Would there be an excess of medical doctors in this country in the future?

[music_freak28]

You have a point here since a lot of people are now looking at being doctors. But I doubt that future is near us. It is still a long way before the medical field becomes saturated. Take HKL for instance, the hospital is even busier than Maybank itself and one has to wait for an average of 1-2 hours maybe, just to get medical attention. Thus, I believe that the over saturation of doctors will not occur in the near future.

Plus, like henryyew said, people come and people go, so do doctors. Despite the various medical schools available now, even with some having compromised quality, not all can make it through because it is not easy at all. Oh don't get me wrong, I am not trying to undermind other courses or anything but from what I heard, med school is not an easy thing. Some may give up along the way, especially those who are forced by their parents. Some may not even practice medicine once they have graduated or some might give up during housemanship year or maybe later.

[youngyew]

Originally Posted by music_freak28

Plus, like henryyew said, people come and people go, so do doctors. Despite the various medical schools available now, even with some having compromised quality, not all can make it through because it is not easy at all. Oh don't get me wrong, I am not trying to undermind other courses or anything but from what I heard, med school is not an easy thing. Some may give up along the way, especially those who are forced by their parents. Some may not even practice medicine once they have graduated or some might give up during housemanship year or maybe later.

This is quite true, but I doubt people who give up are of a sizable proportion. Medicine is expensive, and many people "persevered" in this career even though they are clearly unfit for the job.

[eve88]

An additional point about "brain drain" - a doctor's skills are transferable - as soon as they feel that they aren't needed/compensated for the job they are doing the option is always open to move overseas to just about anywhere in the world.

[henry_yew]

Originally Posted by eve88

An additional point about "brain drain" - a doctor's skills are transferable - as soon as they feel that they aren't needed/compensated for the job they are doing the option is always open to move overseas to just about anywhere in the world.

I digress here, but the above point is also applicable to other jobs, such as engineers, lawyers, accountants, etc. etc. etc.

[supergoh]

Yes, it is true that doctors come and go.What if those come overwhelmingly exceed those go?

There is an interesting news.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...671&sec=nation

Originally Posted by youngyew

I am not familiar with the situation of medical practitioner excess, but I can tell you for sure that there definitely is no excess of good doctors around. In fact there are quite a number of mediocre ones out there. So if you are thinking of becoming a doctor and you have the calibre (academic and non-academic) to emerge above par, you should NOT worry about the excess.

Well said , youngyew. This is the answer I am looking for.

There may be an excess of medical doctors in this country in the future.But

There will always be a shortage of committed ,competent and compassionate medical doctors in the future.

[supergoh]

Just for your information.Mahsa University College(formerly a nursing college) has been recently "upgraded" to offer MBBS as well.

Just another interesting link.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...292&sec=nation

Of course,nothing is impossible in the future. Who would have predicted Pakatan Rakyat won an unprecedented victory in the last general elections?

[supergoh]

This is my very first thread.Every time I post a reply here ,the number of views(the act of reading,not opinions) increases remarkably.However,the number of replies here does not increase proportionately.

Back to the question,here is another interesting link
http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2009/08/the-doctors.html

[supergoh]

One more interesting news.
http://medicine.com.my/wp/?p=8013

Why would the government reduce the duration of compulsory service? You make your own guess.

My advice to those prospective medical students,

Study internationally recognised medical degree in a renowned university.Be prepared to go overseas to make your mark in foreign countries.

[Young]

Here's my take on this issue:

I believe that there IS an excess of regular doctors with only an MBBS/MD as their sole qualification. As mentioned in the previous posts, the ease at which private institutions are able to set up medical schools is appalling. The number of Malaysians who opt for medical education overseas (mostly in Indonesia, India, Russia, etc) has also increased dramatically. I have an uncle who graduated 20 odd years ago and started his own clinic. During those days, business was excellent; he saw a good 100 patients a day. Today, he tells me that he's lucky to treat 15-20 daily; a testament to the oversupply of doctors.

However, I think Malaysia will still be suffering from a lack of medical specialists in many years to come. Entry into such training programs is extremely competitive, with only the best and most competent graduates admitted into such fellowships. Furthermore, the increase in fellowship positions isn't as stark as the production of fresh doctors.

[eve88]

Oh, good (at a personal point of view) =D Looking at the oversupply, means that i can stay away from Malaysia until my specialist qualifications... and then come back ... if i do come back.

What if those come overwhelmingly exceed those go?

Well, its not very likely this will happen, because most of the ones who have the choice (mmm... well, leaning towards the better qualified/motivated ones i guess) will look at the situation [oversupply --> low pay --> low further training prospects] and decide to leave. Singapore *is* just right next door. Or the overseas grads wont bother coming back.

On the other hand... those that have the ability to stay away are probably on average "better" than the ones who can't stay away....... thus maybe leading to a decline in quality.

Hopefully this will be offset by the numbers coming in, there's sure to be good ones that will stay in Malaysia.

However, I think Malaysia will still be suffering from a lack of medical specialists in many years to come.

Todays MO and HOs are tomorrows specialists... so oversupply will probably spillover into the tertiary care sector. Particularly if training slots are based on seniority, if you stay in the system long enough....

Also, how long will it be until the increased number of docs clamor for increased training spots?