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      Date:   29 April, 2012  
Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs & rabbits
A new veterinary practice opens in Yangon
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
29 April, 2012
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Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
On April 25, 2012, I sent James Aung and his wife off at Changi Airport to Yangon. He has been renovating his own practice in Yangon and should be opening in June 2012.

James Aung is a Myanmar-qualified veterinarian but in Singapore, he worked as a veterinary technician in various practices and knows much more over the last 20 years of working diligently in Singapore. This is because he was hands-on in assisting in veterinary surgery and medicine. He gave value to his employers by spending more time and effort to follow-up on hospitalised cases than expected of any employee. Thus he has earned a good reputation in Singapore.

"Got to get the models to be at the opening ceremony," the wife had invited me by offering to pay for my air tickets to Yangon to celebrate the new opening of the new veterinary practice in Yangon. Her friend had the connections to the media in Yangon. Car salesroom in Yangon always show models standing around to attract the crowds.

"No models," I advised. "To get national attention, invite actresses and actors. Famous ones to cut the ribbon! Will you provide a lion dance like Dr Jason Teo who opened his new clinic?"

"No, no," the wife said. "Lion dances are for the Chinese."

"Ok, how about horse or donkey dance?" I asked as I had seen such events during my travel to Mandalay from Pyin Oo Lwin, a military garrison town.

In this practice, the wife had purchased a big pre-owned SUV car. "A car is necessary. It costs me  $60,000 in cash," the wife told me. "No car loans unlike car purchase in Singapore."

The wife co-ordinated the renovation of the 3-storey building that she had purchased some 3 years ago. The cost would be at least $40,000. Amongst the usual partitions, tiles and air-conditioning, two water tanks, a well dug and sewerage pits must be installed unlike in Singapore.

Sometimes, it is penny wise pound foolish when she starts up a vet clinic. At the airport, James showed me the renovation in progress in the Apple iPad his wife had won in a contest. I had seen the place in 2008 when I visited Yangon.

Then James showed me the brochure of a supplier he intended to buy the auroscope but not the opthalmoscope but he would have to pay cash upfront unlike Singapore veterinary clinics. "Just pay cash," the wife said.

"Why do you intend to buy only the auroscope?" I asked.  "My wife objects to me getting the opthalmoscope," he said. I told the wife that there would be eye examination cases and thus this was not the right thing to do. So she gave permission. In a survey, Asian men are unable to save much and so it is good that  James hand over his pay to his wife who managed the finances well.

Still, there is much more to having a pretty modern veterinary clinic and an experienced vet like James. Will the clinic be able to sustain its profitability? There is the marketing part as there is competition since Myanmar is now opening up its economy. There is the business development part. The technical skills to handle complex cases. If the clinic is not profitable over the next two years, it is a white elephant and the wife would have lost a lot of money. "James is on his own," she told me. "No more salary as before." I noted that James is very happy to be his own boss and I expect him to do reasonably well.

"He should provide free services for all the stray dogs and cats in Yangon," I shocked the wife with this preposterous idea. "It is good karma. That will make him famous in Myanmar as nobody is providing this service."

The wife shook her head vigorously as she saw her investment money down the drain. "When James is successful, I will retire as a lady of leisure in Yangon sipping tea and doing nothing," she said to me one day. "No more staff headaches and work problems". My idea would be not enable her to retire as the equivalent of a Singapore "tai tai". A "tai tai" is a rich man's wife who need not work but just enjoy a life of pleasure and leisure. 
  
"So you think there is no money to be made caring for stray dogs and cats in Yangon?" I asked her. "James may get donations to do the good work. Lots of money if he does a good job for the disadvantaged animals."  As to whether he would be rich in the long term, that depends on how he manages this free service, his integrity and the amount of donations.

Good management is very important in ensuring that a veterinary practice sustains its profitability as it is not a given that many customers will come to you just because you have opened a modern well equipped clinic. Unless you are dirt cheap by under-pricing to get the crowds, you will not be able to sustain the business in the long term as there will always be new competitors who are better equipped than you.
Electro-GP-trichoepithelioma/20120342tn_guinea-pig-male-3years-large-ear-tumour-electrosurgery-toapayohvets-zoletil-isoflurane.jpg tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)5131 - 5141. Ulcerated ear tumour.
Electro-surgery to excise a guinea pig's trichoepithelioma using Zoletil 100 & isoflurane
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BE KIND TO GUINEA PIGS --- GET EAR TUMOURS ULCERS TREATED WHEN THEY ARE SMALL.  More case studies, goto:  Guinea Pigs

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