Many medical students quit not because they lack intelligence, but due to transition stress. Medicine is already difficult enough. Sometimes, the system causes many students to lose motivation. The issue is not whether someone can study medicine, but whether they can sustain themselves within a particular environment at that stage of life, and whether they can function under prolonged pressure. Reality sets in on the first day they start clinical work. Many doctors leave the profession due to prolonged, unnecessary systemic pressure. We have lost good doctors to burnout caused by the system. Berita Harian reported that out of 5,000 housemanship slots offered by the Ministry of Health (MOH/KKM) for the January 2026 intake, only 529 graduates reported for duty.
Personal notes (28 May 2026)