Kota Kinabalu: Toh Hong Keng, a 70-year-old Malaysian retiree now living in Hong Kong, may be the world’s oldest medical graduate, it has been reported.
Toh has just earned his medical degree from Southwestern University in Cebu, the Philippines, an extraordinary accomplishment that came after five years of intense study and a gruelling year-long hospital placement, the South China Morning Post reported.
“There are so many times I wanted to give up. But my classmates would encourage me by saying ‘sayang’, which means ‘it would be a waste’ in Tagalog, if I gave up,” he was quoted as saying.
Toh’s journey began six years ago when he retired as the vice-president for product marketing and channel sales for a company in Hong Kong.
Not content with a sedentary retirement, a chance encounter with two young Indian medical students during a trip to Kyrgyzstan inspired him to pursue a medical degree – a quest for knowledge rather than a new career.
Although Toh decided against pursuing a postgraduate internship or board exam due to his age, he plans to work in sales and marketing for medical devices and consumables and aspires to write a book on nutrition and weight management with a friend.
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“I may be able to join Doctors Without Borders or at least I can use my knowledge to take care of my own health during retirement and that of my family,” he reportedly said.
