Providing Healthcare to rural Sibu, Sarawak

1. 16th-18th May 2019

2. Kg Bungan
kecil
Kg Nanga Tutus
Bawang
Assan
SIBU

3. 15th May 2019, about 10.30 am the Klang Valley team ( which included
the Penang team members ), met the Kuching team at Sibu airport.
Group photo outside arrival hall.

4. Airport to Sibu town by cars.
YB Oscar Ling, MP for Sibu, our host, met us at Restaurant for lunch.
Restaurant was near the whalf ( forgot the name )
Food was quite good

5. After lunch, a short walk to the whalf and onto the express
ferry to Kg Bungan Kecil, with all our barang barang

6. About 195 mins up Sg Igang. So boring. Could not rest
well.

7. Finally, sight of the Kg Bungan Kecil jetty

8. This familiar welcoming banner that we have come to
recognise over the next 3 days.

9. The Camp site which is also
our living quarters is a
Kampong House right
infront of the jetty. Nice
house. One bathroom and
one toilet or the whole
family. The next bathroom
is about 5 mins walk away
at the nearby Catholic
church. Water supply is
from the rain. Locals bath in
the river ( quite muddy ).

10. The main hall, which is quite big, has adjorning 7 rooms.
The kitchen is behind. This is the men’s bedroom. The girls
will sleep in the other 4 rooms. When morning comes, this
is the Camp site too

11. Setting up the Camp.
As usual, the BMI
station, followed by
the GP and Paeds
station.

12. The rain has stopped. It is
8.55 am. All is ready. A
group photo before we
start. At the staircase
leading to the hall.
16th May 2019
Kg Bungan Kecil

13. See he puddles on the walkway.
It rained the night, quite heavy.
This was good for the precious
water that we need for cleaning,
but proved disadvantages for
the people coming to the Camp.
These are the early arrivals.
Through the duration of the
Camp, there were many rain
and stop cycles.
Well it did cool us down.

14. Camp starts. GPs busy at work.

15. Dentist busy at work too, with nice music.

16. Common eye problem,
Ptyregium. Something
we see often at all our
rural medical Camps.
Probably because one
of the main occupation
is farming. Taking a
photo of the problem
makes it easier to
explain. The advantage
of the smartphone
camera.

17. Dr Soo and Dr Choo, manning the dispensary. Mr Billy dropby
to join in the photo.

18. Some come walking from
the back, there is a
cement path. Others
come by boat.
This old man is going back
by boat. He sat and
waited at the jetty for the
next boat that comes, to
take him to nearby
Kampong. There is a
bigger Kg Bungan Besar
further up river, I am told.
At Kg Bungan Kecil, we
saw about 101 pts. Not
quite met our target.

19. This dental team was
very illustrious. After
their busy dental
clinic, they asked me
to organise dental
classes for the
schoolchildren. It was
Thursday, so these kids
from the Kampong is
after class. Dr Low,
teaching them proper
way of brushing their
teeth. Prevention is
better than cure.

21. After Kg Bungan, we
sail down river Igang,
to Kg Nanga Tutus for
Camp site 2

22. The familiar welcoming
banner. From the river,
the whole kampong
seems on stilts, and they
are poor. The river is
dirty and they throw
everything into the
river, and I mean
everything.

23. Their houses are all by the bank of the river and we had to
get use to walking on these planks, that connected the
houses ( their walking path ). Can be slippery after rain.

24. This is the Camp site, which
is actually a run down
school hall. There is a
school behind this hall. I
had to configure an
egometrically proper
campsite out of this open
space with pillars at the
wrong place and a small
stage, at the wrong place.
This hall is totally open to
the elements. Rain also
problem, sun also problem.

25. Many of us woke
up early to see
the sunrise at
6.30 am. East is
from across the
river Igang. But
that morning, the
clouds obscure
the sun, so we
saw a “partial “
sunrise.

26. I spend a long time trying to set up a reasonable Camp with
reasonable patient flow. There were many challenges.
Finally all was ready. Ready to start.
The usual group photo before the Camp starts.

27. Camp starts,
slightly late at
about 9.15 am.
Registration is right
in front with
diagnostics on the
left of photo.

28. The “tumbling E chart was easy for the local folks to identify.

29. Guess who comes
calling at about
10.30 am. The big
boss himself. He
was having a
meeting at a
nearby village and
so dropby to say
hello.

30. I noticed that all
the millenials were
excited to see Kit,
but the Z gen did
not even seem to
notice. Maybe they
do not even know
who he is? Or are
they so focus on
the job at hand?

31. Kit with Dr Soo and the Dental team, Drs Low, Tong and Tan.
One for the album

32. Dispensary was busy too. We have learned. No need bring
out all the items. Just the fast moving ones.

33. Sek Kebangsaan Nanga Tutus was behind us. With HM’s
permission, we gather the children for dental lesson on
how to brush teeth by Dr Low.

34. Lao Ta and team dropby even as we close Camp. For a
kampong and family photo

35. At 3.30 pm, it was down the Igang river back to Sibu. We also
did not do so well in Tutus. We saw about 95 pts. Lets hope
that we do better at next Camp. The next Camp is at Bawang
Assan, accessible by road from Sibu.

36. From Sibu whalf,
about 5 mins walk to
Lehdo Inn,
Check in. Then straight
for a cold drink after
the “hot” express ferry
ride.
Lehdo Inn was not bad.
Cheap ( affordable ),
clean and bright.
Service, OK. Near food
shops

37. After cold drink, look for
“kum Hua “ mee for early
breakfast tomorrow
morning.
This Kedai Kopi is 5 mins
walk from Lehdo, and
“Kum Hua “ mee is RM 3
a bowl. I was shocked. It
cost RM 8 in USJ2.

38. We were buka puasa guests of Lao Ta at Phoenix Rest (
Paramount Hotel ) on 17th May night. At this dinner, we met
Dr Teh, who welcomed us to use his Health Clinic at Bawang
Assan for the Medical Camp.

40. After a nice bowl of kum hua mee at RM 3 per bowl, we set
out for Banwang Assan, Health Clinic ( Camp site ).

41. We travelled to
bawang Assan ( about
40 mins journey ) due
west, by two 7 seater
vans. Road conditions
were OK.

42. This is the Campsite. The Health Clinic for Bawang Assan.
The MO in charge stays nearby. I was rather disappointed
that even with the Director ‘s permission, we were only
allowed to use the basement for the Camp. Only the
dentist were allowed to use the back room which looks
like a small ward.

43. Had to make do with the basement. We were exposed to
the elements again. But the pace was quite clean.
So begin to set up camp arrangements again.

44. The usual group photo before we begin. The crowd was
already there waiting.

45. The Camp starts. The waiting crowd gets registered.

46. The start was slow but steady

47. This lady is on the way to the dentist, aided by Impian
Volunteer

48. Dentist hard at work.

49. Our fight against Dengue and Aedes, cannot succeed if pools
of stagnant water are allowed to accumulate at a Health
Clinic? How can.
This is the stairway leading to the Dental station upstairs.

50. Camp ended at about 3 pm. We saw about 111 pts in this
Camp. Still not our usual. I must think over what went wrong.
Among the 111 patients were 2 special branch officers who
paid us a visit. I also invited them for a check up, even as they
interviewed me.

51. After the Camp, we were
invited to the Long House
of Nicholas, a local who
helped us at our first
Bawang Assan Camp in
Jan. 2015. He insisted that
we must stop by for pre
Gawai tuak.
I remembered him and he
remembered us.
It was in this common
area, that we had dinner
with Nicholas and family.
Kit and Tony Pua were
guest of honor then.

52. A parting photo with Saudara Nicholas at the pintu of his
rumah panjang.

53. On Saturday night, the
whole team had a
sumptous farewell
seafood dinner with YB
Oscar Ling. To say
thanks and farewell.

54. Early morning meehoon
koay and kopi O, simple
breakfast, laze around,
before checking out at
10.30 am to go airport.
The meehoon koay was
cheap, tasty and
popular.

55. Time to go home. At the same place where we took or
arrival photo. Au revoir Sibu. Till we meet again.
This is half the team. The two from Sabah and the 3 from
Kuching had later flights. One girl stayed back-extend holiday

56. Camp
Site
Age Gender BMI Glucometer
GP Eye Glass
Total
<13
13-
65
>65 Male
Femal
e
<20
20
-
25
25-
30
>30
Not
Don
e
<5.
6
5.6-
7.0
>7.0
Not
Do
ne
Seen
Missin
g
Bungan
Kecil
13 67 20 41 59 5 35 35 11 14 31 31 25 13 21 81 59 100 0
Nanga
Tutus
15 66 16 45 52 7 29 22 22 17 24 31 24 18 18 50 36 97 0
Bawan
g Assan
12 73 24 47 62 10 33 33 19 14 28 31 37 13 16 73 50 113 4
Total 40 206 60 133 173 22 97 90 52 45 83 93 86 44 55 204 145 310 4
No of
Patients for
Fluoride
No of
Patients for
Scaling
Number of
Patients with No
Treatment
Total Dental
Patients
Total Teeth
Extracted
9 0 4 35 44
13 7 7 52 44
7 0 14 70 49
29 7 25 157 137
Simple data analysis. Raw Data of all 3 Camps.
3rd MPCAM Sarawak Medical Camp.