View from my bed today. Yes, I’m taking a break from work…resting myself in hospital (interestingly called “house of the sick” in Bahasa Indonesia). No, no..I’m not about to burst into talking about my symptoms or anything related to my illness. That will be too boring and unimportant. in fact, I got asked about things that are basically the same questions I got each time I spend times here. That prompt me into writing my thought.

This time, as most of my other hospital time, I put my health into St. Borromeus Hospital hands. This time, unlike most of my other hospital time, I originally choose to check myself in another hospital first, which is Hermina Arcamanik just few steps away from home. Only because the doctor ain’t available at the time that I decided to move a little bit further to the north. A hospital that I know best.

Last time I hospitalized was 2008, and it was here too, that I received same question as what I heard last night: “Why here? Why Christian hospital?” Followed by dozen of accusations and gossips like “Do you know they practice Christianization? Like when they see patients that are often left alone, they will send a minister and pray for them?” And so on.

Honestly..I don’t know. And I don’t really care too. As a good moslem of course my fellow moslem would wan’t me to put my heath in a more Islamic environment. Say, Al-Islam Hospital. But I don’t have any records there, it is just as far as St. Borromeus except that I have better knowledge in Dago and its surrounding thanks to my college hours plus my Nana house not so far away, while I barely know anything in Soetta part of Bandung.

Okay if that sounds too fabricated why not try this, my mom, dad, my two brothers..even my cousins and grandparents all went to St. Borromeus for treatment. And they never trust any other hospital better. Not because they’re not good, most of them even try other places before they were referenced to a doctor in St. Borromeus. So they all wind up here. Even I was born here. So they basically have my records ups and downs to this very day, which of course make my treatment a lot more accurate and easy. You can’t say those thing ain’t matter when it related to your health. I remember went to a dermatologist, well..two different dermatologists actually, that ultimately observing my skin and giving me prescription which ended up irritating my skin because they forget to ask my previous skin condition thoroughly. Then I go here and everything start to get better because it turns out that I was brought here once for allergy when I was still in school. So it does matter.

Also in my experience, at least this hospital don’t discriminate their patients. Everyone treated as soon as possible. That is good enough for me. As for Christianization, I do know that each of their rooms are packed with cross in one side of the wall and that we can hear the hospital staff sing or pray every morning through the hallway or speakers. But that is to be expected in a Christian hospital. I don’t think it has any “hidden agenda” but a way to express their religion. I never witnessed any minister as my friend said. I don’t know where she heard that from. But I can’t say it never happen too. Like I said, I just never saw it.

I don’t know if my choice to believe in pure science (basically same science also used by Islamic hospital elsewhere, only in different hands) through a Christian hospital will make me burn in sin. But I do believe that Allah provide health in many ways, should we choose to take one that we felt comfortable with, one that we found cure within..it must have been through Allah’s blessing too. Because cure and recovery is only belong to Allah, all we can do is ikhtiar and try our best. Ya but I understand her worries. Nothing worst than making person in need, in this case needing medication, into your target of any kind. Moreover using their illness into turning their believes. I think, if it really happens, is unforgivable.Wallahu a’lam.

So last night after she cried her concern, I can’t do more but thanking her for caring about me and answer “Semoga iman kita kepada Allah tidak membuat kita lantas berpikiran sempit dan mengotak-ngotakan pasien, dokter, perawat berdasarkan agamanya. Serem kan, dokter membatasi diri dari merawat pasien lain agama padahal ia sangat membutuhkan, pasien tidak mau diobati karena dokternya tidak seiman…terus prejudice, nanti pengobatannya juga dibedakan, atau sebaliknya, curiga diapa-apakan. Padahal ilmu kedokteran yang dipelajari sumbernya sama, alat-alatnya juga sama…”
She rises her shoulders and said “Ya kan gue cuma bilang…”

UPDATE

Okaaay, I think I might get some enlightenment today. The almighty want me to see it for myself, as when I prepare to read my second novel while my aunt (she’s accompanying me in the hospital) resting herself on the couch, some unknown man suddenly approaching us. He introduce himself as one of the hospital staff assigned to visit patients and talk with them. For what?

At first he ask me what I feel during my treatment, where I go to school, what’s my name, who am I living with, is mom gonna visit me later..and another small talk. I don’t know where its going to lead had I not cut it and said I’m about to go home the next day. He said that’s good, and that he supposed to take the visits every working day. We shook hands before he leave. Sometime later, my aunt saw him talking with his colleague who’s writing down few what he said. Whatever that means.

I’d like to think that medical treatment and those related field won’t be affected by any politics moreover religion. Because I’d like to believe that every life is equal and worth saving for. But I might be too naive. I don’t wanna make any judgment or presume as I may be wrong. But for now, I just wanna take some distance with things I don’t really know about, and just focus on my health.