Editorial

This is a time of greetings and rejoicing and of thinking how lucky we are to have survived yet another tumultuous year. First we have Deepavali, the festival of light. This is followed soon after by Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Christmas is not far away. Then we herald in 2003 with the Chinese New Year on its heel. If I remember correctly, it wasn't so very long ago that we were worried stiff about the millennium bug - not knowing that 911 was more frightening. But can we just keep still and worry about what tomorrow has in store for each and every one of us? - I should say not! We have to live each day to its fullest and pray that tomorrow brings us further than today.

Which brings me to the question of how we can plan for tomorrow and not just pray and wish and hope that tomorrow is better than today. Tomorrow is what we make for ourselves today. Tomorrow will see the erstwhile SIMC completed and then where will each one of us be? If we are left behind in 2002, can we blame anyone but ourselves? For us to find a place in the SIMC sun, let us embark on a journey of continuing education. And by continuing education I do not mean striving for a degree - a mere paper chase does not make one a knowledgeable individual in one's own area of vocation. Continuing education must revolve around being a professional and an expert in whatever we are doing. If you are an ICU nurse, you must know everything about the ICU, its patients and the environment; if you are an OR nurse, you must know everything and anything about the OR; the list goes on and on for the Dialysis staff, the CSSD staff, the administrator, the secretary, the gardener, the housekeeper etc. Do you get a degree for each of this? I don't think so but you can bet your bottom dollar that you will be sought after. Without a degree how can you know that you have arrived i.e. that you are an expert? That's easy enough to answer: if you can teach, you have acquired sufficient knowledge. It is the mere following of the age-old American advice of "See one, do one, teach one".

Seasons Greetings and best wishes to one and all. May your learning make you wiser and the richer for it.

Datuk Prof. (Dr) Saw Huat Seong
Chief Executive Officer
Normah Medical Specialist Centre