Those working in the healthcare profession have many times been portrayed as cold and unemotional… but what we tend to forget is that doctors, nurses, dentists and the likes are humans too!
Just like us, healthcare professionals are capable of sharing joy and happiness with their patients, are just as empathetic, and yes, they cry too when dealing with grief from bad news, like the loss of a patient. And they have an amazing way of showing that they care, touching our hearts with their compassion.
Here are some amazing stories about healthcare professionals in Malaysia that we think deserve a shout-out.
#1 THEY REACH OUT TO HELP WHENEVER THEY CAN
Photo credit : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com
#2 THEY ARE SUPER INSPIRING
Photo credit : Star Online
36-year-old Dr Sharminithevi Paramalingam worked as a general surgeon and lecturer. After a volunteering stint at a medical camp in Laos, Dr Sharminithevi decided to leave her job at the hospital to take some time off discovering herself and her potential.
“I love to travel, meet people and learn new things. But my routine at the hospital… didn’t allow me to do any of those things. I felt stifled and was restless,” said Dr Sharminithevi.
After resigning from her job, she travelled around Southeast Asia on her own. While on holiday, she received a message from a friend recommending that she help set up a new social enterprise that would help provide jobs for the homeless.
Despite not having any experience, Dr Sharminithevi applied for the position and next thing she knew, she was meeting young professionals from around the globe, being briefed about the project.
Dr Sharminithevi now runs Inclue where together with her team, they help the homeless find employment as well as run medical clinics to provide medical assistance as well as emotional and psychological support.
We are willing to bet this won’t be the last we’ll hear of this amazing young doctor!
Read more: This young doctor quit her job and set out to help those in need
#3 THEY MAKE US PROUD WITH THEIR SELFLESS WAYS
Photo credit : NST online
Our Malaysian health professionals are also making waves abroad. Like Dr Mohd Lutfi Fadil Lokman, who was selected as a United National Young Leader last year out of 18,000 nominees!
Dr Lutfi co-founded and heads as a chief executive officer at a non-governmental organisation, Hospital Beyond Boundaries (HBB) that builds healthcare facilities serving underprivileged communities. He set up the organisation in 2012 with a friend Dr Wan Abdul Hannan Wan Ibadullah when they were just students.
HBB makes healthcare accessible to the poor via community-run clinics in Cambodia and Malaysia with the local youth population being trained and then employed as community healthcare workers alongside doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals to run the daily clinic activities.
Read more: Malaysian doctor named as United Nations Young Leader
#4 THEY HELP OUT REGARDLESS OF WHERE, WHO OR WHEN
Photo credit : Star online
While recovering in the hospital, the kind soul – who turned out to be a doctor – visited Faizal to check up on him. A friend took a photo of the two together and posted it on Facebook to thank the doctor, who declined to be named.
Said Faizal of the incident, “When I thanked her, she just said ‘you’re welcome’ and that she was just doing her job. She also told me to get well soon and watch what I eat.”
His friend also posted of photo of Faizal on Facebook as he was being helped by the doctor by the roadside.
The post read: “Respect to this lady. Although she knew we were mat rempit, she stopped to help because she was a doctor. I told her she could leave, but she said she wanted to wait until the ambulance came. Please look for her when you have recovered. She was the one who told me to buy sugar water (for hydration) and she was the one who washed off your wounds. Respect.”
Read more : Tale of a Good Samaritan doc and a ‘mat rempit’
#5 THEY BEAT ALL ODDS!
Let’s face it – to become a healthcare professional and stay exceptional at it requires a lot of hard work and sacrifices. One that this Malaysian heart surgeon knows very well! Based in Ottawa, Dr Janet Ngui is the Chief Resident of Cardiac Surgery at the Ottawa Heart Institute.
Since she was a little girl, she’s always wanted to be a doctor – but because of her condition, many said she should give up her dreams.
Janet is deaf… but she didn’t let that disability stop her from achieving her dreams. Instead, she pulled through, gave it her all and today, she is one of the rising heart surgeons in Ottawa, earning herself a name in the industry!
“I learnt how to read lips and rely on my hearing aid. Instead of seeing it as a disadvantage, I see it as an advantage because it has made me more observant. To me, this is my bonus point.”
Watch this news clip about Janet here!
To all healthcare professionals out there, thanks for being awesome!
Do you have your own story to share? Share it with us at www.imu.edu.my/gooddoctor! Remember it’s not only about the doctors, but other healthcare professionals whom you’ve met, know or respect for their virtues in providing care.
Here are some of our alumni’s inspirational stories that we would like to share:
| “Being a doctor isn’t about the title, the “class” or the misguided notion of a comfortable income. It is ultimately service. Service to the unfortunate, the ill, people who are at their weakest, most vulnerable state.” – IMU Alumnus, Dr Vasanthakumar S. Selvarajah |
| Read more at IMU Alumnus Awarded the Bill Marshall Fellowship |
| Dr Albert Ling Chuan Kai has been an active volunteer since his high school days. He is particularly interested in mobilising youngsters in doing social works. As the Youth Officer of Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) Seremban, he has organised many blood donation drives, charity home visits and a Go Bald campaign to raise funds for cancer patients. He is also passionate about the plight of Myanmar Chin refugees in Lobak, Seremban. |
| Read about this at DYMM Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Confers Meritorious Service Medal on IMU Medical Alumnus |
| “When I first joined the FDS family, there were mixed feelings of excitement of being able to serve the community in an unconventional manner as well as self-doubt of practising safe medicine in a limited setting. There was also language and dialects barrier as the communities mainly comprised of the Ibans, Bidayuhs and other ethnics. Other than that, we had to deal with the weather irregularities and occasional landscape issues for the helipad at each locality.” – Dr Pamela Tan |
| Read more at IMU Alumnus Works for Flying Doctor Service in Sarawak |
| “Doing good for others is the strongest drug I know of, it is so addictive that once you start, you would want more, a more stronger dose each time. From just volunteering in university, I started to volunteer at Liter of Light by Incitement. Losing my weekend to go for builds at Cameron Highlands and coming back at 1-2am, then rushing back to the lab wasn’t easy because not everyone appreciates volunteer work. But, all that was worth it, because I knew that I had a role in changing the lives of the children in a village. From that, I went on to joining my friend from APU in his idea to help the environment and the homeless, though we are still at the beginning of the project, it is a good start.” – Michele Fernandez |
| Read more at Passion in Humanitarian Work Leads to Aflame Student Award for IMU Pharmacy Student |
| IMU Pharmacy Alumna, Christina Chan, received an award from the Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Kota Tinggi (PKDKT) which is under Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Johor (JKNJ) for the running of the Best Diabetic Medication Treatment Adherence Clinic at a Klinik Kesihatan in Felda Bukit Besar, Johor. A Diabetes Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic (DMTAC) is an ambulatory care service offered by pharmacists in collaboration with physicians with the aim of helping diabetic patients to achieve better medication adherence level and glycemic control. |
| Read more at An IMU Alumna Wins Award for Best Diabetic Medication Treatment Adherence Clinic |
| “Cancer is an incredibly emotional and delicate disease that stirs up feelings of fear, grief, depression and uncertainty. Counselling a cancer patient with emotional needs is indeed a challenge, but I have come to realise that pharmacists play an important role in counselling a cancer patient at many points in their cancer journey – at the point of diagnosis, at the point of treatment, at the point of post-treatment care, at the point of recurrence and even their family members at the patients’ end of life.” – Elaine Kan |
| Read more at My Journey After BPharm – A Pharmacist in an Oncology Ward |
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