Never Too Old To Graduate From Medical School

By: Lourdes G. Mon

 

At 70 years old, not all seniors are ready for a leisurely life and enjoy retirement. Age cannot limit the activities of a person. Matter of fact, being active in one’s lifetime lengthens our mental and physical health, with one’s ambitions or achievements. In my readings, including those of CNN, Facebook, Linked, Reddith and other articles in the Philippines, a Malaysian senior, Toh Hong Keng graduated from the medical school at Southwestern University PHINMA in Cebu, Philippines, on July 2024.

At the university, for fellow students who did not know him, Toh Hong Keng was mistaken to be a professor. But the gray-haired older man was a freshman medical student, just like the rest of the class. He said, “My family and friends were surprised at first. Several of my friends thought I was crazy wanting to study medicine at this age,” the retired executive, said over a coffee in Hong Kong, where he has been living for decades. Last July, at 70, Toh became one of the world’s oldest students to graduate from medical school.

“It wasn’t always easy. At 65 to 70 years old, my memory, eyesight, hearing and body are not as good as when I was younger.” Toh spent most of his life working in tech sales. But, for him, retirement didn’t bring long lunches and games of golf. Instead, each day for five years, he immersed himself in anatomy textbooks, aided by flashcards, reading glasses and large mugs of coffee. Even for someone with multiple degrees, it wasn’t always easy. Toh was held back a year after failing a pediatrics exam in his third year.

In his final year, he was required to complete a one-year placement at private and public hospitals, with some shifts lasting a grueling 30 hours. There were times of uncertainty that made him think, “Why do I have to do this? However, his family and classmates, decades younger than him were very supportive and kept encouraging Toh. They constantly tell him to dispel his doubts, reminding him that giving up would be of waste. Therefore, Toh’s mantra that kept him going was, “Sayang” — a Tagalog word meaning it would be a shame not to see it through. “Sir Toh,” his classmates affectionately tell him, “If you give up now, it will be sayang.”

At his age, Toh never asked for any special consideration and had “a very strong resolve. Mr. Toh is already an accomplished businessman and professional, yet he is still very open to new things. He was very passionate and persevering.” said Dr. Marvi Dulnuan-Niog, dean of the medical school. The idea came to him when he met two young Indian medical students during a vacation in 2018. That encounter over lunch sparked an idea that he might one day be able to pursue a medical degree. “The only reason why I decided to study medicine was because I wanted something useful to do. I’ve done different courses. I’ve done economics, I’ve done chemistry, I’ve done electronic engineering – but I don’t want to do that again. If I can’t be a practicing doctor, at least I can look after myself somewhat,” Toh said.

Before Toh was admitted at Southern University in Cebu, he went through several failures on entrance exams for admission at medical schools around Asia. His other dilemma was his age, because the age limit for medical school was 35 to 40 years old. With the help of a Filipino medical graduate and going through more exams and interviews, he was admitted at Southern University in Cebu. He completed his first year in Cebu, which included a course with clinical labs and hands-on learning. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, he moved backed to Hong Kong and took all of his lectures online.

I am somewhat disappointed that Toh did not take the medical board exams to become a full-fledged doctor. Even after five years of intense study, Toh is not convinced he’ll take the extra steps needed to become a practicing doctor. It would require a year-long internship and more study for a medical board exam.

Tho had no problems landing a job back home in Malaysia and jetting around Asia on different stints before settling in Hong Kong, where he and his wife raised three children. Instead, he plans to work as a consultant for a friend’s company dealing with allergy and immunology diagnostics in Hong Kong.

Before all of the above happened, Toh studied chemistry and control engineering at the University of Bradford in Great Britain. He then moved to London for his master’s degree.

In conclusion, Mr. Toh Hong Keng offers this advice: “If you have a dream to be a medical doctor, you can still do it at any age. Studying medicine is intensive and extensive, but it’s not that hard, it’s just hard work.”

Posing on a stretcher, Toh and his cohort completed medical school together.
Toh Hong Keng/Henry Ahn Photo Studio