to stay or not to stay - the question to be
Friday, December 30th, 2005Warning: This will be a long one!
“If you decided to stay, you have to put your social life aside… on hold…” And that comes from a woman that already has a man by her side. A family. Someone to return to from work every single day. But still, people make an issue about medical students staying in uk/Ireland/Australia after graduating. These people are somewhat concerned. They come from different background and career but they are, concerned.
It’s materialistic. The country needs you more. Don’t be selfish. You owe the government and each of us big time. Come back and serve! Familiar? Like it will overcome the shortage of doctors is an instant. Like it will make the health service tip top in no time.
Endless arguments. Neverending issue. Countless warning. Overwhelming opinions. Trying to remain impartial is difficult. It is tempting to join the crowd. It is even more so when one is the subject of discussion. When one is indeed the object of arguments.
Putting things in perspective has been a major task. Consuming every tiny space left in brain, battling with every possibility that one can think off. Judging and making risk assessment. Together with the generous advices given, for and against. How can one choose for oneself?
Most end up deciding based on their needs. Their priority. Their concern. Their willingness to take the risk. It should be respected regardless of the decision made as none of this is an easy decision, be it to go back home or to stay. Yes, to be given the opportunity to study abroad is a blessing. But what people often overlooked is the unique situation that we are thrown into.
Working abroad or home will never make us feel belong right away, neither home nor away. We are somewhere in the middle. We are foreigner no matter how long we stay abroad and we are still that overseas doctor if we returned home. The system is different. And in the end, we are really deciding based on what we think are good for us at that point in time. We might regret it later. We might feel that is the best decision we make in our life. But it is our life after all and we are the one living the life.
To be honest, most of the people I know only want to stay for a couple of years, not more. Just to get registered for the GMC, the General Medical Council that will allow us to practice practically anywhere in the world. To take the opportunity as we are regarded as local graduates and thus, get the automatic access to registration with the GMC, Just to get a head start for a life once one decided to go back – some money, some basic, some experience – considering the time one has spent in university when our schoolmates doing other courses already had a career, a car and possibly a PhD by the time we graduated. We all want to be home at the end. But some just need to stay a bit longer, to get what their heart desire, to be at par, to be where they want to be. It is merely a delay.
And people regard those who stay as selfish, materialistic. But how do one judge another for the decision they make? Have you been in the other’s shoes? Do you know how lonely it gets when batch after batch of friends come and left you? Ever been so helpless but the only person you feel like talking to is thirteen hours flight away and the time difference make it impossible? Ever experience missing the big events in your family just because you are away? Yes, it is indeed a choice to be in that place when one can choose comfort but who are we to tell whether it’s the right or the wrong decision to make?
And now it is back to the point, the government has paid for you and it is time to serve. Just because one chooses to become a doctor, does it mean that his or her whole life will be spent only to serve regardless of his or her well-being? Regardless of his or her need? Just because one signed the contract, one life is no longer within one power?
I apologize in advance but have you notice the look of the doctors in the local hospital? Oh maybe not, because what you see is the private doctor in his BMW or mercedez and you think all doctor makes money. And you wonder why the country is still short of doctors when the government endlessly send students years after years all over the world to study medicine. And you actually think that to actually get these few hundreds doctor in UK/Ireland/Australia home will solve the issue. Seriously, would it?
Why do we pay extra money for medicine and saying things like, “Can I get free consultation once you are a doctor?” to our friends who are a doctor. Why do we pay for private hospital when there are free government hospitals? We pay for taxes but we also need to pay extra for the health service. How many clinics are there around your house? Chances are there will be more than two. And we are still short of doctors? Why? Has anyone wondered? Does it make sense? I think there is a bigger issue here that should be solved. The root cause of why we don’t have enough government doctors. The reason why our national health service is not improving tremendously.
The reason why we are still short of doctors is definitely not because of these few that decided to stay for a few more years. Yes, those who probably decided to stay here forever should probably no longer have the Malaysian nationality but that is another case altogether. Besides, back to previous question I imposed, would these few solve our main issue anyway? What are the real reasons behind our shortage of doctors? Why the medical students even get the advices to stay for a bit before returning home from the doctors back home?
Ask your local doctors back home why they work in the private sectors? Ask them why they run away from the government hospital? Ask the doctors in the government hospital why they need the extra hours working as locum in private clinics? Ask them whether their well-being is well taken care off? Ask them whether they think they are paid deservingly?
Ask them.
Care for them.
After all, you are the one paying the tax.
Only when you start to care, you will also be cared for. And maybe one day, our health care system will be one of the best in the world. And if you are wondering what is my decision. The truth is I am still deciding. When the time is right, the decision will be made. But rest assured, my heart is in Malaysia… always. .
