Ugly service

THE third place I visited was a private hospital. I needed to take token one day advance to meet dermatologist there and my number was even 35. Guess how many patients demanding specialist care in our country. Let it be. I reached there on about 10:00am and reached my turn on 1:30pm approximately. Never mind for waiting. What matter to me is the way he is treating me as a patient. From beginning our relationship never been right manner. He started with a usual question as follow:-

Physician: what's matter

Me : I got dandruff problem, Sir.

Ph : Phyae' (Make it visible in Burmese language).

Me: What...(I did not understand what he's talking about exactly)

Ph : I tell you, make your scarf visible by putting your hairs aside.

Me: Oh,,I see.....(I'm trying to show him affected area)

Ph : Do you know Physician in foreign country will ask such patient to bald?

Me: I already bald my head but no improve, Sir

Ph: What I tell you is foreign dermatologist ask their patient to bald first before seeing them.

Me: I see..

Ph: Hold, hold, I see dandruff now.

Me: thank you, Sir

He is writing some prescription on medical notebook and pass it back to me. As I intended to consult him my wife's skin problem, I didn't leave him as he expected.

Ph: I told you can go now, ok?

Me: But I want to discuss another, Sir

Ph: What's that? quick quick

Me: It's about my wife, Sir

Ph: where is your wife?

Me: she is not accompanying me now.

Ph: then go back, I can't help you.

Me: Please please, Sir

Ph: Hey I told you again go back now.

Me: Please I beg you as my wife's problem is so bad now.

Ph: then where is your wife's medical registration book?

Me: hmmm I forgot to make it, but you may charge me for your service

Ph: why your wife is not coming here?

Me: she's working abroad and not getting on leave for the time being

Ph: Hmmm, there are better dermatologists in foreign lands, just go and consult them lah.

Me: But it's too expensive and we can't afford, Sir. But more importantly, we trust in your wisdom and experience, Sir.

Ph: How do I check your wife's problem then?

Me: I took photo of her problem to show you, Sir.

Ph: where is it?

Me: Here it is....(by showing photos on my iPhone)

Ph: Hmmmmm, it looks so bad, I give you medical soup to wash it and some lotion to apply on.

Me: Alright Sir, thank you very much.

Ph: You are the one who will downgrade my reputation.

Me: Not really Sir, I don't mean so

Ph: Go back, now you got what you want, Ok?

Me: Alright Sir, Thanks for your kind help.

I tried my best to swallow my anger by his behavior and attitude toward patient. They are treating patient like their servants. Without patients, they will be useless and nothing. I believe they were taught to treat patient as kind as possible while studying at their college days. Why like that? I don't understand. We come and see to pay money them. We are not coming for free. We are in fact making them richer day after day. I paid Ks 5000 for his few minutes time. But I thank him for his wisdom and written prescription. Luckily my wife's skin problem had been improved within few days after I return. I finally felt that it is worth to be scolded by that stupid dermatologist. I am not sure if my dandruff will disappear on his medication till now. Sadly, such thing happening on my country indeed.

Bad service

The second clinic I visited was an eye specialist center to recheck my eyes' condition. The place I go is expensive one and one of top center located in downtown Yangon. I am pleased with initial service with technician staffs from clinic. Soon after waiting on lounge, my turn came and nurse like lady signaled me to enter a room. When I enter, there is a parent on the treatment table undertaken by an eye specialist. Understanding the situation, I took a seat nearby meant for next patient. I look around and see how the physician is acting on patient. 

I am disgusting to learn how the physician is speaking to his patient. He is chewing guns while talking to patient and doing his job. To me, it is not a behavior of a good professional. But I have to understand that I am getting homeland where specialists are being treated like a King by businessmen. My turn reach and I lightly answered his questions. According to his finding, my lens degree has exchanged left and right. Previously my left had 200 and right for 250. Now, he told me that my left eye became 250 and right is reduced for 200. Plus, my right eye has cylinder for 50 now. He wrote on a slip and pass it to nurse for next section to purchase glasses frame and lens.

I got suspicious with his professional skill and wanted to retest with another physician on different place. Hence, I rejected their proposal to make spectacle frame and lens with immediately. On the next day, I took appointment with another specialist to retest my eyes and encountered different result. This time, my eyes suggest 225 for left and 200 for right with no cylinder. I adapted second result and made my new lens there. It is apparent okay on my eyes and I rate the first physician as a bad service despite taking maximum fees per head. The first day test cost me Ks 5500 while second day only charged me Ks 3000. At the end of the day, I took the second result for making my lens as I can't afford to make mistake in changing lens. Our life are sometime funny like that. No choice, we have to live in it.

Good service

The first place I went in Yangon was a dental clinic as I wanted to plant my lower right teeth which has been gone 10 years ago. My lower left teeth also had gone for 20 years and notice there has been no space to replant. As a result, the remaining other lower teeth have been swayed equally that make some pockets to keep some food residual I eat. The clinic is no strange for me but it is located amid high end landed properties quarter. I managed to find it by taxi as I was almost forgot the place now. The dentist I met was a young professional who is apparent even younger than me. 

As I have time constraint compare to the service I want to do, I chose any dentist to serve me. There are few dentists working at the same time that provide customers a choice. I took any and a young dentist was introduced for me and offered his best. Once I came in the surgery room, he and his assistants are greeting at me with warm smiles and I am quite relief at first sight. It is not a small group, it include about 6 person to participate in my operation. Upon my explanation on dental problem, my dentist and his team keep busying for about 1 and half hour continuously. They are skillful and quite good in ensuring patient won't pain so much. They would ask me often if I could able to resist incoming pain. I got some smelly while they are hard working with my teeth. 

I understood that in order to plant one teeth, they have to set frame on next teeth close to a intended place so that they could bridge each other. I don't know their procedure but I could imagine how tough job will it be. And I expected the maximum pain during operation. The most upset one for me however became muscle pain for prolong opening my mouth rather than electric motor grinding toward my original teeth. I noted that it take couple weeks under normal circumstance to plant a teeth for a patient. Upon my request, they tried their best to minimize the duration to about 5 days from 14 days. I don't need to pay premium fees for urgent service. On first visit, they took the mold of my teeth and put a plastic teeth for temporary before install permanent one on later date. On second visit, my pearl-while natural look teeth were ready to fix in my mouth and it took me about half an hour only. 

Since then, I didn't feel uncomfortable in my mouth and I am grateful for their professional service at affordable cost. Other than planting my outgoing teeth, I also did other service for filling, cleaning plaque and polishing my teeth. Now I can eat as a normal person by both sides of my jaw. Hopefully it will function to its eternal on me.

Which is closer to you?

RECENTLY, I went back Yangon for a week as I won air ticket from lucky draw. I went back with the intention of surveying local property market and medical check up. My schedule was fulled with clinic visits for my eyes, dental, blood and skin checkup. My Yangon resident friend noticed me that I am extra ordinarily taking care my health this time. I replied him that I must do it as prevention is better than cure. As a married man with a daughter, I have to take extra care myself so that I could able to look after my family until my daughter is grown up. He is quite bullish on my saying and countered me with a question.

Tomorrow and next life, which one is closer for you?

I paused for awhile to think deep and answered him, 'of course, next life'.

My friend continue by laughing at me, 'well, what's worth for worrying your family?'

I was motionless without reacting, meaning I am agreeing with him.

But I try to convince myself that I must be wise if I want to maintain my health at optimum.

There is a Burmese saying, 'our life is guarded by wisdom'. We can't afford to ignore things around if we want to live long. 

As a person who is practicing Buddhism, we must believe the consequence of karma. Karma means work/attitude that reflect our insight quality. We tried to do good things as much as possible while to mitigate bad behaviors. I am not happy to learn communal unrest between Buddhists and Islamist followers in my homeland now. Wish the authority may able to prevent our people falling to the trap of perpetual and become victims. Life is too short to regret and we should have a chance to live peacefully without fear.

Fall in love with iPhone 5

FINALLY, the beautiful iPhone-5 belong to me following 2 years contract agreement with top local operator. It took me more than 8 years to enjoy the non-disrupt service from mobile operator since I have been working abroad from early 2005. I am stubborn with making contract as it is deemed unnecessary for me. As an office worker, I have internet access during working time and got similar privilege at home. The only time free from internet is traveling time to and from the office. I see almost every fellow passenger on board are busying with their mobile through various reason. But I don't feel impressed by such surrounding. I prefer to read something like newspaper or book or magazine than eye-damaging screen.

For me, using mobile is just to make call and receive calls from friends. My mobile doesn't need to perform work related things that make call traffic reduce visibly. I would think it is not worthy for my hard earn money and also some form of cruel to my tiresome eyes from day long computer facing works. These all thinking make me ensure using pre-paid line which is relatively budget and save my money at the end of the month. I see there are quite closely compete in the IT market among industrial big boys from west and east. Our desire to own new technology gadget will not end unless we could able to kill our unlimited desires. I don't feel down for using prepaid line at all.

In the wake of recent meditation retreats, the way I think toward my lifestyle might have change from other perspective. Everything we own in this particular life will be left behind when we one day die. If so, what's the point of saving money by refraining from doing/ tasting expensive toys? We are doing some donation towards our community and relatives to kill off our greedy minds. If we think of that way, unable to use latest technology gadget is consequence of our past life's manner. In other words, it is reflection of bad karma for what we've done in past life. With the recommendation of my wife, I this time didn't confuse with her suggestion to sign up one postpaid line that make me own world's most advanced technology phone with immediate effect. Thanks my wife for paying all upfront bills to lure my quiet desire.