Columbia Asia Puchong

Remember when I told you guys that I suffered with diarrhea during my India trip? Well, it lasted for a more than a week in Malaysia. Everyday I vomited and I only ate plain porridge. While staying at home doing nothing, the only place that visited was the loo.

And so I decided to see the specialist and acquired a reference letter from ING panel clinic. The moment I told the doctor that I’ve been to India and got diarrhea, he immediately issued the letter. Not an unusual thing for him to do.

I straight away went to Columbia Asia as that was the closest specialist at my area. Though my colleague told me that the service wasn’t that good, I had no choice coz my plan was, if I had to be admitted, at least, it’s close to my house.
Once I stepped in, I started to amaze with the surrounding. With huge counter and cafeteria with high see-through ceiling, it looks like an expensive 4 star hotel…except for the smell of medicine lah.
They registered me and gave me a medical identification card complete with photo. The process was quite simple except for the guarantee letter that ING has faxed to them. They have made a silly mistake where the original doctor (Malay lady doctor) that was supposed to examine me suddenly “change” her mind not to take anymore patient. So, Columbia Asia need to get a modified guarantee letter from ING, just because they need to change the doctor’s name on the form, which took about half an hour! Pfffttt! Hello, I’m dying here, does anyone care?

They finally got a new letter and proceed with consultation, where I saw my name on TV, with a Chinese doctor.
I sat and looked for his name one by one the consultation doors where finally I saw his name as a Gastroenterologist. Great! Someone who specializes in intestine that can immediately confirm on my issue.
My name was called and I entered the room. There was an early 30s young Chinese guy, not wearing his powerful white coat. He told me the he just finished his lunch and started to ask me what went wrong. I told him I went to India and took the same food and water as everyone else, but I was the only one who got diarrhea. I don’t care what he wants me to do or to take, as long as he can “cure” me.

And guess what? DIARRHEA HAS NO CURE! YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT UNTIL IT GOES AWAY. Isn’t that fun? Meet your new bff, THE LOO.

Yup, he told me that there is no use if I got admitted and take water drip coz it’s just the same as I personally drink more water. (Thank God, I don’t have to be scared of ghost under my bed!) The type of diarrhea that attacked me was a “traveler’s diarrhea” and almost EVERYONE who got back from India will suffer this. He, once, studied in India and ate ALL street foods just to make sure his digestive system “get used” to it. Where else, he got diarrhea when he came back to Malaysia. Haha!

In five minutes, without any stethoscope on my stomach like other doctors did, he smiled and told me that he will give me a very good medicine, not to stop the diarrhea, but it can “heal’ my stomach.

So guys, those green pills that normal doctors give, won’t “cure” your diarrhea ya, it just “stop” it for a while. And never take antibiotics coz that’ll make you vomit!

Total cost for 5 minutes consultation with prescribed medicine?
RM200! Crazy huh? To all medic students, NEVER give up. See how much a physician can earn now?