Whither the Hippocratic oath?

BOTH Dr Sng Kim Hock (“Docs face uncertain livelihood”) and Datuk Dr S. H. Lee (“Carry on serving with dignity’) in their letters (The Star, Jan 24 and 30 respectively) agreed that the medical profession died long ago in the hands of legally and politically supported commercial interests.

In light of the current waning job prospects for doctors, one should pursue a medical career only if one has the passion and aptitude for it. Parents who, for financial reasons or prestige, pressure their children to become doctors against their will would be sentencing them to a life of misery.