Where’s everyone else’s safety net to be as ‘bodoh’ as they want?

 

If I squint a little or take off my glasses, I can almost pretend that I’m in a hotel on a staycation. Outside, my view is the KLCC and the surrounding greenery of Jalan Kia Peng. For lunch, I was treated to a delightful beef lasagna - and for dinner, baked salmon with mashed potatoes. A team was also at the ready, should I need assistance to get out of my bed.

Luxury, the four Yorkshiremen would say!

Before I proceed, I should say, the view of the Twin Towers from my bedroom window, lasagna for lunch, and baked salmon for dinner is hardly a normal affair in the life of Malaysiakini reporter Alena Nadia.

I wouldn’t call the month I’ve been having a normal one either - if anyone is asking.

When I first joined Malaysiakini, I admit I had some lofty ambition of setting records where I could.

A fellow reporter, who had started out in Malaysiakini at the same time as me, was hauled up by the police to have her statement taken over her first byline. One of the last hurrahs of the now-defunct-although-still-technically-ever-present Muhyiddin government - which appeared to revel in its treatment of journalists.

Looking back at my first year, I have been breaking other records. This year, I fell prey to Covid-19 when I covered my first election and underwent an unfortunate bout of hospitalisation over Hari Raya for food poisoning, before once again being struck down by Covid-19 three months later.

On the mend from Covid-19, I had thought that the worst was over. Surely, I had maxed out this year’s quota for being sickly.

To my displeasure, I found myself going in for a hospital procedure not long after my second round of the unpleasant pandemic virus to resolve a medical issue that is quite literally a “pain in the ass” (I shall leave it at that).

This was compounded by the numerous hospital visits I’ve made this week - not for myself, but for a loved one who suffered a worrying fall just earlier this week. Give me a break!

Sure, for now, in terms of legacy, I am still technically the youngest reporter in this humble news portal - which is something noteworthy in itself - but dear reader, you and I both know that it’s something which can be stolen at the moment the next intern or fresh graduate joins the company.

I hardly want the legacy of my first year as a reporter to be: “Alena Nadia, most likely to fall ill from English desk.”

Buying insurance

On a more serious note, I do feel lucky that I had the foresight to buy medical insurance when I was still a freelancer lacking regular income two years ago - given my medical history this past year.

To quote former BFM video presenter Jazmin Sieh of the series ‘Rumit’, “basically, buying insurance is like buying yourself a safety net where you can be as bodoh as you want and have it cushion you later.”

When I recently took said loved one for an urgent head scan at a public hospital, it had taken eight hours from triage to treatment - while he and I both stuck out as we milled about the hospital grounds in agony. He, with splitting headaches, and I, in recovery from the after-effects of surgery.

Is it a flawed system or was it just a bad day at the hospital? I am very much aware that the grass is not always greener on the other side, but I imagine that in countries where the national healthcare system is not bloated in bureaucracy, things do move along more quickly.

I read somewhere that Malaysia has one of the best healthcare systems in the world but how true is that picture when our contract doctors are still struggling to be treated well by the system and our hospitals remain under siege, underfunded, and over-burdened?

With my current insurance coverage, I admit I am a part of the privileged few who can reap the benefits of private healthcare, where oftentimes there is less waiting and bureaucracy involved in the process of treating injuries and illnesses.

I'm hardly asking for a full body massage or an extravagant eight-course meal to be presented to me while on bedrest, but having good insurance and health are both human rights. Where’s everyone else’s safety net to be as bodoh as they want?

Those among us who can afford private healthcare should not forget that a well-functioning public healthcare system can benefit us all.

In the upcoming Budget 2023, the allocation for health, among other issues, will be something I will keep an eye on. Although a national healthcare system similar to the one in the United Kingdom - with its own many flaws - may not be ideal, investing in our hospitals and doctors the way it is done in countries with more socialist values does feel like something worth doing. 

Inevitably, as our hospitals and their staff do their best to serve our needs, we must push for better conditions for them to serve their needs and show that we appreciate their value. - Mkini

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ALENA NADIA is a member of the Malaysiakini team.