Update and some reflections

Many things happened this whole month since I last wrote.

I found that memory is a superb thing. Even though I have not been using my medical knowledge for the last 3 years, it is easily recalled, and by the end of my first week of work I felt that there is no lapse in my working years. Allah is the Greatest Designer.

By age, I am now quite senior amongst other doctors here in this hospital. Many are juniors, they just completed their housemanship. I found that they are very passionate and aggressive. Many do things, not in the best interest of the patients, but for the sake of completeness (or covering themselves in case it becomes a medicolegal case). It does take some courage to practice proper responsible / sensible medicine, rather than defensive medicine (as they call it now)- but I personally view this as inappropriate. We are all answerable to God, not lawyers.

As I have written before, arrogance (I am always right / I know better attitude) is a common trait in doctors. Being able to take others' opinions (especially from lower rank staffs) are considered a weakness. In reality, the experience of the lower ranks staffs, who has worked 10-20 years, who has seen and heard more, is very valuable. Their judgment is usually more accurate. Not the doctors' MD. But if they detect a hint of arrogance in a doctor, they will reserve their opinions, and let the doctor handle it himself. This is an advice that junior doctors should take.

Other issues. Recently I had to attend to a young teenager in labour. 17, unmarried. She is a resident in a 'Sekolah Harapan' here ( a correctional institute for pregnant single mothers). Looking at her I could not stop thinking about the baby that was thrown from the fifth floor of a flat that was featured in the news recently. I reserved my judgment. I was glad I did. Every time she has contractions, between tears she was clearly reciting the 'ayat Nabi Yunus' (Lailahailla anta, subhanaka inni kuntu minazzholimin). That was all that came out of her mouth. This is the first time I hear a mother in labour, who did not utter a word of pain, but each contraction is a reminder to her (and us who attended her labour). I hope she will become a good mother, and the child will be among the solehin. I would like to meet the teachers at the Sekolah Harapan. One day, insyaAllah.

Since started working, I have not finished any book. Sad.

Non-medical issues. We have a 4-bedroom terrace house that we rented out near Ayer Keroh Melaka. When the tenant knew that we have returned to Malaysia, the family moved out secretly, leaving us a very very dirty and damaged house, and a few months of unpaid rent. They left the keys in the postbox. We rented the house to them semi-furnished, with a nice master bedroom set, book shelf etc, but to our dismay they left the house empty, saved for some rubbish here and there. Luckily the kitchen cabinets, cooker and hood are attached to the wall, if not they might have taken those out too.

We managed to track the family (Malay and Muslim- by name only, now we know), and have made a deal with them to clear everything with us while we are all alive. I do hope they keep their promise to restore the house (because we have a strong case and evidences to charge them and bring them to justice) as we need to rent out the house quickly.

For private landlords out there, some advices from us:

1. Make sure your tenancy agreement is valid- signed, stamped and witnessed. Have all things listed in the inventory, from furniture to fans and lights. Luckily we did this.

2. Use standing orders from the bank for rental payments. We didn't.

3. Make regular inspections, say every 3 months, and repair things early. We didn't, of course.

4. Everything must be included in the tenancy agreement eg. the tenant must return the house in a rentable state, rules on putting up air conditioners, repainting the walls if scribbled etc.

5. Put a special section on terms with the neighbors. Should the neighbors complaint the landlord has the right to remove the tenant. Our neighbor suffered. We are terribly sorry for that.

This really taught me a lesson. Outward appearance really does not count (mereka memang nampak baik). And even if something is rightfully ours (hak kita), if Allah holds it from us, we won't get it. I hope we can have patience in this. And Allah will give it back to us.