JOURNEY OF MEDICAL CHECKUP IN KL

With Final Exam around the corner followed by Industry Attachment Training out campus (which demand a medical check up from me), I have one of the ‘best’ journeys ever, Journey to Medical Check up...

How naive is my thinking assuming all buildings with the word ‘Hospital’ attached to them provide medical check up for public which I learned it the hard way.

My first visit is to Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM), “Sorry, this is a specialized hospital and we don’t open for outsiders unless you got reference letter.”

Second trip, Hospital University Malaysia (HUM), “Oh? We don’t have such service in university hospitals; you have to go to government funded Hospital like the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).”

Great, now I got my info, now... where is HKL? (Googling) Finally, in another fine day, I woke up at 7.30am in the morning and have very light breakfast (3 pieces of biscuits & H2O) because I anticipate X-rays. Being smarter & suggestion from my love, I have decided to call up HKL to ask in details. The conversation was great! The lady on the phone was very helpful & provides me with the necessary details including the documents to bring, never do I aspect what awaits me is the journey of the life time.

It took me about 1 hour on wheels to arrive at HKL, 15 min to find the right entrances, 20 min to locate the right building, asked more than 10 unfortunate individuals for directions & upon arrival at the counter, “Oh? I’m sorry, we only provide medical check up services to Local University Student and you are from Private University student, so you have to go to private hospital to have your medical check up,” says the receptionist.

"but but but... the fella in HUM says... nevermind..."(whisper my heart) with a smile I say Thank you and leave the counter and back to my motorbike, it took me another 10 min to find my way out from HKL.

1. Whats going on here?
2. Why the heck is HKL so frigging huge? Are they hiding Nukes in here, with all the warded patient as human shield in case Obama finds out?
3. Is medical services in Government Hospital in KL conspire with the private hospitals towards the poor individuals who can’t afford for medical check up in private hospitals? (Info: Internship Medical Check up in Government Hospital = RM20, Private Hospital = RM at least one week worth of meal.) So does that answer your question why I’m looking at Government Hospitals?
4. What am I going to do now?

Under the supreme mercy of the weather (34 Degree Celsius), empty stomach, & lost of direction. I decided to answer my 3. Question by heading home in while not far away... I saw this:

Great... Is God trying to tell me something? So I just parked my bike and went in, negotiation fixed the price at RM88 and I am set to go for my medical check up. The place is beautifully decorated with elegance from the Middle East with Quran phrase at almost every available space on the wall. Sadly, the beautiful nurses were restricted to wearing Hijab or “Tudung” (Where is all the beautiful nurses in Man's Dream?)

Somehow, throughout the procedures, I seem to be the only Chinese around but nevertheless I was treated well. It took me about 2 hours to complete the check up with the results and everything. Starving, I rush out to have my Breakfast + Lunch (Malaysian call it “Brunch”) in McDonalds. I arrived home at 3.30pm with many mixed emotions over my half day journey just to get one small matter done.

So what does this village boy learn today?
Living in Kuala Lumpur is harsh, despite being the capital in Malaysia, trying to get something is difficult if not, impossible. All I want is a medical check up, and the government failed to provide me, the citizen of Malaysia that live his past 22 years 4 months 6 days in Malaysia and never left the country. Sometimes, in a way Private Hospitals does indeed better, faster, more efficient, friendly, & over all better than Government Hospitals.

Perhaps this help give you some idea to your question, Darren?