Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan, the flying doctor.

8th September 2013, a very significant date for the new juniors joining the Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health. The white coat ceremony which symbolises the start of the journey of a medical student was held today.

The hall was filled with proud beaming parents as they watched their children march up the stage to receive their white coat from the dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, Major General Professor Dato Dr Mohd Zain bin Bidin.

Usually, there will be a guest of honour to officiate the white coat ceremony. Someone of importance and great standing will be invited to give a speech and grace the ceremony with his/her presence. The guest of honour for this year's white coat ceremony was none other than Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan.

Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan

You know how certain people are associated to certain things or events? Say for example, when you think of swimming, the first name which pops into your mind would be Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer of all time; think of sprinting = Usian Bolt; think of boxing = Mohammad Ali; think of Apple = Steve Job; think of music = Mozart; think of a great and uncorrupted leader = Muhammad Taib...

Well, Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan is the name to know if you think of medicine in Malaysia. Not only is he a renowned doctor, doing lots of research and even becoming the Deputy Director General of Health Ministry of Malaysia, he is also a legend in the sports arena.


During Malaysia's Golden Era of sports (1960s), Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan ran so bloody fast people called him the flying doctor. In fact, he was so good at running that he represented Malaysia in the Olympics not once, not twice but 3 times! He even won 3 gold medals in the Asia Games earning the tittle of Asia's Fastest Man. On top of all that, his 200m record of 20.9s remains unbroken even after 45 years. 

To achieve all this when he wasn't even a full time athlete but rather a medical student is kind of inspiring. To say he is a perfect role model would be an understatement.

There are many tributes about Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan. Go google his name if you wanna know more about him. 

So yeah, back to my story. 

For some reason, I was chosen to be the liaison officer for Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan during the ceremony. I had to go to his house to pick him up, escort him to my university and send him to the airport after everything was done. In other words, I was something like his usher for the day. And what a privilege it was!! 

It was an honour to be in the same car as Tan Sri, listening to his stories and getting his opinions and advice on various issues. I even manage to get a picture with him.

Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan, the Flying Doctor and me, the Iron Doctor :P

I'd say it was inspirational and a refreshing experience, consolidating my aim and determination to work hard and try follow in his footsteps.


Oh ya, remember my Distinction Viva a few weeks earlier? Yeah, I managed to get a distinction for Pharmacology. The distinction award was given during this White Coat Ceremony. 

I was so glad that my parents, grandma and sister could make it to the ceremony. To think they came all the way from Melaka just to witness me receive the award :)

I can't seem to come up with a proper ending for this post without sounding boastful or cheesy, so here is a picture of me in the process of making a salute. While you are contemplating about how nice this picture is, I take my leave.. so long :)