Saturday, January 5, 2008

Chatting with a patient in Nephrology ward

This is not a case presentation!

Patient was an Indian guy, 74 years old. Suffered from ESRD, DM, HPT and left leg cellulitis. He was a very kind man who talked to me when I was clerking his case. This is the first time I talked to a real patient, rather than a simulated one in IMU CSU.
He told me that he used to work as an army accountant. He was also involved in the politics in his younger age, and he knows a lot of politician such as Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang, Lee Lam Thye and even Tunku Abdul Rahman (according to him is his neighbour) and Lee Kuan Yew ! wow...

While he was working in the army, someone offered him a bribe, but he rejected it. I was thinking if I was him, will I accept bribe? In army department, I believe the amount to bribe for something, such as modifying the account detail in purchasing of weapons could easily gave you millions of ringgit, but he rejected it.

Shall he had accepted the money, he would be probably now receiving treatment in a private hospital first class ward fitted with air-cond, personal toilet and personal room, with Indonesian maid take caring him, washing his legs. But he choose not to, and now had to stay at HKL's warm and uncomfortable ward, still looking for a haemodialysis centre because he cannot afford to pay RM 2000 per month for it. That is a lot for someone who is not working anymore and no children to pay for him.

If you were him, will you accept the bribe ? Those minister who cheated the people for so much money can live happily ever after when they retired but those who choose to be honest got this kind of ending ? How come god is so unfair to good people ?

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