TRIP TO PITAS

On 6th of August, 2017  we started our journey to visit Pitas Hospital. 

Located 169 kilometers from Kota Kinabalu, the small town is situated on the far boundary of the state. Due to its location and other factors, it is often difficult to have patients coming down to our hospital for treatment. 

The trip took more than 3 hours by a fast 4-wheel drive for us. The same trip can stretch to more than a day and cost a couple of hundred dollars for the patients who are dependent on infrequent public transports. Thus, our visits to such hospitals are a big boost for the healthcare of these impoverished populations. 

Since, the place is so far off, we had started in the afternoon of the 6th of August. We reached the Orkid Lodge by evening (Orkid is the spelling of orchid in the Malaysian language). The small lodge had minimal comforts. A TV with a single channel greeted us. There was no mineral water or coffee making facility. So we rushed down to the restaurant situated near the lodge. I ordered "roti canai". The accompanying curry was very oily and put me off. I quickly went back to my room, where I watched a movie on my laptop. By 10pm I had fallen asleep.

The next day, 7th August 2017, the hospital hilux took us to the OPD clinic. We were expecting 4o patients. After a quick breakfast of noodles and coffee we started work. Ultimately about 30 patients turned up for the clinic. We diagnosed a few cataract and glaucoma patients among others. Just after 12 noon we started our journey back. On the way back we stopped to buy some roasted corns. These are the sweet corns which are roasted within the leaves giving a peculiar smell and taste to them. We encountered heavy rains on the way and reached our hospital by 4 o'clock in the afternoon.