Toh Hong Keng has been living in Hong Kong for 30 years and is a permanent resident, but has been studying medicine at Southwestern University in the Philippines for the past five years.

He turns 71 in September.

On July 20, he will become the university’s oldest graduate since its inception in 1948.

Prior to pursuing medicine, he worked for close to 30 years in sales and marketing at major companies like Hewlett-Packard and Welch Allyn, holding top regional leadership positions.

Toh is husband to Margarette Tan, 65. He is father to three children and grandfather to two. He was born to rubber tappers of Hokkien descent in Port Dickson, and educated first at Port Dickson High School, and later King George V School, Seremban.

He also earned a degree in chemistry and control engineering from the University of Bradford, England, in 1978, and later obtained a master’s in chemical engineering from the Imperial College in 1980, which he said he financed by working as a binman.

Toh said becoming a doctor was not always his dream, as he wanted to be an engineer. However, two young Indian students he met during a trip to Kyrgyzstan inspired him to consider a new career path.

“They were pursuing their medical degree and it dawned on me that I could do the same,” he said in an interview with FMT.

“I thought it would be fun to be a student again after I retired. If I can be a doctor, maybe I can join Doctors Without Borders or at least take care of me and my family’s health during retirement,” he said.

Toh, who retired in 2019, said he had wanted to study medicine in Malaysia, but couldn’t because public medical schools here only take straight A students, while private schools are too expensive.

He said he had also considered China, but its age cap for applicants is 30. However, he added that the Filipino system, modelled on that of the US, was tough.

Setbacks and 34-hour shifts

Toh said had to pass a pre-med degree and the national medical admission test, plus rounds of admission interviews.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic and failing one of his subjects added another year to his studies.

“I failed in paediatrics in my third year, but the 12-month final year medical clerkship was the toughest,” he said, referring to clinical rotation during which students work in hospitals or clinics to gain practical experience in patient care.

Toh said studying medicine mostly involved logic and concept, which he was already familiar with due to his engineering background.

“However, there is a lot of information we need to memorise. It is difficult,” he said, adding that he would work up to 34 hours in one shift during his rotation.

Meanwhile, he recalled that his first patients were outpatients in a rural clinic.

“I interviewed, examined the patients, and prescribed medication with the supervision of postgraduate interns and a doctor. I felt like a GP then,” he said.

Moving forward, Toh says he has no plans to continue with his internship due to his age.

“I will go back to my comfort zone in sales and marketing, perhaps in the medical devices and consumables sector. If that doesn’t work out, I will go visit the many countries in my bucket list,” he said.

He also plans to write a book on nutrition and weight management with a friend who is also a doctor.

So, will Toh Hong Keng stake a claim for a Guinness World Record as the world’s oldest medical graduate?

“Do you think I stand a chance?”