the relationship with the spouse or partner during the pregnancy and after childbirth.
It is important to confirm with the doctor on a regular basis that there are no pregnancy problems and that the pregnancy is normal.
There are certain conditions which, if present, would result in the doctor advising to refrain from sexual intercourse.
The doctor should be consulted without delay if there is bleeding and/or pain during pregnancy, whether associated with sexual intercourse or not.
An obstetric examination and an ultrasound will usually be done to elucidate the cause of the bleeding and/or pain and reassure that the foetus is all right.
The placenta may sometimes lie on the cervix (placenta praevia). In such a situation, the doctor will advise refraining from vaginal intercourse altogether.
If there is recurrent bleeding and there is no placenta praevia, the doctor may advise a reduction in the frequency of sex. This does not mean that one cannot partake of other forms of sexual activity.
The risk of infection to the foetus is not increased if the man does not have a sexually transmitted infection. If he does, it should be treated and once cured, sexual intercourse can be resumed. However, if the man has herpes, it would be advisable to refrain from sexual intercourse. If a pregnant woman gets genital herpes for the first time, there is a small likelihood that the foetus would be infected.
The doctor would also advise the pregnant woman to refrain from sexual intercourse if there is leakage of the fluid in the sac (liquor) surrounding the foetus because of the risk of infection of the liquor and through it, the foetus, as well. If there is a history of weakness of the cervix, it would also be advisable to refrain from sexual intercourse.
As the abdomen increases in size with advancing pregnancy, the woman may be uncomfortable with the traditional man on top position. It is advisable to find alternative positions. By trying out various other positions, the couple will find one that they are both comfortable with.
It is safe to have sexual intercourse in a normal pregnancy. It is important to check with the doctor on a regular basis that there are no pregnancy problems.
The doctor may advise refraining from sexual intercourse when certain conditions are present. One would need to adapt as pregnancy advances.
■ Dr Milton Lum is a member of the board of Medical Defence Malaysia. This article is not intended to replace, dictate or define evaluation by a qualified doctor. The views expressed do not represent that of any organisation the writer is associated with.
Another section of Bumiputra's plight and an Indian Doctor's struggle
An outspoken doctor has charged that her attempts to highlight the mismanagement of an Orang Asli hospital in Gombak were persistently undermined by the authorities.
Dr Selva (Courtesy of Bar Council) Dr Selva Vathany Kanapathi Pillai, who went public recently with serious allegations of cronyism and unprofessionalism in the hospital, alleged that she was constantly sidelined due to her outspokenness.
In one instance, Dr Selva claimed, hospital director Dr Saaiah Abdullah tried to exclude her from a meeting with the deputy health minister when he visited the hospital in September 2009.
"This was despite her earlier instructions for all unit heads to be present," Dr Selva, who was the hospital's outpatient department head, said in a phone interview.
"When I went to the meeting room, I was told [by Dr Saaiah's clerk] I need not attend because there were not enough chairs," Dr Selva told The Nut Graph.
"Only when I said I would ask the deputy minister myself why I was not included, did they say I could attend."
Dr Selva said the deputy minister had appointed her to join the ministry's focus group on rural health after she voiced her concerns on Orang Asli health.
But, she said, further problems developed. According to Dr Selva, there was a focus group meeting in Kelantan in October 2009. She claimed that the hospital director told her to wait at the hospital for a car to take them to the meeting. But the car never arrived.
"I flew to Kota Baru at my own cost the next day and rented a car to drive to Gua Musang [for the meeting]," Dr Selva said.
Two months later, Dr Selva, who has worked at the hospital since March 2009, was transferred by the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA), which runs the hospital, to Sungai Siput in Perak.
"There's no pharmacy, laboratory or medical assistants at Sungai Siput. It's just a transit point. Patients are treated at a nearby hospital," she said.
Click on image to view letter of promotion"Why would they want to put a doctor there when there was a vacant position at Gombak Hospital?"
When she sought clarification from the Health Ministry, she found out she had, in fact, been promoted since September 2009 and a letter had been sent to Gombak Hospital.
"The hospital director had been hiding [my promotion] from me," she claimed.
Dr Selva asserted that Dr Saaiah wanted her out of the hospital before she found out about the promotion, which was backdated.
Shortly after these incidents, Dr Selva sent a complaint letter to, among others, the Health Ministry, on the alleged mismanagement in the hospital and the attempts to sideline her. The Health Ministry is currently investigating her allegations.
New posting
Click on image to view transfer letterDr Selva said that on 29 Jan 2010, she received a letter from the Health Ministry transferring her to Kedah, and out of JHEOA. "This was despite my last letter from the Health Ministry [announcing my promotion in December 2009], saying I was to continue serving JHEOA.
"No reasons were given for my transfer, except a letter from JHEOA to the ministry dated 17 Dec 2009 was mentioned. I have asked to see that letter, but [the ministry and the JHEOA] have not allowed me to do so."
The JHEOA, however, has denied involvement in Dr Selva's transfer, telling theSun in 25 Feb 2010 report that it was a Health Ministry directive.
Dr Selva gave an 11 Feb 2010 press conference at the Bar Council on the state of affairs at the hospital and started her Alor Setar, Kedah posting on 1 Mar 2010. When asked by theSun about her transfer to Alor Setar, the Health Ministry said it was done based on "needs for service" in Kedah.
When contacted and informed about Dr Selva's allegations, Dr Saaiah said," I am aware of Dr Selva's allegations. She has written a letter containing these complaints. My department and I have been in discussions with the Health Ministry and we're in the midst of preparing a response."
Dr Selva (Courtesy of Bar Council) Dr Selva Vathany Kanapathi Pillai, who went public recently with serious allegations of cronyism and unprofessionalism in the hospital, alleged that she was constantly sidelined due to her outspokenness.
In one instance, Dr Selva claimed, hospital director Dr Saaiah Abdullah tried to exclude her from a meeting with the deputy health minister when he visited the hospital in September 2009.
"This was despite her earlier instructions for all unit heads to be present," Dr Selva, who was the hospital's outpatient department head, said in a phone interview.
"When I went to the meeting room, I was told [by Dr Saaiah's clerk] I need not attend because there were not enough chairs," Dr Selva told The Nut Graph.
"Only when I said I would ask the deputy minister myself why I was not included, did they say I could attend."
Dr Selva said the deputy minister had appointed her to join the ministry's focus group on rural health after she voiced her concerns on Orang Asli health.
But, she said, further problems developed. According to Dr Selva, there was a focus group meeting in Kelantan in October 2009. She claimed that the hospital director told her to wait at the hospital for a car to take them to the meeting. But the car never arrived.
"I flew to Kota Baru at my own cost the next day and rented a car to drive to Gua Musang [for the meeting]," Dr Selva said.
Two months later, Dr Selva, who has worked at the hospital since March 2009, was transferred by the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA), which runs the hospital, to Sungai Siput in Perak.
"There's no pharmacy, laboratory or medical assistants at Sungai Siput. It's just a transit point. Patients are treated at a nearby hospital," she said.
Click on image to view letter of promotion"Why would they want to put a doctor there when there was a vacant position at Gombak Hospital?"
When she sought clarification from the Health Ministry, she found out she had, in fact, been promoted since September 2009 and a letter had been sent to Gombak Hospital.
"The hospital director had been hiding [my promotion] from me," she claimed.
Dr Selva asserted that Dr Saaiah wanted her out of the hospital before she found out about the promotion, which was backdated.
Shortly after these incidents, Dr Selva sent a complaint letter to, among others, the Health Ministry, on the alleged mismanagement in the hospital and the attempts to sideline her. The Health Ministry is currently investigating her allegations.
New posting
Click on image to view transfer letterDr Selva said that on 29 Jan 2010, she received a letter from the Health Ministry transferring her to Kedah, and out of JHEOA. "This was despite my last letter from the Health Ministry [announcing my promotion in December 2009], saying I was to continue serving JHEOA.
"No reasons were given for my transfer, except a letter from JHEOA to the ministry dated 17 Dec 2009 was mentioned. I have asked to see that letter, but [the ministry and the JHEOA] have not allowed me to do so."
The JHEOA, however, has denied involvement in Dr Selva's transfer, telling theSun in 25 Feb 2010 report that it was a Health Ministry directive.
Dr Selva gave an 11 Feb 2010 press conference at the Bar Council on the state of affairs at the hospital and started her Alor Setar, Kedah posting on 1 Mar 2010. When asked by theSun about her transfer to Alor Setar, the Health Ministry said it was done based on "needs for service" in Kedah.
When contacted and informed about Dr Selva's allegations, Dr Saaiah said," I am aware of Dr Selva's allegations. She has written a letter containing these complaints. My department and I have been in discussions with the Health Ministry and we're in the midst of preparing a response."
Thursday, March 4, 2010
What is wrong with the Attorney General who is empowered by the almighty Malaysian Constitution to oversee wrong doings of citizens top to bottom? He is proving time and again that he is the most unworthy AG in Malaysian history.
Recently a group of reporters from a local magazine called Islam went so called undercover into the Church of St Anthony purportedly to investigate claims of Muslim Malay youths being made Murtads and also the use of the word Allah. They attended the prayers and took the white breads. Thereafter they wrote it into n article in the abovesaid magazine.
The AG have decided that charging the Al-Islam magazine editors and reporters who offended Catholics in an article would have been “not in the interest of justice”. Is he offering protection to a group of people who have not had the decency to apologise for their actions?
Bernama quoted Gani as saying the actions of the two reporters might have hurt the feelings of the people but he was satisfied that they did not intend to offend anyone and it was an act of sheer ignorance.
Fact is, Gani treated the desecration of the host (not simply white bread as he stated) as a flippant act. It is a rite holy to the Catholics and not just a treat at the end of prayers. This shows that even a person holding a high office as Gani does not have basic knowledge of other religions in this country. Maybe its time for even for the Muslims to learn what is in the other major religions in this country to nurture better understanding and respect? After basic physchology says that man become afraid and suspicious of what they don't understand?
He justified his action by citing previous decisions based on the situations in that particular time and not just on law.
I wonder what would have been his stance if a couple of Non Muslim reporters went into Mosque?
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