In response to Absolute V's suggestion that medical degrees can be bought in India, I would like to inform him/her that one in six general practitioners in the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) qualified from south (not southeast) Asia, particularly India. (BMJ:1999-306-310).

If medical degrees could be bought there, then you should admire the IQ levels of all these NHS doctors for they seem to got through the toughest Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (Plab) examinations set by the UK authorities.

Another study showed that there is no difference in prescription standards between a British educated doctor and a doctor qualified from south Asia (BMJ 1997: 1590-1594).

All foreign doctors have to pass the Plab to practise in the UK but in Malaysia, the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) selectively decides which students from which colleges have to take the local qualifying exam.

There are no reasons given as to why one particular college under a certain university is recognised while another under that same university is not. (Does it have something to do with the number of 'free seats' that particular college offers to our Public Services Department?)

When a student joins the MBBS course, he or she follows the curriculum of the university and takes the same exam. Each exam has two parts - internal exams conducted by the college and external exams conducted by the university. A student has to pass both the exams.

External exam papers are marked centrally and there is no way one can pay money and get a pass. Even if you score well for the internal examination, it doesn't make any difference as you still have to pass the external exam.

For the practical tests, usually lecturers from other colleges (and often from a different university altogether) are sent. Just so there are no favouritism.

It takes five years of hard work to qualify as medical doctor from India. My batch had 150 students when we started and only 25 passed the final MBBS. Most had to repeat their papers. I'm sure if the degrees could have been bought, the final number would have been more dramatic!

Dear Absolute V, I have seen locally-qualified doctors examine patients with a pencil. I have seen medical negligence cases that have been covered up.

It is not really where you qualify that makes you a better doctor - it is your commitment and dedication.

No government should clip the wings of aspiring doctors without reason. Rules must be same for everyone. Either all students from overseas universities take the local qualifying exam or all must be allowed, like the Chiba grad, to just train for one year locally.