Belaga, Sg Asap, Bakun!!!
This can be considered as a late entry.
It is a late entry.
I feel like to share my 2 weeks experience in Belaga and Sg Asap
I was supposed to be posted in Belaga due to political pressure but after a mutual agreement with my boss and my wonderful colleagues, we have decided to make it a rotation thing until a permanent MO will be finally station there this coming June.
The journey was fun, but the work is not really.
Belaga.
There used to be express boat service from Kapit to Belaga which takes 4 hours ride. But since the closure of Bakun Dam, the water level was really minimal. Hence the service was discontinued. The only way to go now is either you use a kayak or long boat (can consider swimming) going upstream or you have to go via Sibu-Bintulu-Belaga.
Left Kapit at 630am to take express boat to Sibu. Then a 15min or so of taxi ride to the bus station to catch a 10am bus to Bintulu. Arrived Bintulu at 130pm. Got into a private transport aka Commonrail 4wd car to Belaga using the logging camp road. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we caught up in a very long traffic due to an accident up front hence we arrived at 10pm. It was indeed a very challenging journey, only now i realize that i have motion sickness, i have a cochlea disequilibrium, my urinary bladder has a 300cc capacity for urine, proud of my urinary sphincter for its tremendous work in dealing with all the stress, and by the end of the day, i was lucky enough not to develop bleeding peptic ulcer.
Journey from Bintulu to Belaga was scary!!..It is a logging camp track and it is in the worst condition. I can't imagine how they manage to bare with it. But I was glad to know the condition, it does help in my management. To send or not to send. To juggle the pros and cons. Imagine if we were unfortunate enough to transfer down a pregnant woman who is in previa, do you think she will make it? With bumpy and rocky journey? Sigh. hope luck always at their sides.
The town - it is a small town. very quite. tranquil. i actually love it. the tranquility. smaller than kapit and it only takes half a day to make you famous. so you are the new doctor in town. and everyone will knows it. faster than the www. they haven't move into the new clinic yet. The old clinic was old and small. It was like someone's house turned clinic. But i was so lucky to be able to work at the old clinic. I mean you know before they move into the all new big clinic up the hill. But i was frustrated. I really am. I personally think, there is no point putting a medical officer there if most of the essential medical equipments are not available. We are doctors, medical practitioner, but not God or DemiGod. How do you aspect us to work if we don't have the equipment? The emergency trolley is not complete. No appropriate mask for paediatric patients. Not even an actrapid? And we come here to perform miracle. Let me flick my wand and walla, there you go, you are better now.
the total number of patients I saw in Belaga in a day average of 5-10patients. The good points - I get to know patient better, i have a great chance to educate them, tell them what to eat, what not to, why need to come for follow up and discuss about treatment options. I do it in a very slow pace. Take a deep breath in each sentences. No stress. When there is no patient, i read. I study. And I study a lot in Belaga within that 2 weeks period compared to when I am in Kapit for 6months.
The bad points- it bores me in a long run. I feel like i am not using my brain at all. No adrenaline rush. I became restless most of the time. Thinking what to do. Can't even sleep at night very well. Even though I never been called through out my on calls in Belaga, but you can't sleep that well. Expecting the worse everyday. Make me feel unease. Stress.
Majority of them are Kenyah or Kayan. Good thing is that they can understand Malay and can speak Malay. No need translator. Interesting to meet these people. Most of the women have Tatoos. I can't help myself mesmerizing them.
Sungai Asap
Spent my last 2 days at Sg Asap. From Belaga to Sg Asap via 4wd using a palm oil track. It took about 2hours short journey but enough to make me feel sick.
Sg Asap is a new settlement. There are 2 settlement for the Bakun Dam. Sg Asap and Koyan. Sg Asap probably has about 15long houses that were moved from area near Bakun Dam.
It even smaller than Belaga. please try to imagine that. But one good thing about Sg Asap is that they have a descent road (tarred) from Sg Asap to Bintulu, making it easier and safer to transfer patient which takes about 3hours ride. However, there is one unacceptable thing that indeed disturbing me about Sg Asap. There is no internet connection at all!! I was rotten for 2days. No telephone line too. All of them are using handphones. Even to refer a case.
The work load in Sg Asap is heavier in Sg Asap and the patient there are sicker. Most of them are Penan and Indonesian workers from various logging camp. I thought it was sick to know that patient came to KK Kapit by van, so the number of patients that you will see in one day in KK Kapit is how many vans outside your clinic time 10-12. In Sg Asap, they send the patients by truck or lorry. So if there are 5 lorries or trucks outside the clinic, you may need to multiply that with 20-30. That is the amount of patients that you need to see. Sigh.
For the penan, they only will come to see you if they are really really sick. If they still able to hold it, they will. But every time they come to you, they will be half dead and you will become hopeless. History may not be relevant at all for them. They don't know that they are sick.
It is interesting to talk about Penan. I heard lots of stories from the staffs who went to their long houses. Trying not to be judgmental. I think its the way how I see it. Personal opinion.
Penans are too dependent. They have no intention at all to change. The mentality has been set up long ago, to receive and to receive. And we? non stop giving and spoon feeding. We give them want they want but not what they need. Sigh.
But it was interesting in Sg Asap. Interesting indeed. I went to their longhouses. The new settlement made for them. It was nice. Very nice indeed. But to bad i went at night during my home visit. I can't clearly see the rest of the scene.
I managed to go to Bakun, thanks to the staff there. What an experience to be into the construction site and to see the dam "up close" and "personal". Hehe.
I enjoyed it. As a short visit. But I can't stay there for a long period of time. I am not a clinic person. I belong to OT. Hehe
I glad I came. It ease my mind. It helps me build up "the passion" again. The one that lost long time ago. It will takes time and i will wait patiently.
Upload pictures later.
It is a late entry.
I feel like to share my 2 weeks experience in Belaga and Sg Asap
I was supposed to be posted in Belaga due to political pressure but after a mutual agreement with my boss and my wonderful colleagues, we have decided to make it a rotation thing until a permanent MO will be finally station there this coming June.
The journey was fun, but the work is not really.
Belaga.
There used to be express boat service from Kapit to Belaga which takes 4 hours ride. But since the closure of Bakun Dam, the water level was really minimal. Hence the service was discontinued. The only way to go now is either you use a kayak or long boat (can consider swimming) going upstream or you have to go via Sibu-Bintulu-Belaga.
Left Kapit at 630am to take express boat to Sibu. Then a 15min or so of taxi ride to the bus station to catch a 10am bus to Bintulu. Arrived Bintulu at 130pm. Got into a private transport aka Commonrail 4wd car to Belaga using the logging camp road. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we caught up in a very long traffic due to an accident up front hence we arrived at 10pm. It was indeed a very challenging journey, only now i realize that i have motion sickness, i have a cochlea disequilibrium, my urinary bladder has a 300cc capacity for urine, proud of my urinary sphincter for its tremendous work in dealing with all the stress, and by the end of the day, i was lucky enough not to develop bleeding peptic ulcer.
Journey from Bintulu to Belaga was scary!!..It is a logging camp track and it is in the worst condition. I can't imagine how they manage to bare with it. But I was glad to know the condition, it does help in my management. To send or not to send. To juggle the pros and cons. Imagine if we were unfortunate enough to transfer down a pregnant woman who is in previa, do you think she will make it? With bumpy and rocky journey? Sigh. hope luck always at their sides.
The town - it is a small town. very quite. tranquil. i actually love it. the tranquility. smaller than kapit and it only takes half a day to make you famous. so you are the new doctor in town. and everyone will knows it. faster than the www. they haven't move into the new clinic yet. The old clinic was old and small. It was like someone's house turned clinic. But i was so lucky to be able to work at the old clinic. I mean you know before they move into the all new big clinic up the hill. But i was frustrated. I really am. I personally think, there is no point putting a medical officer there if most of the essential medical equipments are not available. We are doctors, medical practitioner, but not God or DemiGod. How do you aspect us to work if we don't have the equipment? The emergency trolley is not complete. No appropriate mask for paediatric patients. Not even an actrapid? And we come here to perform miracle. Let me flick my wand and walla, there you go, you are better now.
the total number of patients I saw in Belaga in a day average of 5-10patients. The good points - I get to know patient better, i have a great chance to educate them, tell them what to eat, what not to, why need to come for follow up and discuss about treatment options. I do it in a very slow pace. Take a deep breath in each sentences. No stress. When there is no patient, i read. I study. And I study a lot in Belaga within that 2 weeks period compared to when I am in Kapit for 6months.
The bad points- it bores me in a long run. I feel like i am not using my brain at all. No adrenaline rush. I became restless most of the time. Thinking what to do. Can't even sleep at night very well. Even though I never been called through out my on calls in Belaga, but you can't sleep that well. Expecting the worse everyday. Make me feel unease. Stress.
Majority of them are Kenyah or Kayan. Good thing is that they can understand Malay and can speak Malay. No need translator. Interesting to meet these people. Most of the women have Tatoos. I can't help myself mesmerizing them.
Sungai Asap
Spent my last 2 days at Sg Asap. From Belaga to Sg Asap via 4wd using a palm oil track. It took about 2hours short journey but enough to make me feel sick.
Sg Asap is a new settlement. There are 2 settlement for the Bakun Dam. Sg Asap and Koyan. Sg Asap probably has about 15long houses that were moved from area near Bakun Dam.
It even smaller than Belaga. please try to imagine that. But one good thing about Sg Asap is that they have a descent road (tarred) from Sg Asap to Bintulu, making it easier and safer to transfer patient which takes about 3hours ride. However, there is one unacceptable thing that indeed disturbing me about Sg Asap. There is no internet connection at all!! I was rotten for 2days. No telephone line too. All of them are using handphones. Even to refer a case.
The work load in Sg Asap is heavier in Sg Asap and the patient there are sicker. Most of them are Penan and Indonesian workers from various logging camp. I thought it was sick to know that patient came to KK Kapit by van, so the number of patients that you will see in one day in KK Kapit is how many vans outside your clinic time 10-12. In Sg Asap, they send the patients by truck or lorry. So if there are 5 lorries or trucks outside the clinic, you may need to multiply that with 20-30. That is the amount of patients that you need to see. Sigh.
For the penan, they only will come to see you if they are really really sick. If they still able to hold it, they will. But every time they come to you, they will be half dead and you will become hopeless. History may not be relevant at all for them. They don't know that they are sick.
It is interesting to talk about Penan. I heard lots of stories from the staffs who went to their long houses. Trying not to be judgmental. I think its the way how I see it. Personal opinion.
Penans are too dependent. They have no intention at all to change. The mentality has been set up long ago, to receive and to receive. And we? non stop giving and spoon feeding. We give them want they want but not what they need. Sigh.
But it was interesting in Sg Asap. Interesting indeed. I went to their longhouses. The new settlement made for them. It was nice. Very nice indeed. But to bad i went at night during my home visit. I can't clearly see the rest of the scene.
I managed to go to Bakun, thanks to the staff there. What an experience to be into the construction site and to see the dam "up close" and "personal". Hehe.
I enjoyed it. As a short visit. But I can't stay there for a long period of time. I am not a clinic person. I belong to OT. Hehe
I glad I came. It ease my mind. It helps me build up "the passion" again. The one that lost long time ago. It will takes time and i will wait patiently.
Upload pictures later.
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