Destination: KL Hospital

Kelab Kami Perihatin made a visit to KL Hospital today. Initially the visit was scheduled last Tuesday, but due unavailability of many members - there's roughly about 20 currently - the trip was postponed to another date. Salehudin - one of the senior member - texted me just after maghrib last night to inform of this visit.

I have been hospitalised several time in life, most of the time I was admitted via the emergency door. Having medical insurance does help in the bill payments; not having one means having to seek treatment at a government hospital. It was one of those times when I did not renew such policy that I found myself having to rush to the University Hospital.

The available members of Kami Perihatin rendezvoused at Jalan Raja Laut to pack date fruits and some baulu cakes into bags meant for distribution. As there were no proper parking, we parked illegally by the roadside and did the packing on the road shoulder, causing many pair of eyes to glance and perhaps, wonder quietly about us.

On the particular time mentioned, my body was producing lots of thick phlegm which blocked my air passage and had me coughing, sometime rather violently. A doctor had prescribed prednisolone which was supposed to be taken according to prescription and tapered off slowly to avoid any complications. But I had found them too effective and conveniently took them against prescribed manner.

Once at KLH, we divided ourselves into 4 groups of 3 members each. Each group is then assigned to different wards of different floors. My group consisted of Aishah, Ustazah K, and much to our surprised, a lady visitor who volunteered to wanted to assist; she had gotten to know about us only then and it struck her to become a member of KP there and then. Since we were totally unprepared, was accepted her assistance and will discuss her membership in our next meeting.

I had finished my last prescription of pred for 2 days then, and there were less phlegm. But that night, I awoke to sudden seizure of violent coughs. My body began shaking and my right ribs were experiencing cramps - one of the rib bones was beginning to jut out of its lining and soon hardened like a brick. I had no choice but to call a cab and head directly for UH.

There were many kinds of people of different race and religion, each with a health problem of their own. For a non-medic, there is no way I can ascertain whose health problem is worse. The only thing my mind could make out then was that those patients who had friends and relatives visiting them, are the lucky ones. Those without, lie silently starring straight up the ceiling, looking sad and dejected.

At UH, I was stretchered to a waiting room, and later, yet another waiting room, but this time with the patients lying on their temporary beds. A Chinese-looking doctor then came to have a look at me. I tried explaining but he does not seem to understand. I showed him the rib bone which though was jutting, and had not penetrated out of my body and thus not causing any wounds. He called several other doctors and they spoke in a language I was not familiar with. Strangely, all of them left me there in pain. A nurse later came to give me a sedative which gave me relief and allowed me to sleep briefly later. The doctors, the nurse informed me, were from Myanmar and still new to the hospital.

As I passed several rows of bed, I notice one of our bags on the bed of an Indian patient. The guy looked at me with his sad eyes and I smiled to him. On the way out of the ward, I approached the Indian guy, took the bag from his bed and placed it on his bedside table. We talked a brief while and I learned the guy was suffering from some stomach problems. I did not want to ask about his family as I did not want to add to the sad and lonely look of his face.

At around 8am, an attendant wheel-chaired me to the pharmacy. The guy was kind enough to take my medicine from the counter for me and later wheeled me to the taxi stand where I took a cab home. Except for the medication given by the nurse and assistance of the kindly attendant, I felt like I was cheated and had not received any real treatment to the problem that plagued me that night.

Once all the bags were distributed, we made our way out of KLH. InsyAllah, we will continue visiting in our effort to at least bring cheer to the poor people not only in hospitals around KL but throughout Malaysia, and to oppressed people like those in Kampung Berembang and its like. But we need more funds and more volunteers to enable a continuous effort in assisting the poor and needy, not only in KL but throughout Malaysia. The main aim of KP hospital visit is to bring the people closer to us and allow us to offer our assistance to them in return.

I later learned that the problem I had that night was mainly due to my abuse of the pred. Alhamdulillah, I have since stopped taking pred or any steroid medication. My medical problem later ceased to afflict me after I found a simple medication by the name of jelly gamat.