Mosaic Magazine, April-June 2014
Profile: Dr Chow Yok Wai
http://epublishbyus.com/ebook/ebook?id=10036881#/0
http://www.parkwaypantai.com/newsroom/publications/mosaic/
There is something about Malaccans that makes them rise above a crowd. Apart from having a strong sense of pride, many Malaccans are unabashedly homing pigeons, flying home to the Historic State at the end of the day to roost.
That is how Dr Chow Yok Wai describes himself in a nutshell. Jovial and energetic, the 40-year-old Consultant Nephrologist and Physician at Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh, Malacca, speaks of medicine and his medical training in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
Calling himself a late starter, he confessed he only started studying earnestly in Form Three when pressured by his parents.
“Fortunately, I found it to be quite fun, so I continued. And the rest is history!” he proclaims.
Early years
Coming from humble beginnings, Dr Chow first decided he wanted to be a doctor when his grandmother, who came from China and sold drinks for a living in Sabak Bernam, had a stroke in the 1980s.
The family, who were residing in Malacca by then, sent her to a local public hospital for treatment. They were told to bring her home without much explanation and she died shortly after. At 15, he decided to further his studies in Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, India, a popular choice then. Upon completing his basic education at Malacca’s St Francis Institution, he geared up to study medicine by completing his Form Six education at the Melaka High School.
His two years there proved to be a turning point when the team he headed won the National Science Quiz and was bestowed the Prime Minister’s Award.
The euphoria did not end the day they were presented with the trophy. The team was later awarded an all-expenses paid two-week study trip to United Kingdom where they visited leading scientific research centres.
“I owe it to the good teachers – Melaka High School had a stellar track record of producing eight doctors every year back then in its good old days!” he recalls fondly. When it was time to apply to a university, his mother gently reminded him that he still had another sibling and that they had limited finances to send him overseas. That was how he ended up studying medicine at a local university: the University of Science, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.
Aware of his parents’ financial challenges, Dr Chow took it all in his stride. He still remembers how his father, who was the former human resource director at the Ministry of Human Resources, used to collect and sell second-hand magazines for extra cash to see him and two siblings through tertiary education.
His mother was another source of inspiration. “She started off as a cosmetics promoter and did hair and facials for brides on a part-time basis, but ended up being the regional manager for an international skincare brand! I’ve never known anyone more hard-working; she used to wake up at 4 every morning to do the chores before heading to work!” he recalls.
Today, he still remembers how his father used to say, ‘I don’t have any money to hand down to any of you, but if you’d like to study to improve your lives, I’m willing to beg, borrow or steal.’
The family lived a simple life, with all their resources poured into education. It’s the same philosophy he intends to inculcate in his two daughters, says Dr Chow.
On the shoulders of giants
Dr Chow’s path to success was aided by encounters with people of influence, notably renowned medical practitioners domestic and abroad. One example was the late Dr Goh Teong Peng, a physician who was one of the founders of the Melaka Specialist Hospital which later became Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh.
Dr Goh, who was a friend of Dr Chow’s father, used to ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Once he decided to become a doctor, Dr Goh promptly gave his stamp of approval, but not without first insisting that he must go back to serve in Malacca some day.
After completing his training in Internal Medicine from the New Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland in 2003, he was sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru, where he was destined to choose nephrology as a sub-specialty after meeting Dr L S Hooi, currently the hospital’s Head of Nephrology.
“The moment I clocked in on my first day of work, a white Wira drove up beside me. The driver, a senior lady doctor, told me to get into the car. She drove us to the Dialysis Unit and ordered, ’Start doing your rounds!’”
Obediently, he did as he was told although he was later questioned by his Head of Department on why he had not reported for duty at the office first. His diligence won him the approval of Dr Hooi, who played a major role in shaping his character and life values.
“She was very strict. I’ll always remember what she said – ’To be a good doctor, you must have the eyes of an eagle, the heart of a lion, the hands of a lady’, which means we must be sharp, tough, yet gentle,” he reminisces with a smile.
Dr Hooi even paved his career path by connecting him to Sir Roy Calne, a renowned British surgeon in organ transplantation who created history for performing the world’s first liver transplant.
Dr Chow later earned himself a full scholarship from the Public Services Department to pursue advanced nephrology training in the field of vasculitis in Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust, where he trained under Dr David Jayne, a world-renowned expert in autoimmune diseases.
Rubbing shoulders with such medical heavyweights gave him extraordinary insights into treatment and disease management. One such example was his award-winning pilot study on the use of Sudoku to treat cognitive impairment and depression in patients on haemodialysis.
In the pipeline
Coming back to Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh is a homecoming of sorts for the good doctor, who also chairs the infection control unit at the hospital. He has been dedicating a lot of his time and efforts in the last four years to community service in the form of public talks and awareness campaigns, such as the Pantai Health Project to educate hospital staff on the importance of healthy eating and increasing physical activity.
His weekends are often spent giving talks to doctors, nurses or the public, on his favourite topics such as obesity, diabetes and kidney disease – key problems leading to kidney failure. With childhood obesity on the rise, he is concerned that the country will experience an exponential increase in kidney disease in the coming decades if the problem is not tackled now.
“I didn’t become a doctor to become rich,” he affirms, drawing from his brush with poverty at Kelantan where he first studied medicine.
“We were placed on an Adopt- a-Family programme where we stayed with our hosts for two weeks. Sometimes, the family didn’t even have enough to eat, but they would give their last egg to us,” he says.
“It was a humbling experience, one I hope will be my foundation for life.”
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