JULY , 2023 | THE HEALTH

P20

How movies affect us We are learning much more about how the brain performs thanks to neuroscience

P21

Precision medicine : Data is the new gold We look at how health data of patients can play a vital role

P22

Trauma : Understanding the battle within A person ’ s everyday activity , interpersonal interactions , and general well-being may all be significantly impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder

P23

Mental health time bomb We have to take a serious relook at the state of mind of Malaysians

P24

Aiding vapers to quit More research is needed to determine the optimum option for e-cigarette quitting

P25 People

• Malaysia ’ s Dr Vinod gets global award

• Dr Wan Azizah conferred honorary fellowship

• Loss of a prominent gastroenterologist

• Changes at the top for KPJ Healthcare

P26-27

5 things we now know about myasthenia gravis For Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month in June , discover more about the disease and learn how one woman lives with this rare autoantibody condition

| The Health says ... |

In other words , the government must find ways to give opportunities to non-Malay and non-Bumiputera intelligent students with good results . We hope Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and the relevant civil servants take heed .

The Health has repeatedly highlighted instances of Malaysians comprising all races who have excelled abroad in the medical field . Many are now residing in those countries .

It is no secret that other countries often offer our high-performing students scholarships . Inevitably , they secure jobs , obtain permanent residency or citizenship and live there .

This adds to our brain drain woes . Already , we are finding it difficult to attract talent to Malaysia . Shouldn ’ t we then be stopping our best from being pinched by other countries ?

The Health Ministry appears to be most hit by this brain drain . It ’ s not just remuneration that attracts doctors , nurses and other healthcare professionals .

There are other underlying reasons . They include lack of career advancement , unable to choose postgraduate courses , meritocracy and discrimination .

Recently , Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman , an infectious diseases expert , said there was an urgent need to plug the brain drain of medical officers and graduates .

The former dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Professor at Universiti Malaya ( UM ) said UM loses at least 30 of its best brains to Singapore yearly . How are we to build a resilient and world-class health system when we have this continuous brain drain ?

Will the government finally act on stemming the brain drain , or will we continue talking about it ? Talent Corp was set up in 2011 to attract talent , including those who had migrated . What has it got to show ?

It has not only fallen short in its brain gain efforts , but it has also failed to stem the brain drain . This continuous loss of talent is costing us dearly . Adeeba pointed out that training each student costs the government at least RM1 million .

Let ’ s address this issue before more taxpayer ’ s money goes down the drain .