** The following was penned by a house officer from the Hospital Sultanah Aminah, who related his personal experience in handling the fire tragedy which claimed six lives yesterday:
Today is a dark day for us. We're hit by the worst tragedy that can ever happen to a hospital. I thank all of the people who called or dropped a message to check on me. The thoughts that you gave me are really appreciated.
I would like to thank all people who have helped us throughout the day. Special thanks to :
1) Allah for keeping all my babies safe. No words can I say if the fire had spread to my paediatric blocks
2) The colleagues & MO
To all my colleagues, especially the female colleagues in my ward today. When the fire started, they selflessly told all the male House Officers that "You guys go and save the patients. Do what you need to do. They need manpower to lift the patients. We'll take care of the babies". My MO today gave me a look during ward rounds and said " You can't focus in the rounds today can't you, Muhaimin? You want to go there and help. Go lah. Be safe."
And that's how all of us managed to come and help in ED and other parts of the hospital.
3) The PPK, nurses and MA
All my PPK. You have no idea the part they played today. Some of them carried oxygen tanks from place to place, with sweat dripping from their forehead to make sure everyone is safe. I knew some of them have osteoathritis but they were so strong today. Nurses and MAs are so efficient today that some orders are carried out without words. Everyone knows what they should do and where they should be. Some of them sacrificed their lunch hours just to make sure patients are not left alone in new wards.
4) The firemen
They are the bravest souls, running into the fire to try to save our patients. Some of them looked so tired in their heavy gear. They are the unsung heroes of today.
5) NGOs
Tzu Chi, Jabatan Amal, ARIF, and many more. Thank you for the water and food. Even McDonald's came and provided burgers to everybody. In less than 3 hours, aid came in non-stop until we had to redistribute the supplies to other departments.
6) The off-duty officers
Many of my House Officer friends and nurses, MA and PPK who were on their days off came to the hospital in their sport attire and helped. You know how much days ofd mean to us. I managed to get a break to drink water today after my friend who was on duty last night came and substituted for me. Some came with red eyes and tired faces. May Allah repay you for your kindness.
7) The specialists
I put this at the end because I think they deserved one of the greatest thank you's of all. Can you imagine organising a ward that is built for medical patients, but in less than 30 minutes they are already full of patients from ICU, Ortho, Surgical, Neuro and many more? The specialists were the calmest in the ward. They rallied the House Officers and MOs, issued perfect orders and positioned everyone at the right stations so that everything goes smoothly. From ordering House Officer to take bloods, to ordering ward sisters to make checklists and headcounts, they managed to complete and turn a chaotic day to an orderly one. Thank you for showing us good leadership.
Let's pray for the deceased. May their souls rest in peace.
Today I was reminded why we Malaysians are the best.