Speaking about “things happen for a reason” and “there are no accidents”. Last night, when I was just driving back from the OUG Lab, a friend replied my text asking for help to bring her maid (who had difficulty breathing) to the clinic. Being nearby, I managed to arrived her house in less than 10 minutes, took her maid and her cutie daughter along to a 24 hour clinic.
Funny thing is when I arrive at the clinic, I said “Excuse me, she needs help she can’t breathe, help please!”.
And her reply was “Can I have her IC number and name? I need to register her.”
Thankfully a guy who was at the counter waiting for his medication said “you got to help her first!” before I said anything. Yeah at the back of my head I was stun for a moment by the request to be honest, considering how life threatening the situation could become.
She was attended in the end by the doctor and was being diagnosed with an allergic reaction. The unfortunate part is that he does not have a proper medication to give and advice me to bring her to either UH or Desa Hospital.
The 1st thing that came to my mind is the medical cost. “Which would my friend be alright with?” UH is definitely much cheaper than the private Desa Hospital, then it hit me quickly that her breathe is on the line so obviously the much closer one would be a better choice.
When we arrived at Desa Hospital (fortunately my friend’s housemates were there to assist), she was treated immediately with injection and drips. Relieved but I can’t seem to erase the image of her being through so much of pain when she was in the clinic.
Her eyes were swelling, her fist was clenching to her chest and I was just there staring feeling helpless.
Everything was done at midnight and she was safely discharged to head home. Thankfully she’s alright!
It was the time in the hospital which I reflected on a couple of things in my life and how the world has become.
- The pain of feeling helpless
I now understand how some next of kin of a patient feel when the patient is going through so much pain and struggle when they are on the hospital bed – cancer, asthma, heart attack. There’s always that hope that we wish we can do something to at least ease their pain, if not to survive another moment. That feeling really sucks. - Picking up some life saving skills
After going through what happened last night, any knowledge of life saving skills become essentially important now to me. As much as it’s not a skill that is on everyone’s bucket list, it’s good to pick it up because we never know how much of a difference we can make to people at any time. CPR looks like to be the priority on my list now! - Medical cost
It has been a fact that this is such a big factor for the survival of many. As much as some people want the best for their loved ones, but some had to deal with a lot of debt for medical fee after treatment. For some, they had no choice but to opt for what they can afford and hope for the best. But the question here is”Why and how have medical cost became such a big consideration for one person’s survival? Isn’t the thought of saving each other comes from love first and money second? It’s funny how medical care and education for the well being of people are starting to have a hefty price tag on them and the numbers are continue to grow.If I trace back to various factors, studying medicine has in fact been very expensive by itself, which puts me to the question that “if a person is passionate in treating people and saving lives, affordability will have to come first as a pre-requisite (after results) and not so much of they will still be given a chance even if they can’t afford it.” Don’t you think it’s funny that way that even if we want to study to cure people, there is a barrier to it? How has this affected humanitarian? They are largely in debt that they had to learn how to make big money when they come out. Will then the intention be clear still? There are so much of pressure on them even before they start work.As for the public clinics, landlords play a big factor in providing a reasonable priced care to the community. If rental is hiked up, the pressure will be on the doctor which will be transferred to the patients. See how the cycle works now? See how one action can affect the lives of many?This whole incident made a big realization for me on the whole education and medical care system.I have dreamed of building my own university and a hospital is now added on my list on how the business of the hospital can be actually created for the people and still being sustainable.
- Saving someone’s life experience
Words can’t describe how this feels. It’s like a disbelief feeling or a feeling where I felt “what just happened?” Talking about being at the right place at the right time, things just happen. But the joy comes from at the end of the night when she looked at me and said thank you and I just look backed in her eyes and thumbs up to her. It’s good to see you being alive and contributing back to my friend’s daughter’s growth. That was how I felt there and then. Some parents go through that more often than others for their child and it’s such a emotional experience in the short span of time!
Would there be a chance for a turnaround in the world for this? What is the intention at the end of the day for the medical industry? Are movies like “Patch Adams” not possible? Do students learn about elements of love, care, trust & giving in classes that are not found in textbooks? This is not something that one person can do to change, but it could start with one person to embark on the change.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has – Margaret Mead