Firstly, although it is generaly the family left behind’s wish to keep personal matters out of the public domain, I feel that something can be learned by open but sensitive reporting of the issue.

We and others can now learn that it does not go without thinking that everyone slots into a profession at 18 and necesarily remains in that position fulfilled and doing great works for the rest of their life. Unlike the “old days” when the medical doctor’s position was of a raised socially respectable one, todays medical students have not necessarily chosen their career because they have a “calling” but in many instances simply because they are following the family tradition or who have achieved so well academically that it is almost a waste not to go to medical school. The cost of training today’s medical professions is high and fear that students will fail the stringent exams means that their focus is on those in the top of the intelligence pie. While this may be a good thing in some ways, in other ways it has excluded those with a natural medical bent who may not meet the stringent medical criteria. As a psychologist it is of concern to me that not all the humans in the top piece of pie have the necessary characteristics for making good doctors as many in this IQ rich clique are deficient in other necessary qualifications such as empathy and diagnotic ability.

I have gone off the point some. Although I thought there may be some personal reasons for Dr, Ooi’s decision to commit suicide (assuming of course that the note is genuine and the autopsy confirms this), but it was never my feeling that this it was this alone. Having had experience with family members of medical indentures in South Africa, and the frustration and the lack of control many had, I believed this was more the situation. If the artile of March 9th is to be believed his family was aware of his unhappiness and offered to pay off his bond. This did not necessarily give him his freedom and as they say nothing came of it. His sense of duty and reluctance to cause his family financial and possible shame at what could be seen as failure, may be the reason why he went off.

The whole system of indenture runs on the premise of ensuring that after spending huge sums of money spent on training, their doctors “owe” them much of the cost in terms of time served. This also discourages them from going somewhere else where they might be better paid or have a more interesting set of patients. This system is the one into which our young man got lured and felt trapped.

In my short time in Singapore I have also been deeply concerned by an apparent and overwhelming need to have “genius children” by many parents. There is also a deeply disturbing but historical trend that the medical profession is the very pinnacle of the careers and must be sought at all cost for both financial and prestige reasons. It is my belief that this young man may have made a good doctor out of the stifling confines of his posting, but similarly might have felt not inclined to be a doctor, at all, save for the fact that he needed a “honourable” profession to fit in with his highly qualified medical family. That he was desperately unhappy, with or without a personal disappointment is clear. I don’t believe is the first nor will he be the last.

It is here that our educators and parents need to take note and be prepared to to help children reassign themselves when their chosen career (with or without pressure from parents) is found, after all, not to be fulfilling.

We also need to know that the human condition is such that we need to be more proactive when dealing with situations like this. We think the situation will go away over time if we simply ignore it for a while but this one did not.. and ended in his death. Whether as a doctor , or a friend, a partner, a son, or a parent this man’s death was a waste of his life and talents, and we should all be deeply ashamed: Ashamed that we missed this young man’s emptiness and that despite what was seen as his great “opportunities” he chose to DIE! This young man may have and could have saved many lives, but was incapable of saving his own. His narrow vision of his future was for him, cause enough to kill himself. We can only conjecture at any personal reasons which added to this feeling of despair and the fact that he felt the situation was one which only death would resolve. This doctor could not heal himself nor look to other to heal him so he was clearly in a sorry mental state despite his protestation in his note.

His sister states that her brother would never be so foolish as to gamble (and I am not suggesting that there is any evidence that he did) and that he always knew what he was doing. This belief that her brother was so “together” is sadly another example of why the extent of Allan’s problems went unnoticed until that most foolish act of all, his suicide.

I could wax lyrical at the things that are “wrong” in our world : the way we view education, training and parenting amongst others but this will not bring back this lost soul. So let’s examine our lives and our own futures and learn how to do it better the next time so that this talented human being has died for SOMETHING!

There are many Singaporeans out there whom I can safely say are very talented and bright. We serve the country by doing NS cos it’s our duty to the country not cos we are some dumbass! Just cos u cannot get any jobs in your country and come finding your prospects out here, please don’t make it sound like we singaporeans OWE you something! There are many more singaporeans out there who are in the intellectual class as well.

Please don’t make use of the poor deceased to show off yourselves here!

{Jose Lopez on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 7:16 am

I am sad at Derek rude comments. Singapore need a layer of intellectual class to run it. There is no denying this fact. The whole world need us foreign talent. We are welcome with open hands by all authorities.

At the same time Singapore also need strong defense against hostile regional forces. Thus , locals must serve NS.

It is a good symbiotic relationship as we foreign talents provide the brain power while local Singapore guys provide the hard labour required in the army.}

Your good post, “Singaporean Guy”. I’m sure you can write a book on it, if you have the time.

I had written an open letter to Defence Minsiter RADM Teo Chee Hean on 16/3/09, entitled “Please do not let Dr Allan Ooi die in vain”; modified it on 17/3/09 for Mr Eugene Yeo as he said he wanted to publish it in WYC blog for last Thurday or Friday. I don’t know why he had changed his mind from publishing it. Then he should not have emailed to me to tell me that he would.

Maybe he couldn’t get away from the sinister influence of those guys in Brotherhood.

{”Singaporean Guy” wrote on Mon, 23rd Mar 2009 3:08 pm

I can fully understand why this guy Allan Ooi took his own life. I was a bonded scholar myself, thankfully my bond was only 6 years. And I managed to pull through the 6 years of impoverish and meaningless life…..
Well it may be difficult for people outside to understand why a scholar can feel impoverish and meaningless when he is supposed to be seen as a high-flier in the ministry. But I can briefly say a few things so you all can get the picture….

.. Everyday he will just be coming meaninglessly to work and waiting for knock-off time. You are asked to upgrade yourself, attend staff courses which are hardly applicable in the first place as the system is too rigid to accomodate all these. You begin to quesiton and see how all these are senseless and just look good on the surface and totally lacking in substance. In time you feel yourself rotting away, and the thing is that you know you are a bright person who can do so much if you are outside in the private sector. And the sad thing is that you know you cant leave…..In some sense you can say it is like a zombie life as you are stuck and cant quit your meaningless job. I also saw how many superiors and bosses in the civil service are rather incompetent, many are there not because they are bright or intelligent but because they have been sitting there for a long time. And can you imagine you as a bright person have to report to a superior who is incompetent ? Well you lose hope about the system and just countdown till your bond ends and submit your resignation letter on the final day.

Well there are many more things but it will be too long for this blog. I would have to write an entire book on it. Regards.}