Take a read from Malaysiakini, dated May 26:
Deputy Health Minister Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad sparked an uproar in the Dewan Rakyat when he described medical doctors as having a “licence to kill”.The article stops there, no idea why. It left out the part that Abdul Latiff, who is also the MP for Mersing, saying "Saya tidak minta maaf tetapi saya tarik balik kenyataan itu." ("I do not apologize (for my earlier comment) but I will retract my statement.") You can get the details of the proceedings in Parliament on this issue (in Malay) from both http://mppas.wordpress.com and HarakahDaily.
Replying to Alexander Nanta Linggi (BN-Kapit) on the shortage of doctors in remote areas of Sarawak, he explained that local universities are not producing sufficiently skilled doctors.
As a result, he said, the ministry is unable to approve their employment, adding: “As you all know, doctors have a licence to kill and a licence to cure.”
On hearing this, Dr Hatta Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) demanded a retraction of the statement as “it could send a negative signal to the public”.
“I am a doctor myself and I demand that (you) retract your statement. It is not wise to say that doctors have a licence to kill. What kind of message are you sending the public?” he asked.
Dr Lo’ Lo Mohd Ghazali (PAS-Titiwangsa), another medical doctor, also criticised Abdul Latiff. Several of her Pakatan Rakyat colleagues then added to the barrage of calls for retraction.
Speaker Pandika Mulia Amin tried to control the commotion and ordered Abdul Latiff to retract his statement. The unrepentant deputy minister refused to do so, only saying that he would not repeat it.
Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) pointed out that, under Standing Order 243, Abdul Latiff had to comply with the Speaker’s instructions.
Abdul Latiff remained adamant, explaining that he did not mean any harm by his words.
“It was just a figure of speech. I had no intention of denigrating anyone. What I meant to say was that we cannot allow unskilled medical graduates to practise because lives are at stake,” he clarified.
The Speaker accepted his explanation and directed him to continue with his reply.
Abdul Latiff said the government has introduced measures to tackle the shortage of skilled personnel, such as re-hiring retired medical officers who have served with the health ministry.
“We also have increased medical education opportunities and work closely with the human resource ministry to encourage skilled workers working abroad to return and work here,” he added.
To the Deputy Minister of Health:
Okay, first of all, what do you mean by "license to cure" and "license to kill" that caused this whole argument in Parliament that lasted for a good 25 minutes or so? From what I understand from the term 'license' it means 'to have permission to do or not to do something'. Are you telling me that doctors have permission to heal or not heal someone? Or to kill or not kill someone? Do you mean that when a person goes to a clinic seeking medical aid, a doctor has the privilege of saying "no"? What the... of all the moronic things I've heard in my life!
I have doctor friends, I have friends who are studying medicine, and according to my understanding of their noble field, garnered from the multiple sharings during teh tarik sessions, a doctor is required by medical ethics to help anyone and everyone that is in need of their expertise! No "but", no "if", not even "maybe". They don't have a so-called 'license to cure', it's what they sacrifice 7 or more years of their lives studying to do! And then, what is this bullshit of doctors having the "license to kill"? A doctor's mission is to SAVE LIVES! How can you be a doctor when you can't even comprehend something that simple, which they tell you on the first day of enrollment in any medical institution? And you're the Deputy Health Minister? Awesome!
You know you made a mistake in your statement, or if you didn't (which means you probably graduated at the bottom of your class) your fellow doctors in Parliament were trying to make it clear to you that it was a mistake! Yet you can still say that you're not sorry. I will never understand you. Perhaps 'pride' really is man's greatest weakness after all.
Well, here's hoping that one day you choose to use that "license to kill" on yourself, or that you choke on air and die! You've just disgraced your own profession and your fellow peers, and if one day you were to find yourself in need of their help, I hope in the spirit of proving that you were right,
THEY DON'T GIVE TWO FUCKS!
3 comments:
i need updates!
im hungry for your cynical inputs already :p
okay i dont know two craps of whats going on in the parliament right now, but by reading d story u posted, by the "doctors have a licence to kill and a licence to cure" statement, didnt he just mean that insufficiently skilled doctors can bring more harm than good, hence why the ministry cannot approve those in that category? like yes, the good doctors are doing a very noble thing, but he's saying that the insufficiently skilled ones i.e. those not up to the standards / the bad ones can choose to misuse their powers if given the chance, like what other gone-wrong doctors have done in d past.
no?
on other unrelated matters, where u now and whatre u doing? perak kl labuan?
so long u never update!
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