Hmm

Click here How doctors are treated in Malaysia

After reading the above article I conclude that:
1. A common attitude in Msia is malas belajar tapi nak gaji besar. Malas kerja tapi nak gaji banyak.

2. Lots of spite against others. Sebab dengki doctor gaji besar jadi takmo tolong doctor which is his/her job in the first place. If you ask those housemen working in Msia, I doubt they're happy with their salary anyway.

3. Msia seriously lacking in advocacy for doctors. There is no labour union and even the minister does not back us up.

4. Doctors want respect, not as a high and mighty doctor, but as a professional or at least as another human being.

5. Patient safety does not seem to be a theme. I wouldn't send my loved ones to a public hospital. And have medical assistants with no medical training to diagnose and dispense medications!?! My friend a pharmacist once told me these MA don't even listen to the pharmacists and give medications sesuka hati derang. That is so unsafe!!

6. Pay is a fixed monthly salary. So kerja sikit ke banyak ke gaji sama. What is the motivation to do any work at all (except pure good conscience?). One of my friends said she was left with all the ward work while the others went and had a 2 hour tea break. Gaji sama.


Why I like working in Australia and am considering staying here for longer:
1. There is less hierarchy. Everyone is called by their first name. Even the consultant. We get to know the nurses; know their names instead of calling them "nurse! nurse!".

2. Everyone does their job. Doctors diagnose, operate, suggest, consult. Nurses dispense medications, change dressings, manage people's daily excretions, manage patient's families, pharmacists check people's drug chart, make sure medications are dispensed properly and correctly, pathology nurses take blood and we even have people called PSA (patient service assistant) who serve the meals, clean the ward, deliver bloods to the pathology lab, pick up blood from the blood bank, escort patients to CT/Xray/theatre. Blood results and Xray results are available to be checked on the computer or by calling the lab. No need to go down in person to find this out. This is real teamwork.

3. We have a labour union (Australia Medical Association). They lobby for safer working hours, better pay and other things for doctors. Doctors used to work 100 hours a week here (that's average of 14 hours a day). Because of them, now doctors are only obliged to work 38 a week.

4. Pay is per hourly rate of work. The rate is higher if on weekends, after hours and on public holidays. This increases motivation to work for longer hours and at times when people don't like to work e.g. weekends etc.

5. Respect is mutual. Once a patient wanted to berak so I ran around and looked for the bed pan. When the nurse came she said "You didn't have to get that.. it's not your job". I didn't mind doing it. After all, we are in the field of serving people. Just because I have a Dr in front of my name doesn't mean I am too noble to get a bed pan for someone. Same as the nurses who willingly insert nasogastric tubes or an IV cannulas. It's my job but they do it anyway to save time waiting around for me to do it.