The cost to breathe

I can't believe that I just fell into the engrossedly-search-for-Magnum craze! Following the much much salivation on Wall's Magnum new advert, the whole Indonesia is on Magnum crave I reckon, consequently, it is nowhere to be found in any of the Wall's box in any shops nationwide! It is the hottest thing that's 'in' now (though it was already in the market for years… hmm, the advert really works!).

Siapa yang buat advertisement Magnum yang mengliurkan tu? That person is to be blame for this search-for-Magnum-craze phenomenon! Btw, this stick goodness cost Rp10,000.

It is so good to get to hangout with Frente after weeks and unloaded this almost exploded laugh box. Catching up with her is like getting an amphetamine injection, we can find everything around us humorous and the moment we realized, all the stress is gone! Yayy!

This evening, she brought me to Coffee Time. She's been planning to show me to this place of an awesome live band performance since months, but considering the pathetic-ness of inconsiderate Indonesian who likes to in-door-smoking, our plans were usually hampered. So today, we went there a little bit early before it gets crowded with inconsiderate smokers, but too bad it was too early that the band hasn't started yet. It's alright, at least we got clean air to dine in, or else I'll be getting my asthma attack due to excess smoke inhalation.

Hazelnut caramel latte at Coffee Time, same price as the Ventolin for nebule.

Talking about asthma, I had a patient who came into the clinic this morning looking so distressingly suffocated, as if he got a rope strangled around his neck. The way he walked, his bend, even without hearing him wheezing, I can certainly see that he's having an asthma attack. As he came in front of me, he could barely talk, so I checked him up and found a full wheezing on all area of his lungs.

Oh pity bapak… from my findings, he's a severe persistent asthma patient. According to him, he has been given different types of medicine but none works so well on his asthma. Checking on his medical record, I think it's time to add in some steroid to go with the bronchodilators. However, I was still concern about his present condition, it must be very hard for him to barely walk home, thus I suggest him for nebulization.

"Kalau pakai uap (nebule) yang lima belas ribu itu langsung enak saya dok, tapi ga apa2 lah, cukup minum obat aja"

Wondering why he refused to be nebulized although he knew that it was the best treatment for him, then I came to a conjecture that he had to pretend that his condition is not severe as he chose to only be treated in the walk-in clinic rather than to be sent to the UGD (Unit Gawat Darurat @ Emergency) because he knew it would cost him much more expensive there.

"Kenapa kok bapak ga mau pake uap?"

I insisted,

"Ga cukup uang dok, cuma sisa lima ribu buat ambil obat…"

he honestly answered me in his shortness of breath.

Damn, this cannot be happening! As an asthmatic I am, I've been on a few events of asthma attack that papa had to rushed me to the clinic in the middle of the night for nebule, therefore I utterly understand how suffering it is to bear breathing in a constricted bronchus – like hell!

I decided to get him nebulized, he has to be nebulized before he walked off this puskesmas. So I got him nebulized… For a considerably price to pay to make him easier to breathe, I hope it did not resembled my sympathy, but just an empathy.

And then again, thinking that a Rp15,000 is such a hefty amount for some people who couldn't even afford to pay for his own breath, I wonder what he is going to have for lunch. I wonder if he ever tried the nasi lalapan bebek penyet at the warung in front of the puskesmas, it cost Rp16,000. Alhamdulillah, I at least got enough money to eat, though I always in short of cash.

Nonetheless, a range of fury creeps through my vein. How can this be happening? How can someone so poor and so sick live in this country where someone else can afford to drive a Porsche, when he is there suffocating because he only have five thousand rupiah in his pocket?! Where did the taxes go? Why can't the government spare some of the taxes to make salbutamol nebulization free of charge? Some poverty don't just literally need to breathe, they indeed really need help to breathe.

It must be super stressful to really be a doctor in this country. Knowing that your patient's life could actually be saved, if only he/she is not that poor. Or shall I rephrase, 'knowing that your patient's life could actually be saved, if only whoever those rich bastards who corrupt the people money is burn directly in every level of the hell, and revert the money to the hospitals and to the poverty'.

Then I again count my blessing, to be born Malaysian, despite of anything they said!

When a person walk to you for a help, be glad. God is answering his prayer, through you.