Dr Ong Siew Chey by Dr Wong Chiang Yin
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VOLUME 42 NO.04 APR 2010 MICA (P) 103/02/2010 Professorial surgical unit at Singapore General Hospital, April 1978. Dr Ong is seated, sixth from right Interview with Dr Ong Siew Chey By Dr Wong Chiang Yin Dr Ong Siew Chey is a well known past Professor of Surgery at the University of Singapore, and has taught many prominent clinicians, such as Prof Abu Rauff and Prof Ng Han Seong. He obtained his M.D. in the University of Chicago, before training in Surgery at the State University of Iowa Hospitals. Dr Ong was a lecturer at the University of Singapore from 1962-1966. He was a senior lecturer at the University of Malaya from 1966-1971, where he was a pioneer in open-heart surgery. He left for private practice in 1978 and retired in 2006. Since his retirement, he has published China Condensed: 5000 Years of History and Culture, and Tales from Old China – The Lighter Side of an Ancient Culture. FEATURE WCY: Can you tell us a bit about the professional medical school without yourself? a Bachelor’s degree. Some schools would OSC: My father was an immigrant from not insist on the certificate, but others Fujian, China. He came to Malaya when like Harvard and Johns Hopkins would. he was 19. Eventually he went into tin I went to the University of Chicago, VOLUME 42 NO.04 APRIL 2010 mining. He put me through university, which was rated second to Harvard in and I am forever grateful for that. medicine at the time. I spent five years I was born in a small town called there – four years in the medical school EDITORIAL BOARD Sungei Siput, 18 miles from Ipoh. I and one year in internship. I was trained EDITOR attended a local Chinese primary school. in surgery mainly at the State University Dr Toh Han Chong The Japanese invasion of Malaya came in of Iowa Hospitals. I was certified as December 1941 at the end of my primary a surgeon by the American Board of DEPUTY EDITOR Dr Tan Yia Swam school, and I could not attend school for Surgery in early 1962 and subsequently four years. I resumed my schooling after spent six months as a cardiovascular the war at Chung Ling High School of research fellow in Oklahoma testing a MEMBERS Penang, a Chinese-medium school. modified type of heart-lung machine. Prof Chee Yam Cheng I went overseas after Chung Ling, as I Dr Martin Chio A/Prof Daniel Fung was not qualified to enter the University WCY: With American degrees not Dr Hsu Liyang of Malaya in Singapore. I took the recognised in Malaysia, how did you Dr Jayant V Iyer Cambridge certificate exams one year manage to register with the Malaysian Dr Lim Boon Leng before finishing high school. We were Medical Council? Did you manage to Dr Jeremy Lim very weak in oral English and practically find a job then? Dr Tan Poh Kiang all of us failed in oral English. I got a OSC: A friend taught me how to get Dr Tan Wu Meng Dr Teo Eng Swee Cuthbert Grade I certificate but with a mere pass around the system. First, I had to take in English. The following year, I took the Canadian Licentiate Exam. Having English as a supplementary subject and done that, I had to get a license in one EX-OFFICIO obtained a distinction. What we did not of the four Canadian provinces which Dr Chong Yeh Woei know was that the University of Malaya had reciprocity with the British Medical Dr Abdul Razakjr Omar would not accept two certificates; all the Council by a royal charter. After I subjects must be in one certificate. There passed the examinations, I wrote to all EDITORIAL MANAGER was nobody in our school to advise us on the four provinces for a license. Three of Ms Krysania Tan this regulation. them required citizenship or residence I started to look for other options. in the province, except for Prince EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE The alternative was to go to China for Edward Island – I didn’t even know Ms Gracia Ong university, but I would not have been where that was! The authorities told me allowed to return to Malaysia after. Finally to send them $80 for the license and I decided to go to the US. It was not that was how I got it. considered a suitable place for tertiary With the license, I registered with the The views and opinions expressed in all the articles education in those days; there was strong British Medical Council and later with are those of the authors. These are not the views of the Editorial Board nor the SMA Council unless prejudice against American education in the Malaysian Medical Council. specifically stated so in writing. The contents of the Malaysia and American degrees were not When I was trying to figure out what Newsletter are not to be printed in whole or in part without prior written approval of the Editor. recognised. I went to the University of I could do in Malaysia, I wrote to the California at Berkeley anyway. Director of Medical Services (DMS) in Published by the Kuala Lumpur to state my qualifications Singapore Medical Association, Level 2, Alumni Medical Centre, 2 College Road, WCY: What did you do in America and request for a position in surgery. Singapore 169850. after that? His reply was one line: “Application for a Tel: 6223 1264 Fax: 6224 7827 OSC: I was supposed to spend three to position must be made in person.” I had four years on pre-medical curriculum no idea if there really was a position in Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.sma.org.sg in order to get a degree in science or the first place! SMA Reg. No.: ROS 198/59 TAP arts. I was in a hurry; it was extremely One day I happened to be reading expensive to study in the US so I only a magazine and came across a write-up For classified advertisements, professional spent two years including summer about a charity organisation called Care- announcements and other advertising enquiries, please contact SMA. sessions. And since I found a medical Medico, which ran two hospitals – one school that would take me, I just entered in Africa and one in Kuala Lipis, Pahang. SMA News april 2010 3 FEATURE I wrote to them asking if they needed a WCY: What was it like in Singapore? was worrying and improvement seemed surgeon for Kuala Lipis and they replied OSC: In August 1962, I started as a unlikely. I was exploring some possibilities positively. I went for an interview in New lecturer, which is more or less like a in the US when it was suggested to me to York in early 1962. They feltI was suitable Registrar. My monthly salary was $820 try Singapore again. Eventually I went for for the position as I was a Malaysian, and without housing privilege because of an interview in Singapore and was offered said they would write to me in the next my temporary status, and I had to pay Associate Professorship. It was mentioned few months to finalise the details. $300 a month to rent a room from to me that I might have to take charge of I waited for some time but there was the University. Later I was asked to the department as Prof K.T. Chan was no news so I telephoned Dr Comanduras, apply for a regular appointment. At the leaving for private practice. I wasn’t keen who was in charge of the organisation. interview, there was opposition from on being Head but that’s how I came back He told me that he had made a trip to some members as I did not have FRCS. to Singapore. Malaysia in the interim and mentioned my I was accepted anyway with the provision In those days, the pay was very low. appointment to the Ministry of Health. that my American higher surgical I was getting under $2,000 a month and TheD MS was very unhappy and said that qualifications would not be recognised. could ill-afford to buy a house. But I was I could directly work for Malaysia without I thought it was pointless to take the job quite happy; I like institutional practice unnecessarily going through a foreign and I refused to sign the contract. and not private practice. organisation. My reply was that I tried but About two to three weeks before the When I started work again in got nowhere. In the end, Care-Medico expiry of my temporary contract, the Singapore in 1971, I was a Malaysian decided not to take me as it did not want to University informed me that my higher on employment pass. Two years later offend the Malaysian government. qualifications would be recognised. This I became a PR. To become a citizen, meant an increase of $120 per month in I needed to be a PR for 12 years even WCY: You left for Singapore then? pay. It was a matter of principle and not though the University wanted to sponsor OSC: I came to Singapore and called the money I was after. me. At that time, the University of up the DMS. I told him about my I worked under Prof Yeoh Ghim Singapore would not accept Malaysian qualifications and asked about a position Seng for about three months before he students; the places were exclusively in a surgical department. His reply was: left.