It was the first day of January 2017 when I had to leave home. I spent New Year’s Eve at home with my family but when New Year morning came, I took a quick breakfast and headed for my destination — a remote Community Hospital reachable only after many hours of travel.
As I stepped out of our house, I bid goodbye to my parents and siblings, forcing a cheerful smile on my face. But deep inside, I was very sad. It felt like my heart was being painfully squeezed with the reality that I cannot even stay longer with them because I had to go to work.
For the past few years that I have been practicing as a rural health physician, that reality has been ingrained in my heart that because I am a doctor, I cannot really have full control of my time and schedule.
Still, a part of me often wished that I could still be the person who can control her schedule as she desires it to be.
A few hours passed, and I found myself in an air-conditioned bus. I do not usually ride in an aircon bus because I cannot tolerate the very cold environment. I would be shivering a lot from the cold while battling motion sickness at the same time. In my rush that morning, I was not able to bring my jacket to keep me warm in the bus.
That feeling of loneliness and being physically cold almost brought me to tears. But I struggled not to cry on that first day of the year. Instead, a pulled out a piece of cloth from my bag, and used it to cover myself to help stave off the cold.
The bus ride lasted for several hours, long enough to give the passengers back pains and numb extremities. Eventually, I arrived at the Mabinay bus terminal, and I could hear my stomach growling. I went to a small store, and had a cheesedog sandwich. I ate hurriedly with my eyes fixed on the bus terminal to see if there was another bus coming for my final destination.
Unfortunately, it was a holiday. Some of the bus trips were cut. And so I had to wait for a few more hours for the next trip to leave. I had to take another bus bound for Bayawan City to reach our hospital.
Finally, I arrived at the hospital with messy hair and back pains. Taking a public bus always gives me that combo look: haggard face and messy hair.
I stepped down from the bus and from afar, I saw some patients waiting for me. Their eyes lit up as they saw me coming closer to them, and they greeted me: “Happy New Year, Doc!” Such a warm greeting for a lonely heart inside.
It was then that I realized that my efforts were not in vain. It might be a long travel on a holiday, away from family, but my heart was reassured of this noble cause.
There and then, I had to attend to the patients, do suturing, and going on rounds. It was a busy day. It was a holiday but a ‘doctor to the barrios’ has no holiday, after all.
This is the road less- travelled. However, it is never lonely. Working in the communities has always been warm and happy, with the genuine smiles of people, and the resounding “thank you” from them.
Although, there are times when it can be very inconvenient, frustrating, and disappointing. Our ideals and aspirations are not always met. We wrestle with challenges and obstacles. We wrestle with people with conflicting interests. But we just have to bear in mind that the endpoint of this endeavour is the upliftment of the poor and the needy. This is the other side of the coin. Because they are often neglected.
Indeed, we have to answer the question, “Who is going to take good care of these people?”
Come to think of it, these are the people who come mostly from the agricultural sector who are producing crops and livestock for the general population.
More so, these people are also Filipinos who have the right to access quality health care. These are the people who really need our help.
The road may be rough and less-travelled, but this road always leads to beautiful realizations and destinations.
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Author’s email: brianjcmd@hotmail.com
