WHO should study medicine? That was the question posed by Nanyang Siang Pau in its editorial.

The daily said yesterday that many intelligent students chose to study medicine although not all had the qualities to be doctors.

"Besides having good results, the student should have good communication skills," the daily said.

To study medicine, one needed to have a deep interest in the medical field and aspirations to become a doctor, it said.

"Besides the long hours and giving up many of life's pleasures, doctors have to put up with unhappy faces and deaths," it added.

If the person could not take up the challenges of becoming a doctor, he or she should not take up the profession.

The daily noted that apart from conducting psychiatric observation on potential doctors, the authorities should also check if medical students could withstand the pressures of being a doctor.

The daily's comments came following reports quoting Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican as saying that every month, at least five doctors are found to be suffering from mental illnesses.