Interview

Name	: Dr Senthiru
Occupation	: Doctor
	University Teknologi Petronas
Experience	: 10 Years

What she did?

                Our Doctor, Senthiru did her MBBS studies in Manipal College of Medicine, India in the year of 1996 and as soon as she graduated from the College she did her houseman ship in Taiping hospital for four consecutive years and worked in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur in an government hospital after an hard job for one she started work for the private sector. That is when she worked at Ipoh Specialists hospital as a Medical officer and then as a General doctor. And at last she made her entry here in UTP as a doctor of our clinic in Pocket C.

What was her experience?

                She shares her experience of working in anaesthesia for a solid period of three years where she used to see and treat people who meet an accident with their oscillating soul and bleeding body which she says that it will be very common and got used to in two years of her career.

So how long does she work?

                All we could here from her low voiced sad tone is that she doesn’t have a definite work time and should be in the hospital on calls for 24/7 in government hospitals after which she should serve for the next 48 hours continuously followed by one day leave and then the duty as usual. After being promoted to a Medical officer call gets reduced.

Students concern towards health?

                We are proud to hear from her that nowadays students are more concerned towards their health. The uprising popularity of internet lets the students to Google before making an appointment with the doctor. She says happily, “Younger generations are more concerned towards their health they always Google and ask us a lot of questions”

Do people Self-Medicate?

                She speaks out worried that most of them go to the pharmacy and take medicine which helps for symptomatic treatment. But severe conditions which lead to the purchase of antibiotics should be consulted with the doctor. Even if something fatal happens because of self-medication the pharmacy can’t take the responsibility of it. Self-medication is rising a lot nowadays all wants to take the risk by going to the pharmacy when they are willing to take the risk we can’t control them from it. People now even self-medicate for diabetes and hyper pressure. The pharmacies are now even checking blood pressure which is not an appropriate approach.

Main reason for death rate in Malaysia: Heart attack or Smoking?

                We are worried much more to hear that the main reason for death in Malaysia is heart attack and smoking doesn’t kill people it leads to the complication of the existing diseases and also creates Lung cancer. Most of the patients approaching regarding hyper pressure and diabetes are first asked to stop smoking. Even passive smokers are affected by that but not to the extent of smokers themselves.

Can we prevent smoking?

                For this she informed us the fact that, when people start smoking they can’t stop it they ll be addicted to it. She has even tried to stop few from smoking which was in vain but it is possible to help them reduce the amount of smoking. Even though there are ways to make people stop smoking no one wants to cooperate for that. Most important they need self-discipline.

What makes you to be a doctor?

                “I don’t want to be a doctor”, a strange words to hear from a doctor. She says that she just got into the field which she says is not bad but she also makes her point that if she had a chance she would have done something else.

Engineering?

No

Why?

It is too dry

You got your scholarship?

                For which she replies that she didn’t get any scholarship which was very hard during those time now it is very well lenient nowadays and even the batch succeeding her was able to get some scholarship

Students interest in medicine?

                “Only few are dedicated others are forced” was her reply with a pitiful thought for students. She conveyed her knowledge that students who are forced into medical field don’t perform well and they do it just for the sake of doing it. Even the hardness of medical field comes only after they graduate with a compulsory work for the government with low salary and she feels that houseman ship is really hectic. But nowadays people have started talking against and have been able to get some good pay and this common at all nations.

Private or government?

                She replied, both private and government has its own pros and cons but all prefer to go to private hospitals which will pay them good money. It’s actually relaxing in the government side if you are a specialist but in private you have to work a lot.

Your further education?

                “I have other plans and moreover it’s too late to study further”. You ll find where you want to specialise when you work as a houseman, where you ll experience every field.

Demand for doctors in Malaysia?

                For which, there was a huge demand but now the gap is closing fast as many moves into this field but the medical colleges are not much in number as compared to the engineering students but there are few universities with collaboration with foreign nations like India.

Where is it good to study: Local or abroad?

                “When you a study abroad you can come across other’s culture and can get exposed to different things which will give you the knowledge of their culture and background”

Your advice for the student community?

                Her main advice was to maintain and good and healthy lifestyle. We can hear from her that there are many UTP students are affected by obesity for which the parents should also be blames as the kids live their parents’ lifestyle. And then she says “You are young and can get time for everything and you all are not married people with children”

Nur Shamimi Bt Abdul Rahim

Hemanand Ramasamy

Nur Ezzah Abu Bakar

Farahana Azwa

Ahmad Khogali