Names of Clinics & Specialities

NAMES OF CLINICS AND SPECIALTIES 

 Doctors like to name their clinics after their own names. Sometimes it is not very appropriate. Would patients like to see a Dr Quek? On the other hand, I had former class mate called “Mohsin” who later became a psychiatrist. In Hokkien (and he was from Penang), the word means “crazy”! Or a Singh should not call his clinic “Awtar Clinic” in Penang, as the word sounds like bluffing. There may be a Catholic Hospital or an Islamic Hospital but will there be a Sikh Hospital? 

Some of the clinic names, we would like to see: 
 Dr See Eye Clinic 
Dr Chew Oral Clinic 
Dr Gigi Dental Clinic (Gigi is a lady’s name) 
Dr Harry Skin Clinic 
Dr Kok STD Clinic 
Dr Mahalingam Klinik for Men 
Dr Ma Maternity Clinic 
Dr Saw Bone Clinic 
Dr Sit Piles Clinic
Dr Ow Pain Clinic 
Ah Choo Allergy Clinic 
Polyclinic Wang, Dollah & Manikam 
Moo, Kow & Ngeow Veterinary Clinic 

 Longest Name 
The longest name of a medical speciality is probably Otonasolaryngology, a term not often used by the doctors themselves. They are often called Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists for short. However, some of them have extended their fields to head and neck. So their signboards have gone longer: Klinik Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck! If other specialities called themselves by the organs they treat, gastroenterologists would be called specialists in oesophagus, stomach, intestines and rectum! Gynecologists would have more embarrassing terms to use! 

Unusual specialities 
A foreigner remarked that he was surprised that in Malaysia, he has seen medical clinics treating chin and lip conditions, probably mistaken for Clinic Dr Chin and Dr Lip. On the other hand, Chest physicians are reluctant to call themselves Pulmonologists while the corresponding surgeons are called Thoracic surgeons. 

O & G 
The old word “midwifery” has long been discarded for the medical doctors. It is still used for nurses. The term comes from an old English word meaning “with wife”. The name of our speciality is rather long and cumbersome. Suggestion to shorten it to Gynecology alone, which is adequate, have not been generally accepted, though the term “Gyne” seems to be popular. Often the name is shortened to O&G, or OBGYN. In Bahasa, it used to be called Sakitpuan & Perbidanan, which was rather crude but suitable for rural areas. In Chinese, it is simple and direct, Fu Chang Ker. 

Physicians and Surgeons 
As a rule, specialties ending in –ology are physician-related as surgeons would add the suffix “surgery”. Cardiology and Neurology are medical and Cardiacsurgery and Neurosurgery are surgical. Specialities dealing with a specific area of the body such as the eye (Opthalmology) and even women’s reproductive organs are both physicians and surgeons, limited to their field. The only exception is Urology which is actually surgical while the medical equivalent is Nephrology. Nowadays with minimal surgery and endoscopy, some of the procedures have overlapped. Both gastrologists and gastrosurgeons perform similar endoscopic procedures. Even radiologists have entered into interventional radiological surgeries. 

Dr or Mr 
Surgeons from UK prefer to call address themselves as “Mr” rather as “Dr”. Historically, the surgeons were barbers, not doctors. Yet the term “Mr” is retained as it seems to be higher in rank than the ordinary doctors in the medical profession. After struggling for years to be professionally qualified, they prefer to drop the title of Dr and return to Mr. In Malaysia, the title is even more inappropriate as it is confusing to the public. After all, do they want to be called “Encik” or “Sin Sung” in the local languages? 

Car Plates 
In the seventies, the car plates in Penang had two letters. The gynecologists were booking their cars with PV, the urologists would choose PU and the rectal surgeons PR. Then in Kelantan, doctors were waiting for the DR. 

Sub-specialities 
With the preponderance of sub-specialities, patients are finding it difficult and expensive to seek treatment. Instead of seeing the general practitioner who is competent to treat uncomplicated medical conditions or even see the general physician who should be able to treat most complicated conditions. Now, they have to see the cardiologist for the heart, the endocrinologist for their diabetes, the neurologist for the nerve condition, the rheumatologist for the body ache, the nephrologist for urine infection and even the chest physician if they complain of cough!