Comrade In Arms

 Back in the year 1990, I still vividly remember the day Dr.Alwi called me using the landline. At that time, I was 3 months into Housemanship in my surgical posting at Kota Bharu Hospital, Kelantan.

It was a busy weekday midmorning when I was reviewing patients in the surgical ward. My surgical registrar informed me that there is an individual from KL who would like to speak with me.

The landline he called was to the consultant surgeon's room.So, I went to my consultant's room with full of fear and nervousness. The kind consultant passed me the old dial phone receiver at that time, which was the only mode of communication. 

I was surprised it was Alwi, my friend.

We were the few Malaysians who studied together at Sri Ventaswarar Matriculation School,Madras,

Tamilnadu,India. After which we both joined medical college. I joined Kilpauk Medical College and he joined a medical college in Karnataka, a southern state in India. We occasionally met up in Madras whenever he camedown to Madras before flying back to Malaysia.

Well, coming back to the phone call from him. I was surprised because I lost touch with him after returning back to Malaysia upon completion of my degree. In fact, I didn't inform anyone of my houseman posting at Kota Bharu,Kelantan.

It was a wonder to me how he was able to trace me down at Kota Bharu Hospital, and also catch up with me in the midst of work. Alwi was really excited to converse with me. He told me that he traced me down using MMC number from the medical doctor registry of my workplace. After the conversation, I had to leave my consultant's room, thanking him for letting me to speak with my long-distant friend who came back home for semester leave.

Now, coming back to the current time, which is around 30 over years working with the ministry of health. He has been awarded datoship and was a senior consultant in Emergency & Trauma Department at Selayang Hospital for many years and has recently retired from service.

As time flew by, we could still remember our Housemanship vividly, but we are already at the end of our career. We did the best we could and to the best of our abilities and serve patients who came across us. Looking back, what a beautiful journey and honorable friendship it has been.