A big jump in daily on-call allowances for doctors from June 1 PETALING JAYA: Specialists, medical officers and housemen in government hospitals will get a huge jump in their daily on-call allowances beginning June 1. Announcing this yesterday, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the RM75 allowance for medical officers would be doubled to RM150 while housemen would get a 400% increase. “This is good news for the 9,000 medical professionals. They have been awaiting for this raise,” he said. Dr Chua said that there had been no review of the on-call allowances for the past 20 years. “We made a request for an increase last year and we got it this year. We must thank the Cabinet Committee on Promotions and Salaries chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for this,” he said. The increase was expected to benefit 7,000 medical officers, 700 specialists and 1,000 housemen working in the hospitals, he told reporters after witnessing the handing-over of the RM687mil Serdang Hospital to the ministry. With the new on-call allowance, housemen can take home an average of RM700 to RM800 more a month. Currently, they get an average of between RM200 and RM250 monthly as they are paid only RM25 for each on-call duty. On the average, they do between seven and 13 on-call duties a month. When told about the increase in allowance, the doctors interviewed were elated, saying that it was long overdue as they were burdened with a heavy workload and long working hours. Dr Farah Naz Saleem, 25, who is among the 50-odd housemen serving at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), described the quantum of increase as a pleasant surprise as they had only expected to be given double the present allowance. “We are very happy and grateful to the Government as RM25 for each on-call service is not much for all the work that we do. “Even McDonalds workers get more than that. If you divide RM25 with 24 hours we barely get a dollar,” she said. Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) houseman Dr N. Thiruchelvi, 30, said the increase would provide an incentive for more doctors to join government hospitals. “With the increase in allowance, at least more people will join us and help reduce the 36-hour stretch we have to do now (when on call),” she said. UMMC international and public relations officer Ismail Halim said housemen received a basic salary of RM2,137 and above, critical allowance of RM500, public service allowance of RM170 and housing allowance of RM210 a month each. Dr Joseph Jacob, a clinical specialist with the psychological medicine unit in the UMMC, also welcomed the long-awaited increase, saying that the Government should review their salary every year in line with the increasing workload. The Malaysian Medical Association said the new allowances would improve the morale of the medical officers and housemen. “We welcome the increase and it looks attractive although we had asked for more. “We hope the doctors will work harder,” MMA president Datuk Dr N. Arumugam said. He also believed that the increase would help in reducing the number of doctors quitting the public sector.

source: The Star Online

well, this is a good news for those in med field. and we, the young soon to be new generation of housemen are sooo lucky. at least, we are to jump into practice with a much more good pay, though not of lesser burden. rejoice!...hehe...now nomore /less 'kolumran' session about the discrepancies between money and workload,eh? well, my friends, those yg still unhappy, maybe should consider serving in sabah/sarawak...relatively higher pay i heard.iz that so? but, whatever it is, bottom line, first dictum is to get the work done seiklas hati....then , duit dapat, pahala pun dapat...isn't it beautiful? hehe, pesanan utk kak wan and maya(since diorang dah keje, and tak bujang trang tang tang lagi), ni elaun naik bila lagi nak belanja kitorang...kes kes kes...:P

i spent the whole morning and afternoon looking at ultrasounds. its a wonderful experience really, looking at the developing fetuses in the moms' wombs from many angles. the funny thing though, all the pregnant ladies keep on asking the dr in charge the same quests, " jantina apa anak saya,dr?" really, ladies, does it really matters if ur child is a gal or a boy? well, maybe to some it does. like for those that has too many gals or boys in a row already, they would like the other gender to be in the womb this time for a change..but gender doesnt really matter for me(if at all i were to become a mother, which is unlikely any soon),yela, as long as the child is healthy...tatau la if later i might be more keen on boy/ gal fetus...hehe, yang tu later la pk kan? but what is important is to nurture them jadi manusia yang berguna...yela, anak2 kan kain putih...mak ayah kene main peranan besaq nak corakkan mereka...and some more, this modern days, laki ka pompuan ka sama je...berdiri sama tinggi, duduk sama rendah...except in certain things, mmg kene accept yang guys has to lead..so tat;s it.. dah habih nengok tv..teruh pi gym..alamak letihs laa...baru je 60 kcal burnt today...slow2..first day, takleh la mengejut buat geganas,kang terkejut lak my cvs...yang lawak tu, i can leisurely jalan on the treadmill and cycle, cam org malas...kakak kat sebelah punya beria laju2...dia asik jeling2 jer...maybe dia ingat budak ni kene paksarela pi gym..hehe, actually partly true, i accompany my fren pi situ....sambil2 kene bebel ngan my mom about my weight...as usual...:P dah habih pi gym, pi melantak durian lak kat depan habeeb sultan...tahun ni tatau apasal nasib cam tak baper best ngan durian...beli asik tak baper sedap jer..last yearnya perghhhh...sedap gegila...pahit+manis+lemak hingga menjilat jari dan kulit durian...keh keh keh...tapi takpela, kali ni walaupun dak jilat sampai kulit, still dua biji habih kutelan ngan shoby....tu pun, still leh masuk lagi..mmg boleh masuk kot, if ada pertandingan makan durian kitorang ni...mmg hantu.... after that, balik kolej...mmg harum semerbak bau durian ni...jadi perfume kat baju kitorang...tapi pueh lah gak hati...perut dah kenyang kan... malam ni, membebel kat sini...alamak..dah lewat la..sleeping beauty kene tidoq...:) nite nite...

MY PAST AMBITIONS TILL DATE

1. age 6 : a kindergarten teacher, coz i admire my teacher so much at that point of time. she was my ideal woman. cikgu sakinah,a soft spoken, motherly and tak suka cubit2 or rotan2 when we all became too naughty..in fact, she was one of those rare few yang tersangat la penyabarnya...budak bising pun tak marah...yerla,kids right? what u expect??!!! so she is basically is meant well for her job. gamak2nya kat mana and cemana ler rupa cikgu tu skang? miss her alot..hope she is still sihat and happy in life.

2. age 7 : i dont remember having any particular ambition at this age...masa ni ambitionless...tak tentu masa depan..hehe

3. age 8 : nak jadi kesatria baja hitam...haha, comical aight? imagine me in that black suit...lawan resaksa jahat..zzzzzzzzzsssss...kes kes kes....

4. age 9 : time ni lagi banyak berangan wooo...nak jadi pemain bola tampar...ahaks, masa ni kan tgh glamer citer jepun tuh about sorang gal yang jadi pemain bola tampar kat school dia...alamak dak ingat le plak tajuknya..aaaa...moro attack....tapi for sure she was cute...(i was cute too..hahha) and my granma used to tie my hair like her...rambut lepas kat belakang,sweep, amik sket, ikat one each at the side...tah pepe description aku nih...alaa...for sure yang nengok citer tu tahu camna... then, i want to become a lawyer tooo...almaklum ler...tgk lam mahkamah kan lawyer cam poyo je debating....hehe...ni sumer pengaruh tv la nih...and ada ati gak time tuh nak jadi singer...kuss semangat, nasib baik sore aku ni, masuk audition pun tak pas...kalau dak jadi penyanyi sure mak aku ikat kat tiang luor rumah...hehe...and i also has wanted to become a model(perhghh..time ni mmg nak termuntah rasa....cam hyperemesis gravidarum)keh keh keh...apadaaa my ambition...but looking at the state of my physic, u should know very well, why i am sooooo illlll suited for this job..hehe, unless nak jadi utk iklan kanak2 ribena buleh ler...kah kah kah....oh yeah, not to mention, a philosopher....a what farah? u cant even tell between a ayam jantan and betina, dah nak jadi philosopher...

5. age 10 and 11 : at this point of time, i became abit sensible..i am on lookout for a doc. my reason: maybe masatu, it looks kind of glamorous with the spotless white coat and sthet. well, its superficial? i agree..but, it was the beginning...:) and oh yeah, i still have some romantic ideas in my head, i want to become a creative writer...well, pernah try menulis...written a few cerpen...u know those days we read dewan pelajar...and its kind of cool to send cerpen and get it published...i never sent one though..my mum, on the other hand, doesnt really smile wif the idea...she's scared i will cont to be a dreamer...hehe...

6. age 12 : well, yeah, i wanna become a doc hella for sure...admitted once, they suspected rheumatic fever....i had the sore throat,fever with the migratory fleeting and flitting joint pain, had the erythema marginatum and my esr was high...i was put on aspirin and penicillin,until age 18, which i undoubtedly defaulted without regret at that point of time. (though i now fully understand y i need the medication,and will now try my level best to coax and educate my patient if such need rises, and if at all i happen to meet another degil patient like myself). well, i will right? what goes round comes round..hehe...kesian my specialist tu, pujuk last2 bebel....but i admire him, he was one hella good doc!! and i wanna be like him.

7. age 13 and above....: well, yeah. i wanna become a doc...but altogteher for a good reason...:) help ppl, help ppl, help ppl... make some difference in ppls life...and thats it...maybe not to be hypocrite...earn some money...well, we are underpaid here in govt, and overworked as well, k... so dont put money on top list, or else u will be so demoralised...hehe, in govt la....private lain cerita, ma!

till date, i am fast becoming what i have dreamed to be..in a little more time, insya allah... if i practise adequate discipline to learn, i will gain enugh to go out as a safe dr..which i hope to accomplish in few months time..

ok, summary...i have wanted to become a doc since say, i was 10 . now i am becoming 24 this year(oh no...getting old!). so y the damn feeling like i am fast heading down the drain rather than going up the hill???!!! i chosed the wrong profession??? no? maybe i chosed the wrong college...what say u? i say i am bloody tired...cya later..:P

dear fazli, i got this for you...care to comment,honey??

p/s: i hope u are not this technical...;P

Understanding Engineers - Take One

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass Is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Understanding Engineers - Take Two

An engineer was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, will stay with you for one week." The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you and do ANYTHING you want." Again the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.

Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, and that I'll stay with you for a week and do anything you want.

Why won't you kiss me?" The engineer said, "Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool."

Understanding Engineers - Take Three

What is the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers?

Mechanical Engineers build weapons and Civil Engineers build targets.

Understanding Engineers - Take Four

An architect, an artist and an engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with the wife or a mistress. The architect said he enjoyed time with his wife, building a solid foundation for an enduring relationship. The artist said he enjoyed time with his mistress, because the passion and mystery he found there. The engineer said, "I like both." " Both? "

"Yeah. If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume you are spending time with the other woman, and you can go to the lab and get some work done."

Understanding Engineers - Take Five

Two engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

"The second engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice. The clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

i dont know what went wrong. but i cried today. yes i did, unashamedly i did. and in front of him.FAZLI. i dont know why i cried, i just cant reason out the torrent of overwhelming emotions in me that moment..its hard to describe, what i exactly felt..as numerous emotions rushed through me. as i feel a sense of helplesness, frustration,livelessness and longing cruise through me, i just cant look at him in the eye, though he patiently urge me so. maybe it was the distance, maybe it was the limited time together, or maybe it wasnt all that after all, it was the miserable me that manifesting itself. or maybe it was all that after all.yeah, it does look like that...more of all those....for once,i dont feel like letting him go. i have missed him all this while, though i have coldly dismiss the feeling for long time..quietly convincing myself that i am strong, i can stand tall and face everything alone..that i am in no real danger of losing my heart again to some other guy,i will never learn to trust ppl again,but i was all wrong... it has happen. and i dont know when it happened. i am at my most vulnerable state. i just can silently pray, that he after all, is THE ONE. to fazli, i'm sorry for all the harsh words, the silent treatment. i just cant gather myself to say this myself.. but, yes, u meant alot to me... take a great care of urself..:)

oh gosh, its been exactly two months. yeah, precisely two months i abstinence from writing.. well, what hindered me from writing these days was pure laziness, and to some extent is the current hecticness of my schedule..like for tonite..i am just back from my accident and emergency nite postin...phew...the hospital today was so crowded...i endlessly sucking blood and setting branula.and running here and there doing all other kind of odd jobs, like doing ECG and giving injections. oh yeah, forget to mention, currently i am all in for a new profession - blood sucker or dracula, thats what shoby keep on calling me...but what ever it is, i willingly do it...as i really need to master the skill and art before i graduate next year...tak lah nanti terkial2 wat bende simple camtu pun tatau....takke susah kalau camtu ? alhamdulillah, last time takut2 gak nak cucuk org....now, abit berani and successful most of the time,...just now in a&e, saw one baby febrile fit..cute sangat...but he's having status epilepticus.sian dia..then drug overdose lak..jadi hypoventilate..blue coulour....nasib baiklah cepat revived with its antidote...if not....:( tgk drs all very cool with the emergency...i hope one day, i shall be like them too...cool and steady yet can work efficiently...amin... tomorow, we plan of going to haemodialysis unit....have to get up early...as we have to go hospital at 7am...their round starts at 7.15...so i guess i better call it a nite....so ppl, good nite!:) nice to see u all again...