Stop your whining, housemen told

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Housemen who claim to be overworked and deprived of basic comforts should listen to Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
The Health Minister said things were far worse when he was a houseman, but yet he and those of his era persevered.
Thirty-six hour work days were not uncommon with no place to sleep while on call.
Dr Chua said housemen today had all the basic comforts and facilities.
Showing reporters the room at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital where housemen slept, he said this was nowhere near what he and his peers had to endure.
He said housemen unwilling to work hard and wanting 8am to 4pm jobs should not become doctors.
"If housemen are not willing to work hard and go through the process which is mandatory anywhere, then they do not have what it takes to be a doctor. I am very frank about this."
Pointing to Datuk Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai, Dr Chua said the Kuala Lumpur Hospital’s head of Department of Medicine was a consultant pulmonary and critical care physician and yet worked very long hours.
"He does not work from 8am to 4pm.
"As a specialist, he puts in long hours, besides making VIP house calls. He cannot say he worked long hours and did not sleep and not treat VIPs," he said.
He denied that the ministry did not care for housemen or their welfare.
"We care for housemen and that is why we have ensured that they have proper facilities to sleep while on call and have increased their on-call allowance," he added.
On the quality of housemen, he said five to 10 per cent of the 1,300 housemen annually had to continue housemanship even after a year as they did not meet the criteria set to become qualified medical officers.
"The percentage not qualifying is high," he added.