Wednesday, July 25, 2007

How to get started: working in MOH

How to get started: working in MOH

A complicated and longwinded way to start. Get yourself organized and it will save time and lots of hassle. A piece of advice – set a date when you want to start work. Report 2 weeks prior to this date. In the meantime get your medical fitness exam sorted and buy a car. Only then start work!

(Be warned: enjoy your holiday as you will not be entitled to any leave for 1 year)

Prepare:

  1. 8 coloured passport photos
  2. BJCE and GCE O and A Level certificates – 2 copies each
  3. Curriculum Vitae – 2 copies each
  4. University degrees and Postgraduate certs/ courses certs/ GMC – 2 copies each
  5. RITA/ CCST from UK – 2 copies each
  6. IC - 4 copies
  7. Letter Gaji Hari – 4 copies
  8. Bank book (front page) – 1 copy
  9. BND $90

*you will also need to know in hand your parents’ IC number and previous employers’ addresses and contact numbers/ emails to fill in the referees section.

  1. Report at Scholarship Dept, MOE (4th floor). You will need to bring (d). They will issue you a letter to say to report to MOH. This letter is to be brought along when reporting at MOH.

  1. Call DGMS (Director General of Medical Services)/ DGHS (Director General of Health Services) secretary to make an appointment for reporting.

  1. On day of reporting, got to 2nd floor of MOH, Jln Menteri Besar. You will report to DGMS/ DGHS and have a chit chat with him/ her, and tell him/ her when you want to start work. He/ she will produce a Gaji Hari letter offer. Bring along (a) – (h). You will need these for:
    • SPA forms X 2
    • Brunei Medical Board

  1. Once you have the Gaji Hari letter, make a copy – take it to your nearest hospital and go to the reception. They will direct you to a counter where they will issue you a medical fitness form. You then have to go to various depts.: ENT/ Dental/ Eye/ Radiology for CXR and Phlebotomy for blood taking/ urine samples. Ensure bloods for F. lipid/ glucose/ Hep B and HIV serology is done for you. Once all done and all results available, they will contact you and make an appointment for you to go to Occupational Health at Ong Sum Ping OPD (5th floor). It will take about 2 weeks for all these to complete. Once medically fit, Occupational Health will issue a Certificate of Medical fitness.

  1. You then need to go to MOH 1st floor (administration) and ask for those managing Gaji Hari/TAP. Will require 2 passport photos, copies of certificates, Gaji hari letter copy and Medical fitness certificate. Your TAP certificate will be mailed to you.

RIPAS Hospital:

  1. Once all above done, you need to report to CEO RIPAS (located at admin). Bring along 2 passport photos (for your ID badge) and Letter Gaji Hari. More forms to fill in. Ensure that you get your badge done there and then. No excuse for them to wait for a day or two (because its only a piece of laminated card with your photo stuck on it). Whilst there, arrange parking permit in the same dept. $40 a year, yet not guaranteed a parking space.

  1. CEO will then direct you to your relevant Head of Division. They will then instruct you to which subspecialty you will be working and sort out rotations and oncalls. Be ready to start work straight away!

  1. Library: located 4th floor. Get your library card sorted. Fill in their form. You will require your Head of dept to sign and stamp the application form. Also provide IC copy and letter Gaji Hari copy.

  1. Also ensure your secretary of Dept/ or yourself sort out your Time sheet for gaji hari. Bring along bank book front cover copy. Otherwise you won’t get paid at the end of the month.

  1. Doctors Mess is situated on the 4th floor. Yearly fee is $50 and payments to be made to Mess Treasurer.

  1. You will be on the Gaji Hari basis for at least 3 months. Those under medical services should be on the Gaji Bulan basis after 3 months. You then again need to go through the Medical fitness process and this time to bring the medical fitness certificate to SPA (behind MOE) 2nd floor.

  1. Last but not least, you may need to buy a car after all that. Documents needed for a bank loan are copies of Gaji Hari letter offer and IC. Once that has all been approved, away you go with your new car!




All the best!

Painful Finger

42 yr old gentleman who works in the construction industry presented with a 2/7 history of painful, discoloured left 2nd finger. Spot diagnosis?

Online Exam Questions

Guys here are useful links for those seeking challenging exam questions

www.onexamination.com

www.pastest.co.uk

www.123doc.com


www.mrcpuk.org


Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Golf Irons

Who's got a 2nd hand Callaway Hybrid Iron (rescue) and wants to sell it?
Contact me..
messdoctors@gmail.com

Friday, July 13, 2007

HM Raja Permaisuri Agong visit to RIPAS



3rd July 2007 marked another significant history to RIPAS Hospital when Her Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong consented to visit RIPAS hospital as part of the official visit to Brunei. We were lucky the Doctors Mess was chosen by the Malaysian entourage as an ideal place for Her Majesty to be briefed about the visit and it was an oppurtunity for our doctors to gain a closer look and speak to the Malaysian Queen.

Her Majesty's arrival at 1500hrs was greeted by the honourable Minister of Health YB Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi b Hj Osman and Datin, and senior officials at the Ministry of Health and RIPAS Hospital. Her Majesty consented to hear a briefing from our CEO Dr Hjh Norlila before donating a contribution to RIPAS as a gift from Her Majesty. The event continued with a visit of the SCBU and Ward 2, where again Her Majesty consented to give donations to patients who were admitted at the respective wards. Our sincere gratitude to Her Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong on her majesty's visit and the officials involved in making the event a success.

On a lighter note as a result of the visit, The Doctors Mess received extra attention than usual from the administration and we are very thankful to RIPAS for providing the Mess with brand new carpets, blind and lightings which are all added bonus to improving our Doctors Mess Fascilities.


Part of the organising committee

Mr Dato Yapp

Dato Yapp

Awaiting Report... Coming soon

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The 1st Scoliosis Surgery in Brunei

Pre-operative x-rays
The Spine Exposed

Scoliosis surgery in Brunei

In early July 2007, the department of Neurosurgery RIPAS hospital had organised for the first time Scoliosis surgery to be undertaken in the country. A Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery with a specialist interest in Spine from India was brought into the country through sponsorship of a drug company and performed 3 Scoliosis surgery with the help of our Neurosugeons.

A little bit about Scoliosis surgery:

Surgery for scoliosis is only recommended for patients with curves that are greater than 40 to 45 degrees and continuing to progress, and for most patients with curves that are greater than 50 degrees. The main objective of scoliosis surgery is to fuse the spine so that the curve will not continue to progress into adulthood.

Only more severe curvatures (greater than 50 degrees) are likely to progress in adulthood. If a curve is allowed to progress to 70 - 90 degrees, it will not only result in a very disfiguring deformity, but will start to result in cardiopulmonary compromise. This happens because the curve in the spine rotates the chest and closes down the space available for the lungs and heart.

Besides preventing further curvature, scoliosis surgery can also reduce the amount of deformity. Usually, about a 50% correction can be obtained with surgery using modern instrumentation systems in which hooks and screws are applied to the spine to anchor long rods. The rods are then used to reduce and hold the spine while bone that is added fuses together.

Once the bone fuses, the spine does not move and the curve cannot progress. The rods are used as a temporary splint to hold the spine in place while the bone fuses together, and after the spine is fused the bone (not the rods) holds the spine in place. However, the rods are generally not removed since this is a large surgery and it is not necessary to remove them. Occasionally a rod can irritate the soft tissue around the spine, and if this happens the rod can be removed.



Following scoliosis surgery, patients can usually start to move around about 2 to 3 days after the surgery and when they start feeling better, and total hospital stay is usually about 4 to 7 days. Patients can return to school about 2 to 4 weeks after surgery, but their activity needs to be limited while the bone is fusing.

It is important to note that the more immobile the spine is kept the better it will fuse. Bending, lifting, and twisting are all discouraged for the first three months after surgery. For this reason, some surgeons will prescribe wearing a back brace for a period following the surgery. Any physical contact or jarring type activities are restricted for about 6 to 12 months after surgery.

Generally the patient will be monitored with intermittent examinations and x-rays for 1 to 2 years after the surgery. Once the bone is solidly fused no further treatment is required.

For the most part, patients can resume normal activity levels after a thoracic fusion since fusing the thoracic and upper lumbar spine does not change the biomechanics of the spine all that much. Female patients who have had a scoliosis fusion can still become pregnant and deliver babies vaginally.

adapted from spine-health.com

Monday, July 9, 2007

RIPAS POOL TOURNAMENT 2007


On the 1st of July 2007, the Doctors Mess Ripas was host to the Finals of the 1st RIPAS POOL TOURNAMENT which was open to all the Doctors in Brunei. It featured the showdown between two very young and talented players, Dr Ang (A&E Specialist) and Dr Herryzul (Orthopaedics MO).

Ang, Ady & Herryzul

18 contestants battled through the qualifying rounds, and one by one we saw the favourites being eliminated. From the likes of Dr Ady, Dr Ak Azmi, Dr Isham (Cardiothoracic Surgeon), Dr Chong (Gastro Specialist), Dr Hj Zulaidi (Anaesthetist Specialist) and Dr Chua (General Surgeon) to name a few that succumbed to defeat at the hands of these 2 finalists.

Dr Hj Zulaidi finding his target

Mr Chua Hock Beng

Dr Tin, claims it's his first time holding the cue... sure Dr Tin...

The finals was played with the best of 5 frames and on hand to witness the match was the Honourable Minister of Health Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi b Hj Osman.

The 'Hustler'

Crowned Champion of 8 ball Pool was Dr Herryzul after a fairly somewhat convincing win of 3 frames to 1 over Dr Ang, who despite playing an excellent game was unable to pot the decisive shots when it mattered. Perhaps the overwhelming attention was just a little bit too much for our Emergency Specialist.

Zieda (L) & Amalinda (R)
Runner-up and Champion for the Female category



Before the finals of the male category began, an invitational vip match was played between The Honourable Minister of Health and the Director General Of Medical Services, Dr Hj Affendy. Never has the doctors mess witnessed such a tense moment when Dr Hj Affendy was only one ball away from winning the match but somehow managed to follow through the cue ball and potted it in and inadvertently loss the match. Rest assurred the results of the match has not been rigged by the doctors mess committee :-)

Listening to the rules from our Referee

Are you sure you never played before DG?

Thank you to the sponsors HSBC Kiulap Branch

Amy, Amalinda & Ady

Guests at the event

Mess Committee (Rudin & Aziman - away)