World Doctor

What an energetic talk by Prof Madya Mohtar

I still remember very clearly regarding a very interesting and meaningful topic presented by our supervisors during the trip to Yogyakarta.

Even though our body and mind still pro-occupied with tiredness after spending a day at Posyandu, we still managed to have a gathering together with medical students from Universitas Gadjah Mada at 8.15 pm for a sharing session with him.

The session was held at Auditorium II, Fakultas Kedoktoren UGM and attended by 30 medical students, mainly from PKPIM. It was an honor for us as the president of the club also attending the program even though busying preparing for his medical examination. The topic given for Prof Madya Mohtar is ‘World doctor’

Prof Mohtar began his talk humbly by mentioning that even though he is a doctor, but still he is a student. And he is a learner for life. He is very passionate in teaching as he was inspired by a Chinese proverb which saying;

“To teach is to learn twice”

That’s why he was so eager in sharing his journey of learning through humanitarian mission as it contains thousands of knowledge and experiences.

A point should be buried firmly in our minds- health care has no color and everybody should have an access to it.

From my understanding, what he means by world doctor is that “a doctor who able to serve humanity regardless of race, religion, skin color and location with full of wisdom and knowledge and with available resources and yet still manage to save lives.”

In order to become a great doctor and be able to serve mankind, a doctor must keep on learning and updating themselves with medical knowledge in keeping them to be a safe doctor and be able to make a diagnosis. One of his saying keep on playing in my minds;

“Patient doesn’t come to you with diagnosis on their heads. You have to digs it up.”

Through his sharing, he mentioned about his team having difficulties during a mission to a North Korea for a Cataract surgery where their logistic was held by custom at Beijing. This had causing their schedule changed drastically as they were planning to do the surgery for one week duration. But at the end, they manage to perform it for only half of a day but yet be able to finish more than 80 surgeries. The worked without rest and this bring into amaze towards the Korean. As a result, it strengthens the relationship between North Korea and Malaysia and they keep on joining program held at Malaysia.

By this experience, he told us not to give up hope as we were facing the same situation as our medical equipments and drugs for mobile clinic was held by Yogyakarta customs. This story indeed motivates us not to stop hoping and working to free our stuff no matter what happens.

Besides North Korea, his experienced in Sudan really make our tears drop seeing how suffered their people after their country engaged in war. I still remember one of the pictures of the cataract surgery which held with a lack of equipment and guided by torch light. This again reminds us about the definition of ‘world doctor’ whereby a doctor be able to save lives with available resources.

Before ending his talk, he again reminds us that health has no color. So we must treat our patient with empathy and full of heart. The most important thing is to be sincere in whatever we did as sincerity breaks all barriers. Being a doctor is to help others because by helping others, we actually helping ourselves.

Thanks again to Prof Madya Mohtar for his sharing. It truly inspires us to continue joining humanitarian mission and we hopes that later on, we will be joining NGO in order to become a world doctor. I end this writings by sharing words by Prof Madya Mohtar which sounds;

“Doctor never retire, they just die”

Thank you.

The Essence of Muslim Volunteerism

Islam is based on sincerity, purity of human feeling & fulfillment of right and needs to every member. We as a Muslim have a mission in life; to spread the message of Islam. As a Muslim, we should be beacon of guidance and a positive source of correction and education through our both words and deeds. We practice a remarkable attitude, conduct and deal with who in contact with us with based on Islamic values and morals taught by Rasulullah SAW. Everything is done in seeking the pleasure of Allah, the exalted, while striving to attain the reward of his paradise.

Allah almighty says (what means):

“Invite mankind to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious” (Al-Quran 16:125)

Volunteerism is the essence of Da’wa of Islam itself. Allah SWT selects the best to assure the responsibility of delivering the message of Islam. The prophets and messengers were the best people, selected by Allah to assure such a responsibility. In the time being, we are the inheritors of prophets to continue the work of Da’wa. It is not an easy job as it requires from that person commitment, hard work, continuance and sacrifice. He is at least to be appreciated but only seeking the returns from Allah in the hereafter. This is what we called as Volunteerism in Islam (FiSabilillah).

All volunteers are human being. We have obligation to our family, job and society. Muslim volunteers might not be able to participate and conduct volunteer/charity programs continuously. At the same time, no Da’wa group can afford to employ all the needy people for all its activities, shortage of time among volunteers, field specialization and other reasons. Therefore, there should be a combination by all awaken Muslim all over the world on sharing the responsibility of volunteerism at different times and places. Fully utilize and make used on what we have to bring back Islam into its golden era again.

In his "Last Pilgrimage" the Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

"Oh people, a Muslim is another Muslim's brother and thus all Muslims are brothers among themselves".

On the basis of that, Medical Student Awareness Team (MESAT) from USM has volunteered ourselves to conduct a humanitarian mission to the needy people Moreover; Islam encourages charity, common good, establishing human, moral and social benefit too.

As a conclusion, there is no rest for a Muslim until he meets Allah. One may increase or decrease his services, but he will never stop them all. Volunteerism work was perceived by Islam as a noble work and it is the right way in spreading the message of Islam, left by the prophets. Volunteerism also is the best channel to render our talents, our time, our money and our knowledge for the sake of mankind, irrespective of colour, nationality, ethnic background or religion.

“Help one another in goodness and piety, and do not help one another in sinful, iniquitous acts and hostility” (Al-Maidah 5:2)

MESAT Line Up 2008/2009

Patron

Prof. Dato Dr Mafauzy Mohammad

Supervisors

1. Assoc. Prof Dr Mokhtar Ibrahim

Department of Opthalmology, USM

2. Assoc. Prof Dr Din Suhaimi
Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ORL), USM

Project Director

Mohd Hazwan Maznon (We Bilal)

Vice Project Director I

Mohammad Alif Bin Yunus (Alep)

Vice Project Director II

Nurul Munadia Bt Zakaria (Nanad)

Secretery General

Muhamad Na’im B Ab Razak (jack)

Secretery II

Noor Dalila bte Inche Zainal Abidin, (Dila)

Treasurer I

Fauzi B. Wahab, (Poji)

Treasurer II

Muhammad Huzaifah B Mohamad, (Ujai)

Bureau

Sponsor

Internal: Mohd Najman B. Ab Wahid, (Jeme)

External: Siti Norbaiti Binti Shaikh Abdul Hamid, (Baiti)

Logistics :

Adam Al Anas B Mat Ali, (Adam)

Research and Risk Management :

Mohd Hariz B. Hamdi, (Ayeh)

Technical& Media :

Wan Mohd Asrul B. Wan Mohd Noor, (Serul)

Welfare:

Che Ku Bahirah Binti Che Ku Mat, (CKB)

About us

After series of meeting between a group of second year medical students, we finally reach an agreement to form a group namely Medical Students Awareness Team (MESAT) in order to fulfill the requirement of elective program set by academic authority of School of Medial Science, USM Kampus Kubang Kerian.

The group is inspired by our seniors group which is Medical Students Relief Team (MERIT) which is very active in performing humanitarian mission. The mission is initially being performed in fulfilling the elective requirement and they conduct a mission to Acheh on 2006 after the Tsunami strike. The group is passing over to their junior which later on performs a mission to Cambodia on 2007. The MERIT team did not just stop their activities once the elective requirement being fulfilled, they however continue the humanitarian mission locally in conjunction with Kelas Peradaban Nabawi groups (comparative religion groups joined by USMKK students).

The mission organized by MERIT Team is joined by most of the present members of MESAT team and this has become a kick start for us to involve in humanitarian mission. One by one programs pass and the spirit of volunteerism keep on growing in our hearts. Among the program joins by the group members are Humanitarian Mission to the aborigines’ villages like Kampung Rual (2006), Pos Brooke (2007) and Kuala Lah (2008), Fisherman Area of Pulau Ketam, Port Klang (2008&2009) and Bagan Hailam, Port Klang (2009).

Base on experience gain through the MERIT team, we finally ready to form our own team and recruit more medical students to volunteer themselves in serving the community. The team that initially joins by Hazwan, Na’im, Alif Yunus, Fauzi, Huzaifah, Najman, Adam al Anas, Asrul, Khairul Azuan and Hariz has agreed to appoint Hazwan as a group leader.

With a motto “Reaching the Unreached” we hope that our team member is blessed by God with a volunteerism spirit to serve the community even in the place that nobody is willing to go there; deep in the jungle, isolated island or land of death like Palestine. The most important thing is, we hope that our team will become a Muslim volunteer group as lot of Muslim are reluctant in joining this activity. And we hope that the formation of this team will inspire other Muslim to found their own group and start to volunteer themselves in serving the community.

At the moment we found our group (January 2008), we plan to perform our electives program far in Africa continent set in Ghana after a series of discussion with Bro Muhammad Michael from International Islamic Da’wa Center, Kota Bahru.

In making our plan successfully, we have recruited four more female members which are Munadia, Dalila, Che Ku Bahirah and Bayti in preparing to the possibilities that we have to confront lot of female customer.

So, the fourteen of us take a step in finding sponsor like selling food and beverages during various university activities like Hari Terbuka Desa and Minggu Penghayatan Islam and we start to approach big company to raise funds.

While raising funds, we also sent few group members to settle logistic problems like flight ticket and meet few contact people on Kuala Lumpur. However, we stumble and fall into the hard ground due to some problems and one of them is budget as the flight ticket itself cost us RM6000 per person. After considering other budget that we need to gather, it will coast us nearly RM 100k.

Back from Kuala Lumpur, we conduct a special meeting to re consider our plan. After a little fight and tense arguments due to some of group members still want to go on with the initial plan, we finally agree to change our site project. The decision is made base on the huge amount of coast that we need to prepare, not because of our lack of confident to achieve the amount but the most important is ‘time constraint’ since we have to prepare for our second professional examination.

After a period of time doing research, finally we come to a conclusion to perform our elective program in Yogyakarta Indonesia as it is once being severely hit by earthquake in 2006.

However, after the professional II, despite of lot of effort together in pursuit or goal, one of our group member have to leave the group after failing the exam. So, there are only thirteen of us who will join the mission.

However, this does not prevent Azuan from being part of the MESAT member as he is also a co-founder of the team. It is just the bureaucracy who prevents him from joining the mission to Yogyakarta. But he is forever being accepted as one of the MESAT members and his spirit continues to glow in our hearts and strengthen us in performing our mission.