RM100 million down the drain

NST: This is a story of money down the drain. As many as 100 Malaysians educated in Ireland at a cost of between RM60 million and RM100 million to become doctors have turned their backs on the country.
If this news is not depressing enough, there are suggestions that they are encouraging other Malaysian students not to return home but to make a living in Europe’s fastest growing economy.
This discovery was made by Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek who recently visited the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and University College Dublin in Ireland, where more than 1,000 Malaysians are pursuing undergraduate or post-graduate programmes in medicine.
"They have not only evaded the compulsory service and the government bond but have become a bad influence on other Malaysians pursuing medical degrees overseas," he said.
Many of the 100 doctors studied on Mara scholarships.
Dr Chua said his information was gleaned from discussions he had with Malaysian students last month. The 100 doctors had been working in Ireland, mainly doing locum, for between one and 11 years.
"This came as a real shock to me. They are supposed to have completed their programme and returned home to serve the nation," he told the New Sunday Times.
It can cost up to RM1 million to do a medical degree in Britain and Ireland. Those on government scholarships have to serve a bond of seven years.
This is in addition to the three years of compulsory service in government hospitals.
To compound matters, he was told by the undergraduates and post-graduates that this group of 100 Malaysians were influencing others on scholarships not to return home.
"They don’t come back to fulfil the condition of their bond, they don’t pay back the money given as scholarship to do medicine, they just conveniently stay overseas and earn good money, and they influence other Malaysians not to return home."
Dr Chua said he would bring up this issue to the Cabinet’s attention at its weekly meeting on Wednesday.
During his visit to Ireland, Dr Chua was conferred a fellowship by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), the first health minister ever from the region to receive such honour.
The fellowship was in recognition of his significant contributions and commitment to the development of healthcare in Malaysia and for developing post-graduate medical education.