Bismillah...
After the passing of our beloved Uncle Ooi, the Medical Camp Whatsapp group that I joined at the end of last year became inactive. I haven't heard if anybody else has taken over his post. Before he fell ill, I frequently saw him near where I'm working. He was busied with some renovation projects. May his soul rest in peace. He lived such a meaningful life to the very end...
After so many months and several times of missed opportunities (because I already had something else planned), Alhamdulillah, last September I was given the chance to serve the people of Kg Inarad, Tongod.
When I was first added into the Whatsapp group, I was surprised that the group is comprised of hundreds of people. And when they called me "Dr. Haziah", I was quick to clarify that I'm a Pharmacist not a Doctor. And later I was told that all medical support team are addressed as doctors.
Life was hectic as usual as the end of the year approached, so I didn't have time to get the details about the medical camp and remained clueless till the day we departed from KK. That morning I learned that this team is actually a group of 4 Wheel Drive (4WD) enthusiasts, those who organizes and participates in the annual Borneo Safari event. And during their so called 'free time' they would organize Medical Camps since they have the means to bring medical team into remote areas. And it's also a way for them to gather.
There were a total of 6 4WDs from KK and more than 10 from Sandakan; we met midway and had lunch.
That weekend we had to take the longer route because the bridge that linked Nabawan and Tongod was being repaired. That route takes around 4-5 hours from KK. The one we took was a 9 hours journey. They were driving soooooo fast and we still didn't manage to cut the time.
We were driving off road half of the journey. Having gone through Jomsom-Porkhara road, nothing in the world could ever beat the road condition. So this was okay and since the 4WD I was in was a modified one, it wasn't that bumpy.
I was quite surprised to see Kg Inarad is actually not as hurm 'impoverished' as what I had in mind. The village surroundings are very clean and neat. There is a nicely trimmed football field where we laid our (borrowed) mat to star gaze at night. We set up our tents on the field at first. But the it rained heavily and there were lightning flashes all around, so we moved our tents into the shaded bleacher area.
This team had a slightly different way of operating the medical camp. We were divided into two groups; Medical and Support team. The support team are the drivers of the 4WD and those who prepare food for the team. Most of them didn't actively take part during the medical camp since they were busy preparing for meals. But that was such a blessing for us who were tired after seeing hundreds of villagers because when we finished, coffee and kuih muih were all ready for us.
We were supposed to set up the medical camp in 2 villages, but then the drivers decided to bring over the villagers from the other village instead.
I enjoyed every single moment of the camp. I'm very glad to meet all the inspiring uncles who didn't slow down despite of being in their 50s and 60s. They remain active and have chosen to use their hurm 'fortune' (I don't know what word that suits best hahaha) to contribute to those who are in need.
I didn't get to join the last medical camp for this year since I was flying to Taiwan that weekend. I hope I can join this team again in the future. Amin....
"It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent amount of what he takes out of it"- Albert Einstein
"Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege"- John D Rockfeller Jr.
After the passing of our beloved Uncle Ooi, the Medical Camp Whatsapp group that I joined at the end of last year became inactive. I haven't heard if anybody else has taken over his post. Before he fell ill, I frequently saw him near where I'm working. He was busied with some renovation projects. May his soul rest in peace. He lived such a meaningful life to the very end...
After so many months and several times of missed opportunities (because I already had something else planned), Alhamdulillah, last September I was given the chance to serve the people of Kg Inarad, Tongod.
When I was first added into the Whatsapp group, I was surprised that the group is comprised of hundreds of people. And when they called me "Dr. Haziah", I was quick to clarify that I'm a Pharmacist not a Doctor. And later I was told that all medical support team are addressed as doctors.
Life was hectic as usual as the end of the year approached, so I didn't have time to get the details about the medical camp and remained clueless till the day we departed from KK. That morning I learned that this team is actually a group of 4 Wheel Drive (4WD) enthusiasts, those who organizes and participates in the annual Borneo Safari event. And during their so called 'free time' they would organize Medical Camps since they have the means to bring medical team into remote areas. And it's also a way for them to gather.
There were a total of 6 4WDs from KK and more than 10 from Sandakan; we met midway and had lunch.
That weekend we had to take the longer route because the bridge that linked Nabawan and Tongod was being repaired. That route takes around 4-5 hours from KK. The one we took was a 9 hours journey. They were driving soooooo fast and we still didn't manage to cut the time.
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| This is the neighbouring village |
I was quite surprised to see Kg Inarad is actually not as hurm 'impoverished' as what I had in mind. The village surroundings are very clean and neat. There is a nicely trimmed football field where we laid our (borrowed) mat to star gaze at night. We set up our tents on the field at first. But the it rained heavily and there were lightning flashes all around, so we moved our tents into the shaded bleacher area.
This team had a slightly different way of operating the medical camp. We were divided into two groups; Medical and Support team. The support team are the drivers of the 4WD and those who prepare food for the team. Most of them didn't actively take part during the medical camp since they were busy preparing for meals. But that was such a blessing for us who were tired after seeing hundreds of villagers because when we finished, coffee and kuih muih were all ready for us.
We were supposed to set up the medical camp in 2 villages, but then the drivers decided to bring over the villagers from the other village instead.
I enjoyed every single moment of the camp. I'm very glad to meet all the inspiring uncles who didn't slow down despite of being in their 50s and 60s. They remain active and have chosen to use their hurm 'fortune' (I don't know what word that suits best hahaha) to contribute to those who are in need.
I didn't get to join the last medical camp for this year since I was flying to Taiwan that weekend. I hope I can join this team again in the future. Amin....
"It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent amount of what he takes out of it"- Albert Einstein
"Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege"- John D Rockfeller Jr.
