Dr. Peter Ng Eng Pin

It is now common knowledge that men's life expectancy is lower than women's. According to the UN World Population Prospects 2011 Revision released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, the average life expectancy of Malaysian men is about 71 years, while in women it is closer to 76 years. One of the biggest problems is that men don't tend to use healthcare, even if it is just consultation with their GP, says Dr Peter Ng Eng Pin, consultant urological surgeon at Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya. Men's attitudes tend to be 'I have to be really ill before I see the doctor' or 'it's just a minor illness, I can fight it off myself'. But men must realise that they are not invulnerable. It seems that taking care of their health is just not part of the big picture when it comes to men. Dr Ng compares this with women, who are more detailorientated and thus notice the little changes and problems that can crop up from time to time. Unfortunately for men, health is all about the little details, and so they tend to lose out by not paying attention.