Wednesday, January 16, 2008

I wonder what its like...

...to earn RM100,000 (~USD30k) each month.

I know there are plenty of people who earn more than this but today, its the RM100k paycheck that I'm pondering. Supposedly, this is the amount that a local physician here in Ipoh earns.

RM100k each month is more than double what most of his patients would earn in a year! Yes, I know that he would have spent many years studying and he probably works hard each day but I don't think $100k is commensurate. Especially for a profession that is there to help others. After removing the hurt from their bodies, he's probably inflicting similar pain in their pockets.

I'm sure there are insurance fees and other hidden expenses that I'm not aware of but its still such a mind blowing salary. What does a person do with so much money? This particular physician seems nice enough and has not yet developed the 'God Complex' that many doctors have. Perhaps its because he's still young because it isn't really hard to see how they develop that sort of attitude when you find out how much money they command and how the community in general look up to and respect them.

I do respect doctors, the same as I respect the role that the postman, accountant and air traffic controller plays in our lives. I just can't reconcile their jobs with their salaries today. And, I'm also not one of those who fawn over doctors.

5 comments:

Bilbo said...

To a certain extent, I can understand high salaries paid to doctors - after all, our lives are literally in their hands. I don't know if your calculation of the exchange rate is correct...if so, $30K (or $30,000) per month yields an annual salary of $360,000/year, which is a little much. Doctors, at least in the US, do pay a fortune for malpractice insurance, which is a large part of the reason why our medical care is so expensive (transfering the agony from body to pocketbook, as you point out). Which reminds me, I need a raise...

Amanda said...

Yes...USD30,000 per MONTH is what I'm talking about. Its a ridiculous amount of money isn't it?

Unknown said...

doctors in malaysia earn 5x the salary of a factory manager, no wonder some have "God Complex" and arrogance is shooting thru their noses!

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Hmmmph, I can't even begin to imagine. WOW! Hopefully, a lot of charity donation tops the list.

Anonymous said...

put aaron to med school next time :) but be prepared to fork out half a million at least, and aaron would probably go thru housemanship where he has to work 48 hours without sleep