Medical Mission To Kampung Muhang

It was at least 25 years ago when I first joined a mission trip. The destination was Pensiangan, a place reckoned to be one of the least developed places in Sabah then.

With some of the challenges of the Pensiangan trip still fresh at the back of my mind, the idea of joining another mission trip at my age seemed to be a huddle too big to handle, more so in a medical mission. I was wondering what I could do in a trip meant for medical personnel! But with the push from my better half and after reading the chapter, "Travel outside of your comfort zone" from the book "101 things you should do before you go to heaven", I decided to have another go for it!

Kampung Muhang is not considered a remote place, a mere 132 Km from Kota Kinabalu. It is accessible all the way by a sealed road except the final stretch of 14 Km. Eleven Km of the final stretch is fairly well maintained graveled road but the final 3 Km is horrendous. The condition of the final stretch is almost like going on a 4WD off road adventure drive. I was told by a friend who came to the same kampung with the Rotarian some ten years ago to help set up the gravity water supply that the road condition has more or less remained unchanged. This is a clear case of poor political leadership combined with a failure of proper resource allocation and the absence of a regular road maintenance program.

Majority of the local inhabitants in Kg. Muhang are really not dirt poor people. They are primarily handicapped by the absence of basic amenities like a reliable water supply system and a health clinic that is within reasonable reach and accessibility.

Chapel of Gereja PCS Muhang used as the temporary clinic.

The visit was well publicized by the local Church and huge crowd turned up for the free medical and dental consultation and treatment. Some walked miles from early morning just to make sure they wouldn't miss the opportunity. Still, there was a case of a woman who only started the walk on Sunday morning. By the time she arrived, we were all packed up and ready for our departure in the afternoon. Our doctor was kind enough to dispense some medicine from the first aid box and passed them to her. To her, the effort she put in had not been a waste.

Right photo: The lady who walked since early morning finally arrived just when we had packed up and were ready to depart.

Dental tools.

Without a dental chair, it's a pity the only treatment for problematic tooth is instant extraction. Had it been in a proper dental clinic, I believe many tooth may have been salvaged by way of other means: filling, root canal treatment.... But then, these simple village folks probably wouldn't have been able to afford the time and the multiple trips of visitation to the clinic. From what I observed, after the treatment, the village folks left in happy spirit even with less teeth in the mouth! 

Young doctors at work.

Medicine dispensary.

Intestinal worm infestation is common among rural kids. Willing kids were given free deworm medicine on the spot.

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A member of the team who is passionate about cleanliness, healthy living and environment sustainability took the chance to organize a gotong royong among the kids to clean up the village, in particular, all plastic non-degradable material. There is probably better hope of a better environment though educating the young rather than the adults.

The annex to the Chapel served as men bedroom as well
as dining area.

Reflection and  thought which I shared with the group before heading back home: 

This kind of trip allows us to see and feel the inner longing for care and love of another human being just like us. Our kind gesture sometime rekindles their souls just as much as it does to ours. In the process, we become more human.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” Mahatma Gandhi

Finding ourselves can mean a lot of things:

• You discover your courage.
• You have overcome certain prejudice against certain people.
• You have compassion.
• You have tenacity.
• You have a soft spot for the marginalized.

This experience also allows God to stretch us in new and different way. I believe we will not only become a more flexible and tolerant person, but a more fulfilled one as well.