As reported in the printed media, a student in Malaysia scored 17 A1s in her SPM exam. Also reported was her intention to study medicine in Ireland and the government has promised to sponsor her.

When it comes to scholarships awarded by our government, I agree that no other candidate would be more suitably deserving. What concerns many is the lack of a 'bond' requirement or

or 'terms of sponsorship'.

It is a well-known fact that Malaysians who study medicine in the UK and Ireland don't come back. I do not blame them since the starting salary of a doctor in a Malaysian public hospital is RM1,400 whereas in the UK for example, it is around RM20,000.

This, of course, is due to the exchange rate and also to the fact that there are more elderly voters in Western countries thus healthcare is a bigger priority there than in developing countries like Malaysia.

Sponsoring students to study medicine in the UK and Ireland costs more than a million ringgit for the seven years required. What is the point if they don't come back to work in Malaysia after finishing the course?

I fail to understand why our government no longer bonds students it sponsors like it used to before. Many suspect this is because top politicians don't want to bond their own children who get scholarships not based on merit.

In the end, it is Malaysian taxpayers who end up paying for nothing.