Exhorbitant charges by Dr Susan Lim

[kohweeloon]

"don't ever go into research ah...coz nobody will pay you for your creativity one...."
"best is study Medicine, law, Accounting, Banking....coz u will earn enough to have a comfortable life...Engineering?....no point lar....nowadays oso hard to earn enough liao...."
"dun wan to work in hospital ah? dun worry, as a doctor, can also practise as locum one......still can earn decent amount/hr lah...."

That a fact: My locum doctor earn $700 per day for 8 hours work exclude proceduce and OT. and he work 5 days per week.


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[2100]

I hope u understand that the route to becoming a physician/researcher is similar. Both (especially nowadays) are also going to be skilled in surgical proceedings.
Both have got specialties to develop towards. Both also depend on each other's output and results. Both also takes a bloody long time to graduate.....

HOWEVER, while 1 can charge MILLIONS for a service rendered, the other isn't allowed to market his/her service....and even so, try asking for ten thousands?.......possibly some ministry will also charge u for asking too much....even though it can never be billed as a service at all...

so of course, we can be one of those statistical figure that moves with every other wave....or we can choose (in our short lifetimes) to try to make it a little more fair (even if you're the only rock against the waves).

Sounds like somewhat the same with photographers - PGs who are engaged under a company and someone who "privately practises".

 

[kiwi2]

what's up with the 1 for 1 comparison between a researcher and medical doctor?

They are different. Otherwise, we can give a crappy argument like:

All of us are humans, we walk, we eat, we s***. Might as well say this world should be equal. All should have peace. All earn the same amount. No such thing as wealth.

There are 1001 things in this world that will seem unjustified. You will only make yourself miserable if you want to think in such a myopic manner.

I just smell sour grapes.... Appreciate your work, and live well. Not happy, want more money, change jobs. Still cannot get over it? Kick yourself for not choosing the right career last time.

 

[La Fontaine]

How we chose our career?

Influence by parents, friends. Or by our passion and interest. Or by the potential amount we can earn. Or by the course we can get into. Or a career that doesn't need to work too hard, not too much stress and earn you big bucks.:bsmilie:

The market economy is such that prices of services and goods will more or less sort itself out. Well, Dr Susan Lim's case is way out of the norm.

So, ultimately, it is a matter of a good balance of work and life, health, family. Wealth is sort of secondary.

 

[hanzohattori]

After seeing the latest news
I was just thinking... she can afford a plastic surgery :bsmilie:

 

[Dfive]

Just at mount E there are 3 doctors who own a 458 Ferrari... white, red and yellow... also one with a GT3 Porsche and another with a 4 door bentley... this is Singapore and Specialist Doctors.

The 3 with Ferrari all have good class Bungalows.... two are in mid 40's !

 

[cks2k2]

Just at mount E there are 3 doctors who own a 458 Ferrari... white, red and yellow... also one with a GT3 Porsche and another with a 4 door bentley... this is Singapore and Specialist Doctors.

The 3 with Ferrari all have good class Bungalows.... two are in mid 40's !

The same in Malaysia. Private doctors and their rides and mansions.

 

[Bukitimah]

Just to join in the fun. If we look at artist. Their work can cost more than $1 million while others less than $1. Buyer have to decide how much they wish to pay.

Unlike doctors, anyone can call themselves an artist. Doctors need to be certified. So the root cause is the body that limit the supply. The key reason for limiting supply is to protect this profession ( also to protect over competition that will dilute this profession). Have we over killed this? Doctor is not the only profession protected but they affect people more than others.

Why would we end up with shortage if doctors? The review committee and the population committee don't talk although they all report to the same government.

 

[UncleFai]

The first principle of capitalism: the price of a good or service is not determined by the cost of producing the good or rendering the service. It is determined solely by how much the customer is willing to pay for it. Healthcare is a service - especially private healthcare.

 

[La Fontaine]

Well, a taxi driver can earn 7k a month.
A ex-school teacher who is now a tuition teacher can earn 12k a month
Insurance agent, stock broker etc - some can earn 15k a month
Property agent during the good old times 20k
An Associate Professor - 15k [just got to know about it]

Well, what can we do? If you're still young, you can consider switching job.

For the rest of us, there ain't nothing much we can do.

 

[zaren]

Well, a taxi driver can earn 7k a month.
A ex-school teacher who is now a tuition teacher can earn 12k a month
Insurance agent, stock broker etc - some can earn 15k a month
Property agent during the good old times 20k
An Associate Professor - 15k [just got to know about it]

Well, what can we do? If you're still young, you can consider switching job.

For the rest of us, there ain't nothing much we can do.

What Susan Lim was charging her royal patient was $16k per hour (assuming she worked 16 hours per day)

No wonder eyebrows were raised.

 

[ricohflex]

Doctors mix within their circle of high earning medical practitioners and socialise with the very rich.
So, the peer pressure on doctors to make lots of money and keep up with the Joneses is there.
It can change a doctor who was originally of good character into a money grubbing maniac.

If the $24 Million medical bill was agreed upfront between the doctor and the Brunei royal family before the doctor even started to treat the patient, then there is no case of over- charging.

In this world, everything is relative. Compared to some other evil, this case is small potatoes.

Stanley O'Neal was President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. He steered Merrill Lynch into the disastrous sub-prime arena with losses of US$8 Billion. So was he punished for this? Nope. Stanley O'Neal got US$161.5 million in securities and retirement benefits even after he did this to the company.

 

[Kit]

Why can't photographers be like doctors? Haizzz......

 

[Halfmoon]

Why can't photographers be like doctors? Haizzz......

I am happy with $1600 per hour... ;p

 

[yqt]

If the $24 Million medical bill was agreed upfront between the doctor and the Brunei royal family before the doctor even started to treat the patient, then there is no case of over- charging.

Don't think they could had agreed on the cost up front as there were special additional work/instruction which was not made known earlier like the doc had to charter a private jet to fly her here on urgent basis, things like that do not fall into the doc's responsibility but she was instructed to to do, so how to agreed up front?

 

[9V-Orion Images]

There was a similar case in the state too IIRC. Some rich family went begging some top specialist to save their child at no matter what cost but when the patient dies, start throwing lawsuits for cost gouging and negligence.