Abah has been complaining of chest pains and
finally Akak took him to Ampang Hospital on Friday (apparently IJN has referred
him there). The doctor ran a series of test: blood test, x-ray and ECG and
everything turned out fine. However, the doctor decided to ward him as he was
still feeling chest pain. He ended up spending three nights there and was only
discharged late Monday afternoon.
I must say I was quite impressed with the hospital
seeing it’s a Government hospital. Abah spent his last night at the hospital in
the first class ward (he forgot to inform his entitlement before that) and he
was placed in a room for four (one bed was deemed damaged though as it could
not be reclined). The ambience of the first class ward was way better than the
second class (as it should be) and I had the feeling that one could heal there.
I’m still worried about Abah though. I hope the
new medication the doctor prescribed would help because I don’t like to see him
in pain. At the same time, I have this (perhaps irrational) anger at him for
not taking better care of his health before. I talked about this with CT and we
wondered why the generation before us don’t take better care of their health.
Wasn’t there any health awareness back then? Didn’t they know what food to
avoid? But then again, even though there’s greater health awareness these days,
you still see a lot of unhealthy people around and people who don’t care about
their health. There are higher number of obese people, increased numbers of
smokers and substance abusers, and a lot more people with health risks. I’m not
sure if the increases are due to deteriorating quality of life, poorer health
choices (despite more awareness!), higher focus by the media, worsening
environment, or all of these. And I don’t know if people still neglect their
health because of plain ignorance, plain laziness, couldn’t-care-less attitude,
leaving-one’s-fate-to-God attitude, depression, poor health choices, inherent
conditions (inherited/genetic/hereditary), or if they want to gamble with the
odds (especially smokers and substance abusers) despite the overwhelming
evidence of the risks. I do know
that in some countries, poor dietary habits and choices are due to the more
economical prices of unhealthy food and the expensive prices of healthy food.
Do you seriously think we can eat anything and
everything without paying for the consequences later on? Do you think our food
choices, eating habits and diet, lifestyle and environment don’t play a role in
determining our health? That we can just stuff ourselves silly, drink ourselves
to a stupor, smoke ourselves to death and that our poor body can just bear all
these mistreatment?
Some would argue that it’s personal choice. Let
those who want to live fast/fat/dangerously do so if they want to. Hey, we only
live once so why shouldn’t we enjoy our food, our life, our lifestyle? How dare
someone else tell me what to eat and how to live my life! After all, it’s not
as if you have to bear my medical bills or look after me when I’m ill. It’s my
life, my body, my health, why do you care? Right?
Well, I beg to differ. Sure it’s your decision
what to eat and how to live, but do you stop to consider that your unhealthy
habits will cost the society in terms of higher health insurance premiums,
government expenditures for health care and disability benefits or payouts? Why
should someone who takes good care of himself, who observes a healthy diet and
who exercises regularly, be made to subsidise for another who doesn’t at all
care about his body or health? Do you think this is fair? And do you think it’s
right to abuse your God-given body by feeding it unhealthy food, exposing it to
ultra-violet rays and free radicals, succumbing to substance abuse etc.? How
can we be the Khalifahs of Allah, perform ibadah for the hereafter and live if
we don’t take care of ourselves? If we don’t take care of our bodies, who will? Our parents? Our children? Spouse/Partner? Siblings? Government? Please. You
honour God with your healthy body (and dishonour Him with an unhealthy body).
After all, my body is a temple – not a trash can. A healthy body will lead to a healthy mind and help one to perform ibadah to God.
P.S. Please pray for my dad’s health.
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