One for the album: Prof Wang (in red), Dr Aishah (fifth from left) and dean of UM’s Faculty of Medicine Prof Datuk Dr Yang Faridah Abdul Aziz (fourth from left) with some of the authors of the book at the launch. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: It’s a privilege and huge responsibility to wear a white coat.
After 46 years of doing so, a group of doctors from Universiti Malaya’s (UM) class of 73/78 have put together a book to share the joys and heartbreaks that come with the profession.
Edited by consultant cardiologists Dr Kannan Pasamanickam and Datuk Dr Zainal Hamid and consultant gastroentrologist Dr Madhav Kudva, Beyond The White Coat is a collection of the personal journey of 21 doctors from the 10th batch of medical students at UM.
“We had excellent teachers and while most of us ventured into private practice in our later years, our best years of learning were still in public hospitals.
“Yes, we all grumble when we get calls at unearthly hours but when the patient recovers, it gives us an emotional high.
“Today’s younger generation is over-dependent on technology and lacks in clinical skills,” said Dr Kannan at the book launch at UM on Sunday.
Out of the 128 students in the cohort, 26 were women who had to balance between motherhood and career.
Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was also from the same batch but left for Ireland on a scholarship after three months.
In a video speech, the ophthalmologist said: “The profession demands not only the highest level of skill and knowledge but also a sense of compassion and unwavering commitment to the well-being of others.
“It’s a lifelong journey to alleviate the suffering of others that begins long after we don the white coat. The endurance required to spend long hours in hospitals to hone our skills and learn the art of healing is a labour of love.”
In fact, Dr Zaidah Ahmad gave up her paediatric career in the United Kingdom and retrained to become an accident and emergency physician as the timing suited her family life better.
Many of these 71-year-olds became pioneers in their chosen fields, some even carving a name for themselves on the world stage.
They include Dr Pathmanathan Vaithilingam, a hand and microsurgeon who performed the world’s first arm and hand transplant on a one-month-old baby girl; the late Dr Tan Kai Chah, a liver surgeon who became world renowned for the “split-liver” transplant operation in which a donor graft was divided and transplanted to two recipients; Dr Dewi Ramasamy, one of Malaysia’s first female interventional cardiologists; Dr Abed Onn, a pioneer occupational health physician; and Dr Lim Kok Hoo, a cardiothoracic surgeon who won a patent from the United States government for a device he invented to improve management of aortic dissection.
Also in attendance at the launch were UM pro-chancellor Toh Puan Dr Aishah Ong and former head of UM’s Department of Medicine, Prof Florence Wang.
Known as a disciplinarian, a proud Prof Wang writes in the book’s foreword: “These are some of the greatest surgeons and outstanding doctors produced by the university. Very often their work takes a toll on their own family relationships and their ambitions.
“They took on the ultimate challenge of the ill patient, the impossible patient, and came through well to deserve our salutes.”
Three of the doctors in the book have already passed on but due to their immense contributions to medicine, their stories have also been shared.
Published by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Press, Beyond The White Coat can be purchased at www.utarestore.utar.edu.myAll proceeds will go to UTAR Hospital in Kampar, Perak.
