Preveena writes in:

hi, I’m currently a medical student pursuing my 6th year in Indonesia. i would to know reg the the list of malaysian houseman competence. as i would like to brush up my skills and knowledge for further starting my training. is there any websites which i could read. thank you.

Hi Preveena. I’m not quite sure what you mean by “reg the the list of malaysian houseman competence.” However if you mean information on housemanship or internship training in Malayisa, I think you could start off with the MMC Website and download the Guidebook for House Officers (PDF format). If you have questions regarding registration, you should checkout this section.

Death is a process, not an instantaneous event for many. Indeed for some it can be a long goodbye for friends and loved ones. How do we fare as a nation, caring for the dying?
The way a nation cares for its weakest and most vulnerable is the mark of its soul. How it cares for the dying is a measure of the society’s advancement and enlightenment.
~ Lee Poh Wah, CEO, Lien Foundation

Sian sent in this link to Life Before Death which can be played via a Flash compatible browser. This is a summary of the The Quality of Death report from the Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by the Lien Foundation, a Singaporean philanthropic organisation. Ranking end-of-life care across the world, the report shows that the UK leads the world in quality of death, in view of its excellent hospice care network and statutory involvement in end-of-life care. Malaysia stands at 33/40 in overall ranking in the Quality of Death Index, which contains four categories: Basic End-of-Life Healthcare Environment; Availability of End-of-Life Care; Cost of End-of-Life Care; and Quality of End-of-Life Care. So it seems we have a long long way to go when it comes to caring for our dying. We have a Hospis “Malaysia” which is so resource strapped it can’t even serve all of the Klang Valley, let alone Malaysia. I suppose we are too busy fighting over sand and water, who pays who in corruption scandals, to worry about the soul of the nation?

NS writes in:

What are the options available for students that are kicked out from medical schools? Can they be re-admitted back in the same University? and if, their appeals are rejected, can
they still continue to pursue medicine at other medical schools?

Students get kicked out of medical school usually for failing badly at exams and that is usually after given one or more chances repeating. Less commonly it is because of disciplinary reasons. IN either case I think it is very unlikely that they will be re-admitted to the same University. There is nothing to stop students from applying to other medical schools. Who knows, one might succeed eventually?
Do bear in mind there are fields other than medicine which hold promising careers such as pharmacy and biomedical sciences. Medicine is still very competitive despite the fact that there will be an oversupply of doctors in the coming years. I think this is something students should think about when deciding on their careers.

Geoff writes in:

A friend recently told me that this product was very effective for arthritis. I have tried it and the pain relief is excellent. However I read that this is a product that should be avoided. Can you please tell me if it is safe to take or should be avoided. I am an ex pat living in malaysia. Many thanks.

Hi Geoff. First of all, I would like to point out that the Malaysian Medical Resources provides Search facilities either using the custom Google search box above centre or the WordPress search box in the upper right of the main page. If you search for “tian ma tu chung seven leaves ginsengs” (without the quotes) you would note that we mentioned this product in a previous post Beware of suspect medicines

The Drug Control Authority has warned the public to stay away from 15 suspect medicinal products.
They are: Pil Tupai Jantan Asli, Jamu Ajaib, Maajun Petani Tongkat Ali, Kuku Bima Ginseng, Kuku Bima Ginseng & Kuda Laut, Crush Stone Super Kapsul, Obat Kuat Helbeh, Capsul Obat Kuat, Jamu Kuda, Tangkur Buaya, Tablet Kina, Oskadon — Obat Sakit Kepala, Paramex — Obat Sakit Kepala, Tian Ma Tu Chung Seven Leave Ginsengs and Mistura Xiao Chai Hu.
A DCA official has warned that some of them contain potent western medicinal drugs which are regulated under the Poisons Act. He said these drugs can cause harm if they are taken on a long term basis.

Adulteration of so-called traditional or herbal medicines in this region with potent pharmaceutical agents is rampant. Just do a Google search for Adulterated traditional medicine Malaysia and you’ll see what I mean. Pain relief is often remarkable because these “medicines” actually contain steroids with or without powerful NSAIDs. Indeed I have personally seen a number of unfortunate patients ending up Cushingoid after taking Chinese medicines for long periods for arthritic disorders like gout which could have been easily managed without steroids.
Pharmacy.gov.my has a News section which gives some warning on adulterated items that have been detected, but as you can imagine, this is only likely the tip of the proverbial iceberg as I suspect many more go undetected in this country. You consume “traditional medicines” in Malaysia at your own risk.

Lily sends this in:

I would appreciate if you could highlight this issue in your website. Recently, the MOH has came up with a new ruling concerning new HOs.

As new batch of doctors from local universities about to enter the workforces in government hospitals, they were faced with a shocking new ruling. As they were finding out where they are going to be posted to, the new rule has it that all new HOs posted for hospitals in Klang Valley (or the whole of Selangor) will be kicked out of the state to serve outside Selangor once they’ve finished HO for an MO
duty.

All is well with the rule, as I know it is in MOH’s best interest to address maldistribution of doctors. However, my concern was:

1. Why was this not being told earlier on while the new doctors were applying for places for their HO posting? Why would it need to be announced when all the process was done?

The old ruling had it that the doctors will stick onto the same state for both their HO and MO life. (eg: If they applied for Selangor for their HO, they will be posted in Selangor hospitals for MO too).

This has messed up terribly, any plans that the new doctors may have had. And this has caused great concerns and rift among the new doctors. Surely this should have been informed BEFORE the application was made!

2. I agree that they were simply too many HOs in Klang Valley as opposed to other places. Why wouldn’t this only be restricted to Klang Valley? Kick an HO out from Klang Valley’s hospitals to work in rural places of Selangor as an MO – why can’t this be imposed? Why kick an HO out of Selangor altogether?

Thank you. I just wish I could see this being addressed and see other people’s comments.

Well Lily, transfers are part and parcel of Government service. You just go where you are directed to go. If it is to correct maldistribution of doctors, then it is for the greater good. The MOH has no obligation to “forewarn” HOs IMO.
Let’s see what the others have to say.

Ellen writes in:

I interviewed you for the NST Computimes and TechNU a few times.
This time I’d like a quote for a Star article. The piece is about superstitions. Could you give me a quote for the following question: “In one old superstitoin, pregnant women are told not to eat pineapple as it can dry them up or chili as it produces fiery babies. Can you comment on this? Is there anything that mums to be shouldn’t eat? And I don’t mean medicines or herbs etc that can have side effects, I mean ordinary food like fruit, veg, meat.

Thanks for writing in Ellen and a non-tech question for a change!
Well as to your first part of your query which is regarding “pregnant women are told not to eat pineapple as it can dry them up or chili as it produces fiery babies” it is rather vague since I don’t know what one means by “dry them up” – you mean end up as desiccated women? Nope, unless they don’t drink for days as well. Unable to lubricate adequately during coitus? No physiological reason to do so. So yeah, the pineapple drying women up thing sounds like crock. It is said though that pineapple contains bromelain which has some physiological effects and there is one website which claims that excessive pineapple can cause uterine contractions but I cannot find any data to substantiate that. In general, moderate consumption of pineapple like any fruit should be fine.
Now does “fiery babies” refer to hot-tempered kids or babies undergoing spontaneous combustion? Gosh, both sound so far fetched I think you can say that’s a bunch of crock too.

Next up you ask what foods pregnant women should or should not eat? There are lots of websites out there giving advice so I won’t replicate them but link them instead. The two important things I would say pregnant women should not do are to drink or smoke. Do take your iron and folate supplements and eat a well balanced diet.
Now these links are informative:
What should I eat during pregnancy?
Mayoclinic: Healthy eating for you and your baby
Medlineplus: Tips for healthy eating during pregnancy
Healthy Eating for Pregnant Women
Food and Nutrition for Pregnant Women

Disclaimer: I am not an ObGyn doctor and the above is just for educational purposes only. Pregnant women should direct questions to their obstetrician for specific medical advice.

Shalini writes in

Dr.Sri Ganesalingam of KL GH died in fatal car accident on 19/4/2010 at .Bukit Tahar,North-South Express Highway. He was killed on the spot after his car collided with a lorry.
His death is a big loss to all of us.
This was reported today (21/4/2010) on Makkal Osai newspaper.
I would really appreciate if this could be published on this website.
Many thanks.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family. The loss of a colleague is heart felt loss for all of us in the medical community. Over the years we have encountered such losses or serious injuries involving doctors.
Malaysian roads are full of crazed motorists these days. Everyone please drive defensively and stay safe!

Mohd Kamal sent in this link to a Medscape post Do I Have to Give Up My Life For Med School?

I’ve heard this question asked by pre-med students oh so many times: “Do I have to give up my life for med school?” And I’ve also heard a related question many times: “Do I have to give up my relationships with my significant other, friends and family for med school?”

To all of you pre-meds out there, let me ease your nerves a bit by telling you that no, you do not have to give up your (entire) life for med school. Will med school involve making some changes to your life and schedule? Absolutely. But this doesn’t mean that your whole life will change as you know it.

I remember many years ago (yes, I’m old, it was many years) sitting in a classroom in my undergrad university listening to an organic chemistry lecture. I hated organic chemistry with a passion that is matched by little else. I remember wondering if this is what med school would be like–endless hours of listening to gobbledygook and then going home to study the gobbledygook for more endless hours. I imagined having to give up running, going out to eat, and all of my other assorted hobbies. This was actually one of the reasons that it took me so long to take the plunge into med school. I was unwilling to accept this reality.

But guess what? I am now less than two weeks from graduating from med school and I still run almost every day. I go out to eat with my friends all the time, and I still enjoy many of the same hobbies. Did I have to make sacrifices and reduce the number of hours spent on “fun stuff” during med school? Absolutely. But I was still able to make the time to enjoy myself. And actually, I firmly believe that my success in med school is because of, and not in spite of, the fact that I enjoy a life outside of medicine.

Now let me address the second question. Will you have to sacrifice your relationships with your significant other (if you have one), friends, and family during med school? The answer is similar to the one above. Yes, you will find yourself with less time to enjoy all of your relationships, but you will have to sacrifice none of them.

For me it has been a bit of both – there are aspects to both lifestyle and relationships which have been affected by being in medical school. Good time management will help to some extent but I am sure you went into medical school with both eyes open not expecting a walk in the park did you?
All in all, despite it being busy, when you actually start working, doing housemanship etc., things actually get worse! So my take is that while medical school can be hard, there are many moments you’ll appreciate only after you graduate and start working.

Andy Teh has written in:

I’m a medical epidemiologist specialising in healthcare quality. I recently started my own consulting firm, called Teh & Associates. We offer consulting, training and education services in healthcare quality, clinical risk management, patient safety and hospital accreditation. We think that healthcare quality and patient safety are important public health concerns (example) and your readership will be interested in the work that we do. Thank you for considering our site to be listed on your website.

Sincerely,

Andy Teh

Hi Andy.

Thanks for letting us know about your website. We have linked it in the MMR Private/Other page of links.

Masli has written in:

National Astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al-Masrie, in collaboration with the Allianze College of Medical Science (ACMS) has launched scholarship for eligible students to pursue diploma courses in medicine at their college. The scholarship is only made available to 200 students with outstanding result and the scholars will be receiving RM2000 early next year when they start their semester in the Allianze College of Medical Science.

The scholarship you get should be able to cover all the expenses for the first three months such as air tickets and text books before getting your PTPTN.

For details check out

ACMS Website

or the

Sheikh Muszaphar-ACMS Scholarship Fund on Facebook.

Thanks for the info Masli.

Eric writes:

Hello,
I’ve just passed my MRCPCH clinical exams and I was wondering where I can find information regarding the proper procedures for gazettement. I’ve been getting confusing information and no one seems to know what is the current requirements and procedure. For example, I’ve been informed by my office that I require my official certificate to start applying for my gazettement but my friend tells me that only the certified results are required. Also, there are some news floating around that we are required to publish a paper in order to pass our gazettement, but some people say that it’s not official yet.
I would be grateful if you can point me to the proper channels for information. Thank you.

Can someone in the know please help Eric by responding to this query?
Thanks

Addendum:
Sukdershan from the Dobbs forums has pointed out the MOH’s Medical Development Homepage and you can check out the Gazettement section.

Masli wrote in to inform you all:

Invitation to all Doctors or Meducationist

ACMS – Online Library (ebsco host) open to all Doctors for the first year. Either by online registration or facebook account connectivity

http://www.acms-lib.com/