During the last summer break (July-August), on the 1st-8th of August, I had joined the Malaysian Medical Fellowship mission to Tandek, Kota Marudu, Sabah. My team was divided into two. The first team served from 1st to 5th August 2013 and the second team served from 5th to 8th of August 2013, and we had 4 villages that we needed to serve. My team was in charge of Kampung Samparita Laut and also Kampung Koromoko. Both were situated deep in the jungle and up the hills. My team consisted of five medical students, a pharmacist, a lawyer and also a software engineering student, including Mr. Nesson, a resident in Tandek, Kota Marudu, who was in charge of our transportation.
It was a tough journey for us because we only had one 4-wheel-drive to carry nine of us, all the medical supplements, medicine and donated items. Despite of all the difficulties, we managed to get through all of it and arrived safely in the village. We traveled back and forth to the village from the Jubilee Hostel with the help of Mr Nesson Jauning.
“I cannot believe such situations still exist in Malaysia,” was an oft-repeated statement during the trip to Kampung Samparita Laut to deliver basic health screenings. Out of 60 or so patients at Kampung Samparita Laut waiting to undergo medical checkups, the majority were adults. They mostly had trauma of the body, because of falling, carrying heavy things, hypertension and joint pain. The children had hygiene related problems and tooth decay. More severe cases were referred to the nearest hospital for follow-up treatment. Apart from that, we also collected critical information about the local diet, social beliefs and daily activities in assisting us to plan for our community development projects. We provided the following:
- Health checks and consultations
- First aid and dispensary
Another problem that affects most poor communities worldwide is that of intestinal parasites infestation. When humans acquire parasites by ingestion or by skin contact with larva infected soil, many serious complications may follow. Despite this, the solution is simply a dose of deworming medication. We provided these medications to children and adults in the villages and schools that we visited.
We organized health talks to educate the community on preventable diseases that are endemic to a particular region as well as emphasizing on the importance of hygiene and sanitation. We taught the children simple measures such as washing their hands before and after meals to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. We also educated the children on dental care and provided toothbrushes and toothpastes for them in schools and villages to improve dental hygiene. In Kampung Samparita Laut, we taught the villagers about the dangers and risks of malaria, dengue fever and also high blood pressure, since all of these diseases are quite common among the adults here. The villagers here, especially the elders, cannot understand English and Malay well, so it gave us quite a hard 
time sharing medical information with them. The local Sabahans, including me, found this situation to be a challenge, because we did not have any ideas on how to translate the medical words or description into our native languages.
Besides giving the less fortunate our medical attention, we also helped families to live a comfortable and higher quality standard of life by providing them with a certain level of extra practical and physical help. We were involved in supporting poverty stricken families by providing them with daily necessities and food aid such as warm clothing, blankets and rice. For the children, we provided educational books, charts, etc. to help them with their education. Ms. Onix, daughter of Mr. Nesson Jauning, had volunteered to work as a teacher to teach the children basic skills such as reading and writing. Some of the children here managed to understand English, although their vocabulary was very sparse. Ms. Onix faces a tough challenge daily because she is the only teacher in Kampung Samparita Laut.
On the 3rd of August, my team set off to Kampung Koromoko, which is located at the opposite side of the hills. We departed from Samparita in the evening and rested in Jubilee Hostel in Tandek for the night. The next morning we set off to Koromoko. Approximately 100 villagers became our patients for the day. We started our medical clinics at 10am and finished at 5pm. For me, this village was quite interesting because we observed a lot of teenage mothers. The youngest I met was 15 years old, with 2 children. Besides that, we also had patients with hyperthyroidism, arthritis, skin infections, diabetes and again, trauma. Most of the children here in Kampung Koromoko had a satisfactory level of education, since the children know how to read and write in both English and Malay. We gave health screenings, health talks and also helped with the events in the village. We visited patients who could not come during the morning session at their homes after the clinic was closed to give health consultations. Although it was a tiring journey, we felt happy because we recalled all the knowledge we learned in our life as a medical students and put it to good use. Hence, making it easier for us the next time we meet a patient with the same symptoms.
I was really satisfied and felt very thankful that I had the chance to serve in the rural area. I was given the opportunity to serve those who were less fortunate than me and it really opened up my eyes to see that like me, they are also God’s creations. Seeing smiles on the faces of the patients I served made everything worthwhile even though it was tiring and challenging at times. On top of that, there is an indescribable joy when you do simple things like playing with children on the streets, or talking and caring for the elderly in the village. When you encounter that, you will never be the same again.
“Memory is a child walking along the seashore. You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things.” For us, the medical students, this mission may just be some basic knowledge from our books, scraps from one page to another, soon to be forgotten if we fail to see its value. But for the villagers whom we served, doctors/medical students are like the angels that had been sent to cure, look after and a great help to the village. They remember the visitors very well. Living and serving in Kampung Samparita Laut and Kampung Koromoko had been a good experience for us, the medical students and the other volunteers. After experiencing so many trips, I can say that after every trip I returned home enriched and empowered to do more.
D’Dyanna Lajamin is a 4th year Sabahan medical student currently studying in Kursk State Medical University, Russia. Know more about her under the Young Columnist tab.