Homeward bound: More needs to be done to attract Malaysian talents home, say returnees. – 123rf.com
AFTER 14 years of making United Kingdom his home – first for studies, then for work – respiratory specialist Dr Helmy Haja Mydin decided to take the big leap of returning to his homeland, Malaysia.
The main reason, he shares, is to give back to the country, not only in medicine but also in society.
“I felt that there were more things to do in Malaysia, not only in terms of medical and healthcare development, but in terms of one’s ability to contribute to the conversations shaping our society.
“It’s a bit of a cliche, but many of us love Malaysia because it’s home, and there’s a bit of an innate need and drive to help make her the best that she can be,” says Dr Helmy, who is currently a consultant respiratory physician and head of the Lung Centre at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
And true to his word, the 40-year-old is now also co-founder of Asthma Malaysia, an NGO for patient education and empowerment; the chief operating officer of non-partisan think tank Social & Economic Research Initiative (Seri); and technical advisor to the Health Ministry on tobacco control.
Dr Helmy: We need more agile governance and policy development that will allow us to compete at a regional and international level. – ONG SOON HIN/The Star
Dr Helmy describes his professional stint in the UK as a “natural continuation” after graduation.
“In medicine, your real training begins after you’ve received your degree – I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work and train in a number of centres that gave me exposure to a wide variety of healthcare systems and issues.
“It made sense to continue specialist training, especially as there were opportunities that were not easily available back home. For example, I spent a year at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which is one of the world’s premier centres for lung transplants and the management of pulmonary hypertension, conditions that are relatively rare but are both complicated and exciting.”
According to Dr Helmy, the Returning Expert Programme (REP) run by Talent Corp Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), an agency under the Human Resources Ministry, played a key role in facilitating his return home.
“TalentCorp helped by connecting me to the right stakeholders, and most importantly, helping me deal with the bureaucracy of transferring back home!”
Crucially, he adds, anyone who is considering making that move to Malaysia would need to be pragmatic about the situation at home, and manage their expectations.
“I think one needs to be realistic about the situation at home, and be mindful of the challenges that are present (which may differ from other countries).
“I didn’t make the decision to come home as an afterthought – I spent a good few years meeting and talking to people to develop some insight and to adjust my ideas and expectations. These will differ according to each individual as we all have different challenges depending on our individual circumstances and industry/career pathway,” he advises.
While his homecoming seems to have met most of his expectations, Dr Helmy says he still misses the friends he made along the way and the mentors who helped him develop as an individual.
“I am still in contact with many of them. Going through medical training can be gruelling experience and the friendships you make whilst ‘doing battle’ tend to be forged for life,” he says.
Dr Helmy sharing his experience as an REP returnee at TalentCorp's stakeholders meeting, RSEAW, recently. – TalentCorp
On how to make Malaysia an attractive place to live and work for Malaysian talents, Dr Helmy says Malaysia needs a more progressive governance and development.
“People are attracted to potential and hope, alongside the basic fundamentals of good healthcare, education, security and cost of living. We need more agile governance and policy development that will allow us to compete at a regional and international level, and not remain stagnant while the rest of the world moves on,” he says.
According to TalentCorp, the top five reasons for returning among Malaysian diaspora are family, work, lifestyle, food and climate.
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Interestingly, enquiries on the REP escalated during the pandemic. According to TalentCorp, in 2020 the number of enquiries was about 160% more than that in 2019.
The interest level was as high in 2021, TalentCorp Group CEO Thomas Mathew tells.
“Naturally, a lot of people who can’t travel and have families here thought about coming back and made inquiries. I think it’s because family played an important role to them,” he says.
Equal opportunities key
Family was very much the reason Kiranjeet Singh Purba, senior director of Advertising and Partnership at foodpanda APAC, decided to return to Malaysia, especially during the pandemic.
“The lockdown that was brought on by the pandemic initiated the conversation and debate on moving back to Malaysia,” Kiranjeet shares.
“If we looked at it from a career opportunity perspective, Malaysia was on par with other countries I have lived and worked in. I was fortunate enough to receive an amazing opportunity with foodpanda to work on a brand new, very interesting project from the ground up.
“This, plus the benefit of finally being able to raise my children in Malaysia surrounded by family, made the decision to move back so much easier.”
Kiranjeet: An exciting job opportunity and the benefit of raising my children in Malaysia surrounded by family, made the decision to move back so much easier. – Photo provided
Crucially, he says he also wanted to give back to the country.
“I strongly believe that building our nation starts with us. Every small change leads to a big difference and I look forward to doing my part in growing the business ecosystem in Malaysia.”
Kiranjeet nonetheless says that he is glad that he had jumped on the opportunity to explore a career in a foreign country as it has provided him with invaluable experiences.
“I first moved overseas for work in 2016 via an internal transfer within the company I was working with and I worked overseas for about six years.
“I moved between a few countries while building my career within the consumer technology industry. I was privileged enough to work with some really cool hyper-growth tech start-ups that today are listed companies. Some of the companies I have had the pleasure of working with include e-hailing, food delivery and a super app company.
“This has provided with invaluable experiences that I can now bring back to Malaysia,” says the 36-year-old who returned to Malaysia early this year.
Additionally, working in other countries has given him the opportunity to build his network and exposed him to other cultures.
“The thing I miss the most is the people I used to work with, the friends I have made over the years and the local cuisines,” he says.
According to Kiranjeet, TalentCorp has been critical in the process of his return to Malaysia – facilitating his return from the pre-return and application process to the post-return phase.
“TalentCorp ensured the application requirements were in place while also facilitating the return process. Finally, the post-return process, where it focuses on industry enablement, networking and continued dialogue with the team across multi points of collaboration,” he says.
ALSO READ: A holistic and sustainable programme is needed to retain Malaysian talents
Kiranjeet sharing his experience as an REP returnee at TalentCorp's stakeholders meeting, RSEAW, recently. – TalentCorp
He adds his employer has also made it easier for him to settle in the country.
“foodpanda launched the DEI initiative not too long ago. DEI stands for Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity; something I believe is very important in an organisation.
“What I love about foodpanda is the team is hired based on skill set, experience and knowledge. This makes a significant contributing factor to the success of the business. In fact, across the region, foodpanda employees come from more than 50 different nationalities, bringing interesting and fresh perspectives to the table so we can learn from each other.”
To attract more Malaysians home, however, Kiranjeet believes three key things need to be addressed.
“The first is education. I believe it is important for everyone to have equal opportunities to top quality public education.
“Next is graduate employment that addresses the skills gap via graduate training programmes.
“Finally, is it important that the local salary structure be looked at to ensure Malaysia remains competitive in Asean and the world. However, there is an equal part of having sufficient supply of top-quality opportunities to match it,” he says.
