Geriatric doctor

A geriatric doctor, not a geriatrician

I needed to see the doctor to check on my fluey ears and chest. There were plenty of choices around the hotel but upon enquiry some of them were “specialists” of various kinds. Strange that they’re not marked as such … perhaps the doctors have had experienced in various fields and like to work with eg. heart, but have not done the qualifications to put it on their window.

While many clinics had their doors open, the doctor doesn’t turn up till 0930 so I had some dimsum breakfast which Ipoh is famous for, being so Cantonese.

I returned to one which was a General Practice.  At 0930 the doctor shuffled in through the back door and was absolutely geriatric. He had a helper carry his satchel and his old wife shuffled in behind him. I wasn’t comfortable but my turn came up before I had the courage to run.

The consultation room had very old brown glass bottles of tinctures etc. like what my Dad had in his medicine cupboard when I was a child. The consultation was very much focused on the current complaint and dispensing the medication. There was little explanation even when I specifically asked about various things. Very old school.

He had a collection of rubber stamps for various drugs on his table. He stamped a few on my record card and popped them through to his wife to dispense.

The wife had three kinds of medicine for me. She gave me the directions for the medication in Cantonese which I don’t understand. We couldn’t communicate in three other common languages namely English, Mandarin or Malay. I asked for the name of the medication. The wife’s helper (who spoke Mandarin) was reluctant.

I replied that without the names, I wouldn’t pay. Upon their hesitation, I upped myself and walked out.  He is stuck in a time warp and probably treats lots of elderly people (from when he first started up) who are illiterate.

I found myself another EXCELLENT doctor across the road. He turned out to be expensive but was very good at listening and explaining. At the end, he even explained each medicine to me personally.

It is still normal for doctors (rather than a pharmacist) to dispense medicine in Malaysia. The role is often delegated to the wife, receptionist, or cleaner-cum-helper; it sounds worst than reality as they tend to take on these roles for life rather than for a few fleeting weeks.

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Cave Temple

I met an old flatmate from my Wellington days for lunch. It was very nice to catch up and talk about the old times and the many years that have gone past since we were both in a flat in a really dodgy area of town.

He was kind enough to drop me off at Perak Tong, which is a series of temples built in caves on the outskirts of Ipoh.

Actually there are several such caves around in various Guilin-like limestone mountains around the town. It was cool inside the cave but I soon warmed up climbing up to the various parts built up the mountain-side and top.