Archive for January, 2005


23
January

Salary Revamp Needed

From The Star,

Private doctors earn up to RM30,000

BY FOONG PEK YEE

KUALA LUMPUR: About 95% of the private specialists in the country earn between RM20,000 and RM30,000 a month – three times their counterparts in the government sector, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr N. Arumugam said.

According to the Health Ministry’s estimate on the gross monthly pay of its doctors and specialists, the majority of government specialists earn a gross monthly salary of between RM7,300 and RM10,900.

“Gross pay for government specialists include overtime and all other allowances and is far below that of their private counterparts,” a ministry official told The Star in Putrajaya. cont……

There is no mystery why this topic has been brought up time and again. The Government sector is suffering its worst shortage of government specialist to date. The situation is forecasted to deteriorate as more senior staff leave for greener pastures. Not only is the pay markedly inferior, so is the managerial standard which is amateurish and lacklustre at best.

UMMC for example, have their academic staff numbers depleting by the year. Many diciplines even lack proper consultants. The error I gather stems from the fact that the hospital management makes little effort in trying to keep the valueble services of these doctors. Of course, the private sector will go all out to entice such assets into their fold. The government has to fight back with counter offers which may not be all monetary in nature. There has to be a good reason to stay other than forced compulsory services which only further disheartens many.

The medical fraternity has been tirelessly trying to tell the government that doctors and specialists in the government sector has been grossly underpaid. Even drug representatives take home a larger sum. Is this all we get when we have been sacrificing practically our lives for the profession? Instead we are slapped with unreasonable compulsory services and bonds which only serves as a temporary reprieve for the government. Wake up I say!

22
January

Devil’s Advocate

Photographs after photographs of cars crushed beyond recognition. Passenger areas obliterated in seconds. Death was a certainty. There was little chance to survive. The metal cocoon offered little protection, itself weakened and untested against expected forces of an impact on crashing.

Bravo Proton. You have done it again. Consolidating your position as an unsafe car. Protecting your dismal safety record that reflects on your refusal to change, compete and upgrade a car that is substandard in all areas.

You have blood on your hands with every crash that occurs. Your conscience will haunt you till eternity. Take a good look at the car. It is the devil’s death trap beautifully disguished as a reliable family car. Certainly a devil’s advocate.