I wish to comment on the letter by Helmy Haja Mydin entitled Scholarships: Politician's kids not a factor in bonding .

The high salaries commanded by Malaysians working as doctors overseas is not a myth as Helmy suggests. The NHS (United Kingdom's National Health Service) does publish an annual pay scale for doctors.

Let me quote you the figures for 2004. The following salaries are for major cities across the UK in urban high density public hospitals. (Low density areas are less by about 25 to 35 percent).

The minimum salary grades for general practitioners are:

Pre-registration House Officers (first year, fresh graduates) - Sterling 35,465 annually plus free accommodation = Approx RM20,983 per month.

Senior House Officers (Years 2 - 4) - Sterling 50,191 annually = Approx RM 29,696 per month

General Practitioner Registrar (Years 5 -6) - Sterling 60,007 annually = Approx RM 35,504 per month

Consultant - Sterling 90,838 annually = Approx RM53,746 per month

I have nothing against Malaysians making money in foreign lands. However, this is not fair to UKM (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia), USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia) and UM (Universiti Malaya) graduates who are overworked and underpaid in local Malaysian hospitals.

Also, Malaysia does have a shortage of doctors and it seems ridiculous that Malaysian

government-sponsored medical students are not required to return home.

With regards to children of top politicians getting scholarships above the heads of other deserving Malaysians, I feel this is unfair.

Competition for places is getting extremely tight especially for the rest of us common folks.