Buatan orang?

It was past 12 noon, and the Socso officer who came to do a random check of my Company's salary and socso files had just left my office when a call came in on my hand phone, from an unfamiliar number. Seeing that it was from a local number and not a KL number where most of those annoying telemarketing calls come from, I answered the call.

"Ini Puan Afizah ke?"

"Ya, saya." (I never care if people call me Cik or Puan or kakak or makcik or even Opah...)

"Saya nak mintak tolong sikitlah. Puan ni dari Buddies of Ipoh kan?" (with the correct pronunciation of Buddies)

The caller, whom I initially thought was a lady, was worried about a friend who had gone for a blood test at the hospital near their place, and since the result of the first test was positive, was called to come for a second test to confirm.

The caller wasn't sure if the friend had gone for further follow-ups but she suspected not. When I asked if the friend had been to the Ipoh ID clinic, the answer was no. With that simple answer, I knew the friend never went for follow-up. All HIV cases would have been referred to Ipoh GH, and so if the friend had not been to Ipoh GH, then definitely he/she had not gone for follow up.

The caller was concerned because the friend's condition seemed to have deteriorated. The caller was convinced that the friend needs counselling help. It was only during the course of our conversation did I find out that both the caller and the friend were maknyahs. Ahh, no wonder the "lenggok" of the caller's speaking style was a bit different despite sounding a lot like a lady (I am definitely much more kasar!). He/she even mentioned that the HIV+ friend was one of the most beautiful maknyahs in town.

Despite being a maknyah, the HIV+ friend had no problem being accepted by his own family. The only problem is, based on what the caller told me, I doubt the parents really knew what HIV is all about. To them, their son was a victim of "buatan orang" and they believe that the only method of treatment would have to be done by a bomoh.

The caller did mention that another reason for the friend not wanting to go for follow ups was probably because they live in such a small community, even the people working at the hospital knew the family. And so I suppose there were some sok sek sok sek going around.

Well, I advised the caller to try and coax the friend to go to the hospital. Once they can get the referral letter, all follow ups are done at the Ipoh GH and no longer at the district hospital near their place. The caller then promised to try do the necessary and then will call me back.

Maybe the parents (and the patient) are in denial. Maybe lah. Hmmmm.... and maybe another option would be for me to go visit them, disguised as a professional bomoh, jampi-jampi a bit, and then sambil menurun give instructions to the guy to go to the hospital?

 

Wahai penunggu badan yang lenguh

Jangan kau gatal nak main kotor

Jangan tunggu jangan tangguh

Nyah kau ke hospital jumpa doktor!

 

PTUIIIHH!!

(kena ludah seround lah, baru real sikit...)

And oh, and then ask for a Blackberry Storm as pengeras maybe?