By Teresa Kok

It was reported in today’s Chinese media that the President of Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Association  Malaysia , Dr Steven Chow, has revealed that he has advised his children and grandchildren not to become doctors as he cannot see the future of doctors.

He said that the “golden period” of primary care of medical profession is over and cited oversupply supply of medical graduates and intervention of “middleman” in the medical field as among the reasons.

Dr Chow’s remarks should not come as a surprise as I have on August 30 called on the government to address the questions of oversupply of doctors and insufficient teaching hospitals following remarks made by Datuk Tharmaseelan and Dr Milton Lum.

On August 18, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan said that the future remains uncertain for aspiring doctors unless more training hospitals are opened. Come next year, some 5,000 doctors are expected to be jobless.

According to media report, Tharmaseelan has said the following:-

“Some 5,000 doctors are graduating yearly but where are they going to do their housemanship and compulsory training? Currently in government hospitals, there are some 60 doctors in one unit so how are they going to learn?”

Malaysian Medical Council member and senior medical practitioner Dr Milton Lum has also on the same day pointed out that there are currently almost 9,000 housemen nationwide. “In one to two years’ time, government hospitals won’t be able to take in housemen anymore so medical graduates will have to leave the country to find work because they can’t get registered here,” he said.

These are alarming remarks which warrant serious and concrete response from the government.

It may seem unbelievable for the general public that doctors can go jobless. But Datuk Tharmaseelan and Dr Milton and now Dr Chow have said doctors can and will become jobless. So the government cannot go on explaining that with increase in population, the nation needs more doctors and therefore there will not be any surplus of doctors.

There is no point talking about the 1: 400 ratio or need for 85,000 doctors in 2020 when the main question is whether there will be enough teaching hospitals. Health Minister Datuk Subramaniam must publicly explain what are the government’s plans to address the problems of surplus of doctors and insufficient teaching hospitals.