Before I started the Public Health (PH) Department, there wasn't a bit of excitement about it apart of getting to escape from the hospital for two months. In fact, few things came into my concern that scares me a little, such as
"Are they serious about letting me go to the people? Already? This early?"
"Am I really competent in doing all these doctors thingy?"
"What if I misdiagnosed?"
“What if the patient and I got into a miscommunication?”
"What if I prescribe wrong medicines? Wrong dosage?"
"What if I go blanked and don't know what to do?"
"What if I did something wrong and my patient died?"
"Can I survive the six weeks in the primary health center, with minimal facilities, with no experienced doctors to supervise me around during on-call?"
"Can I survive being 2-3 days away from home and into the rural?"
"How exhausted it'll be to travel 32km back and forth by angkut everyday?"
"How much money will I spend for the transportations and the community services?"
The 'what ifs' are so killing me. I kept praying that everything will go smoothly and easy for me. I prayed real hard!
The upgraded Puskesmas Lawang, which now is RSUD Lawang |
This is where we were 'warded' for 6 weeks |
During the visit to Posyandu (Pos Pelayanan Terpadu) |
At Pasar Besar Lawang, buying supposed-to-be cheap fresh fruits! |
On the third week, we started our service in the Community Health Center or what known as puskesmas (a.k.a Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat). We were divided into groups of 5, to 7 different puskesmas around Malang. I am very thankful to be teamed up with 4 others whom I am most comfortable with and whom I believe can make the best teamwork with.
We went to the puskesmas 2 days earlier before we started to report ourselves to the head of puskesmas Dr. Lidya. Though she looked kind of fierce physically, but as the ice breaks, she is affluent and very welcoming. As Dr.Anton the surgeon was around, them both gave us briefing on our duty, words of motivation and a very warm welcome. One of Dr.Anton's line that encourage me the most would have been,
“It is time to brush up your skills, practice your competencies, and gain more knowledge.”
Besides, I learn more on socializing, among the people of whom I never thought I’ll encounter with, the very poor, the poverty, the poor people who I mainly think is fabricated from the very cruel authority of their abominable government. They indirectly burn the fuel to my spur to become more dedicated in doing this thing I am raptly directed to, to become a doctor not only by the knowledge of a mountain high but by the pious in the heart. The lesson none of the supervisors can give examples on.
With part of the big family of RSUD Lawang and our supervisor |
What more, the GPs, the dentists, the pharmacies, the midwives, the administrators, the ambulance drivers, the janitors, the nursing students and even the ibu bakso are chummy together and they are like one big family! I really love to work in this environment where everyone greets everyone else with the most sincere smile. They put the sunshine up for me every morning.
As it is called Public Health, we are more bounded to the public composition to give health education in order to prevent diseases rather than staying in the puskesmas and give treatment to diseases. We are assigned to many different public health missions throughout. Visiting the people is one of my favourites.
On one of our school visit, we examined on 142 students! Phew~ |
During one of our UKS (Upaya Kesehatan Sekolah) program |
But... we were always served with all sorts of snacks |
Even indomie goreng!! Yummmy! |