Malaysian, 70 years old, Cebu university’s oldest medical graduate

Toh Hong Keng is a 70-year-old Malaysian, who finishes his degree in medicine this year at the Southwestern University PHINMA | Courtesy of SWU PHIMA, The Quill

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Have you imagined studying for another degree after your retirement age? Because it is never too late to pursue what you want no matter how old you are.

The drive for a 70-year-old Malaysian  to learn more and explore what he wants even after his retirement ushered him in getting his recent achievement.

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Toh Hong Keng, was dubbed as the oldest medical graduate in Southwestern University PHINMA. Toh finished his degree in medicine at the age of 70 this month.

This feat was not something that Toh thought would happen when he was younger. Everything just happened before his retirement.

Graduation photo of Toh Hong Keng | Courtesy of Toh Hong Keng

To be a doctor? Not really his dream

Pursuing the field of medicine was never in his dream, Toh said. It actually took him a long time to decide to take it, especially that he rendered almost 30 years in the sales and marketing industry.

At the age of 65, a retirement age in Hong Kong where he previously worked before studying medicine, he wondered what more he could do.

“What could I still be doing?” a curious question from his mind.

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One day, he said, he was traveling with his brother in Kyrgyzstan and there he met two young Indian medicine students, who paved the way for his next journey.

“I suddenly [thought of] this is something I wanted to be looking at. And the more I think about it, the more I [got] excited about it. I don’t know why, but anyway. In the end, that’s how I ended up here in the Philippines studying medicine,” he said.

His mere encounter with the Indian students left with no significant conversation that time, but the thought of them being medicine students activated his desire to study.

Toh Hong Keng with his classmates in SWU PHINMA | Courtesy of Toh Hong Keng

“If they can do medicine overseas, I can also do it overseas. But I said I don’t want to do it in Kyrgyzstan because it’s Russian-speaking and I’m too old to study a new language,” Toh said.

“Studying medicine is not a work in a park. So, you need to be prepared to spend four years and sometimes if you don’t pass every year then maybe five years or maybe up to six years.”

He added that it is also challenging if you are not determined to study medicine.

“If you really want to be a doctor, then you should do it.”

Why he chose to study in Cebu

As a Malaysian, his first choice was to study medicine in Malaysia, but he said that public medical schools in Malaysia “only pick straight A’s high school students.” Although the schools there did not state that they have an age limit, Toh did not see any older students like 35 years old who were still in school.

Meanwhile, the private medical school there was also too expensive for him.

Thereafter, he thought of studying in China since he also speaks Mandarin and the cost there is reasonable. But the problem was the age limit. He learned that the oldest student studying in that school in China was 30 years old.

He then searched online for some places in Asia where he could study medicine and that could accept students regardless of their age. He tried applying for other schools in Manila, but he said that some universities there have a certain age limit.

Next, tested his chance here in Cebu, and fortunately, he found SWU PHINMA that accepted him at the age of 66 in 2019.

“Why Cebu? Because it is not as busy as Manila, not as crowded as Manila, so I think it suited me more. Because at my age, I want a slower place and a fast place like Manila [is not for me],” Toh said.

Why pursue medicine at the age of 66?

Toh believes that most people his age will understand that when they finish college, their first priority is to find a job and make some income. And when they make some income, they either get married, buy a car, a house, and then they end up with mortgages to pay, then soon pay for their insurance.

For Toh, he waited for his three children to finish college, before he decided to take another step ahead for his career.

Toh Hong Keng with his wife and daughter during his graduation. | Courtesy of Toh Hong Keng

“When they’re done, I said to myself, when I retire, then it’s my turn. So, [that’s] one reason,” he said.

Upon learning his plans, Toh revealed that his family was “very supportive” of him doing it.

He has three children who finished college and two grandchildren.

Different way of studying

Toh treated studying medicine as “a different way of studying.”

“I’m comfortable with Science and Engineering because Science and Engineering have a lot of calculations, lots of logics and concepts, whereas in medicine, in Biology, there’s a lot of memory (a lot of concepts to remember). It’s a different way of studying from what you’re used to,” Toh said.

He first earned a degree in Chemistry and Control Engineering, his second degree was Master in Technology and Development Engineering, and his third degree was Masters in Finance.

“Studying is not really an issue for me… When I finished my first degree, I said to myself, if I come back to Malaysia, some of the things that I learned are not useful,” Toh said.

The digital age has offered convenience to the world. With just a tap or click on different devices connected to the internet, one can Google what they are looking for.

However, searching online was not enough for Toh, especially when it concerns health and nutrition. This is another factor why his desire to take medicine became stronger. He wanted to learn the fundamentals down to the crucial part of medicine.

Toh Hong Keng | Contributed photo

What will he pursue next?

Even if he already earned his degree in medicine, Toh is not planning to proceed with his post-graduate internship (PGI) and board exam either in the Philippines, Malaysia, or in Hong Kong.

Instead, he said, he is probably returning back to his comfort zone which is in the sales and marketing industry and exploring opportunities in sales and marketing in the medicine field.

“I wish I can pursue further to become a licensed doctor, but because I graduated in the Philippines, I [will] need further certification [to be a doctor in Malaysia],” he said.

‘Dreams have no age limit’

“Dreams have no age limit. If you have a dream, do it.”

Toh believes that age will never be a problem if you want to pursue your dreams.

Toh Hong Keng talked with the members of media on Monday, July 22. | CDN Digital photo via Niña Mae Oliverio

He also acknowledges that if not because of age, especially those who are younger than him, the obstacle in pursuing their dreams is financial issues.

But Toh believes that there will always be ways as long as they are determined to work hard for it, and look for institutions that offer scholarships.

For Toh, education is not just going to school because there are other things that people can learn without going to school.

But the flame to learn and equip the knowledge from books and hands-on activities in the universities is a different experience that can only be learned in the educational institutions.

“You cannot be good at everything… Some, after you study, you can’t remember all the details. No need to be shy about it,” Toh said.