Medical care weathers all storms
challenges faced by Perhentian patients overcome in stride
BESUT: Hasrul Yadidi Ab Hamid had a situation in hand.
The assistant medical officer would have had no issue if it had not happened in October.
Things got dicey for him due to the monsoon season and the fact that he was on an island.
Hasrul Yadidi had to evacuate a 16-month-old baby girl suffering from bronchopneumonia from Perhentian Island to the mainland – 21km away – but using the ambulance boat was out of the question due to the rough sea as the North West monsoon had already set in.
“When the sea is rough, we cannot get across,” he told the reporter who had come to the island this month to experience how the 2,100 inhabitants there manage during the monsoon season.
Recalling the incident, Hasrul Yadidi, 32, said he summoned a helicopter from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to fly the baby to Kuala Terengganu.
“Alhamdulillah, we sent the baby to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital.
“She has recovered and has returned to the island,” he said.
For the only health clinic on Perhentian Island, the case was an emergency.
It took four hours to get the baby girl across from the island to the mainland as there were several procedures to be adhered to for the helicopter ride, said Hasrul Yadidi, who runs the clinic with another assistant medical officer.
They are assisted by two nurses and two boatmen.
A doctor from the Besut district health office makes monthly scheduled visits to the island.
“Usually, the ambulance boat transports patients to the mainland.
“When the boats cannot be used, we have to seek help from the police and maritime authorities.
“The helicopter is the last resort if no boats can make it across the rough sea,” said Hasrul Yadidi who lives in Kuala Besut and regards the journey to and from the island during the monsoon season, which lasts from November to March, as a huge challenge.
He said a boat usually takes about 30 minutes from the Kuala Besut jetty to the Perhentian Island jetty, but the journey may stretch out to 90 minutes during monsoon season.
Although Perhentian has only one health clinic, the immunisation of the children on the island is at a satisfactory level.
Nurse Nor Azlina Nawang, 36, said all the children on the island are given their immunisation on schedule. Villager Mohd Zawawi Che Yaakob, 60, expressed satisfaction with the service provided by the clinic, but said improvements could be made.
“Right now, we get treatment for fevers and colds. The clinic can be expanded.
“A bigger space is necessary to accommodate patients when many people are waiting for treatment,” he said.