H1NI

Who would choose to be another victim of the endemic H1N1? but when my son came home with reddish face and too weak too speak, my thinking ran havoc with predicaments. What if his condition worsen? where do we refer his case? How do we quarentine our family members?



Thanks to a friend doctor who prescribed my son with medicine and a lot of rest and asked us to refer back to him should anything unexpected cropped up. That was 4 days ago.



The third day my son was not able to stand firm, he felt like falling off. We checked with the doctor friend to detect anything unusual , but the doctor advised us to check at the Government Hospital where specialist H1N1 is available to determine whether my son is inflicted with the disease.



12.30 noon we reached the emergency counter to register my son's information bringing along a recommendation and background letter regarding my son's condition. Since my son was back from Singapore the day he got fever worries us more. By 1.30 we saw nothing moved at the screen calling number. I went to ask what happened? Was it lunch hour? the answer was this emergency unit is a 24hrs service unit. Something cropped up where all doctors were called to attend to the case.



It was Zohor time and we performed our prayers at the prayer corner provided. Another hour passed by. My son was restless but he was not having fever, yet he was weak. I went to the registeration counter to enquire what happened to his registration, did it went through to the doctor. His simple answer was..'my role is to register only...that's all' I gave a shrug and left. Later I was talking to a nurse to ask why so much delay and the crowd are getting bigger. Her answer was..'i am no doctor..i don't know.'



Just as we were leaving for a drink since it was almost 3 hours we left home, my son's number was called out. Barely 5 minutes later he came out of the doctor's room grumpy. 'how come the doctor just touched me and said i have no more fever and let me go.. he didn't even read the letter, and ask me to go get the medicine' my son said feeling disappointed. He left his prescription list at the counter wher the lady working there was busy on the phone, unoblivious of our presence.



Perhaps that was the psychological prescription that became a blessing that day. My son was furious that he was not properly checked but he felt good and walk tall...as though he need no doctor to tell him he was well after all. I told him Allah determine all things, He also cures all sickness. May be you are young and bold enough to take it that the doctor passed you for another needy patients.



So that day passed harmoniously, we had lunch together and he drove me all the way back to Shah Alam feeling better than before. He just mentioned these words..'never again.'. It was no coincidence that i had the same word rolling out of my lips..'never again' to be a patient leaving ourselves at the mercy of people who knows nothing what they are doing in this world. All they do was to go to 'work' get their pay at the end of the month.. and reserves all sense of giving a hand to patients to the 'doctors' who admittedly mentioned by one of my doctor relative are in shortage now.



When one of my friend asked me..'is it true that this H1N1 disease is designed by America to bully the world to come to terms with the country flaggering situation...l have no answer. I came to a rude conclusion that our public service has worsen since l retired. May be an awakening today since l rarely visited such conunter before this. Shall l write to the press about my son's experience or pray that some sense are brought to the public service frontliners in the hospitals that they are important people to help others feeling all is well...