A Malaysian doctor has opened up on social media about why he left the government healthcare system, citing long working hours and low pay that barely increased after completing his medical internship.
Writing on his Facebook page SnorlaxKow RubbishTalk, the doctor shared that after graduating from medical school in the UK, he returned to Malaysia and began his housemanship at a government hospital.
28 hours on duty
Over two years, the OP rotated through multiple departments including paediatrics, orthopaedics, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, and emergency medicine.
He recalled that at the start of his internship, unfamiliarity with the local healthcare system meant he was often “singled out” to present case reports.
In the overcrowded internal medicine ward, he sometimes had to manage dozens of patients alone, with his longest shift stretching to 28 continuous hours.
When I got my first government hospital salary (RM4,978), I realised just how tough being a doctor really is.”
A mere RM575 increase after housemanship
After completing his two-year internship, he got posted to Penang General Hospital as a permanent medical officer.
Despite still working frequent on-calls and clocking around 70 hours a week, his monthly pay was just RM5,553 — an increase of only RM575 from his internship days.
The reality hit harder when he began looking for housing.
“The first time I viewed a condo unit, the monthly instalment was RM3,000. How am I supposed to afford that? By eating grass?
“That’s when I realised the property wasn’t overpriced, but that doctors were underpaid.”
Left public health sector
The doctor recalled a turning point in his career when he looked at his own superior — a man in his 50s with no work-life balance, still required to be on-call at the hospital, and earning a salary that he felt was far from rewarding.
He had no interest in pursuing specialisation either, describing it as a long and difficult path involving multiple papers and a thesis, with a commitment of three to five years and no guarantee of passing.
It was at that moment he made the decision to leave the public sector.
Addressing a common sentiment that “doctors shouldn’t work just for money and must have medical ethics,” he made it clear that financial reality could not be ignored.
He stressed that he was neither a rich heir nor from an affluent background, and that his parents had spent half a million ringgit to fund his medical studies without any government assistance.
I gave my all to every patient, and I dare say I had medical ethics. But I’m not running a charity. The reality is harsh — because medical ethics alone can’t put food on the table.”
‘Not just the pay’
Speaking to WeirdKaya, the doctor emphasised that salary was not the main problem — it was the workload. While the government officially states that doctors work 54 hours a week, he said the reality is vastly different.
“In busier departments like medical, we’re easily clocking 80–90 hours weekly. Logically, shouldn’t the salary be doubled? We’re doing a RM10K job for RM4k to RM5K pay. How is anyone supposed to feel balanced about that?”
He explained that if the role were strictly office hours, the current salary might be considered reasonable when compared to other government sectors or fresh graduates in different industries.
When asked what he believed to be a fair pay structure, he suggested leaving the houseman salary unchanged since it is still a training phase.
For permanent doctors, the starting pay should be RM8K and then gradually increase with grade — UD44 at RM8K, UD48 at RM10–RM12K, especially if we’re still working 70–90 hours a week.”
