Finally ... he’s a doctor-to-be

Dream come true: Purshothaman with his mum in front of their home in Seremban. The 19-year-old is now pursuing a medical degree at Quest International University Perak.

PETALING JAYA: For his scholarship interview to study medicine in Ipoh, P. Purshothaman was careful to buy a one-way train ticket instead of a return ticket from his hometown in Seremban.

“I didn’t know what time the interview would finish, so I couldn’t take the risk of a return ticket,” said the 19-year-old.

Having lost his father four years ago, money is a constant worry for Purshothaman. His widowed mother, who works as a security guard, is the sole breadwinner.

The uncertainty of not having a ride home was yet another challenge Purshothaman had to face on his long road to study medicine, his lifelong dream.

He said that the years leading up to his SPM examinations were not easy as well.

“I live in a village and my house is surrounded by grassy fields.

“Because of this, we frequently got unwelcome visitors – snakes – in our house; many times they come in the night.”

And as the man of the house, Purshothaman is the family’s designated snake catcher.

“Once, a huge python came in after 1am. We had to call the Fire and Rescue Department for help.

“It took several hours before the snake was finally caught but I still had to wake up for school at 6am,” he said.

His house, he said, was also prone to flooding.

“So we stand by each time there is heavy rain. If it floods, we have a big job cleaning up the stinking mess,” added the eldest of three siblings.

He finished matriculation at the Melaka Matriculation College with a perfect cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0. Then came another big challenge.

“I went round to so many places to ask for help (scholarship). there was a time I almost lost hope of ever studying medicine,” he said, adding that it was his former school counsellor who pointed him to a scholarship available at Quest International University Perak (QIUP).

This led Purshothaman to get on that train from Seremban to Ipoh.

Luckily for him, he was able to catch the last train back that day. He sat on the train seat with a big smile on his face.

Thanks to his grades, determination and humble nature, he had wowed the QUIP panel of interviewees who had told him on the spot that he had clinched the scholarship for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme, which he is currently pursuing.

Looking back at all the challenges he has overcome to arrive where he is now, Purshothaman said he could face almost anything in his need to give back to society.

“I want to help my family members and society.

“When I faced difficulties, people who did not even know me helped me.

“I want to return the favour by helping other members of society, otherwise every good deed I have received would be meaningless.

“There is a certain happiness that comes with helping others,” he added.