Doc Ahmad Hajiri

I have always wanted to go to Anawangin in Zambales. I have heard about the “hidden” paradise in the middle of mountain ranges, about the pine trees that grow on ashen-grey sands, the wonderful sunsets as the beach is directly facing the West Philippine Sea, and of course the crystal clear waters of Anawangin cove. And so, when such a golden opportunity of going there with fellow backpackers during my free weekend, I did not hesitate to grab it and go explore the wonders of Anawangin for myself. I even decided to cancel it hours before the trip! But I was glad I didn’t, Alhamdulillah! This is my account of that adventure. This is my Anawangin Adventure. The Team The team composed of eight adventurous backpackers coming from different walks of life living around Metro Manila. We met at this online group (meetup.com) where like-minded people meet and plan things out. This is not the first time that this group had organized a group trip around the country, but this is actually my f...

Clerkship Day 137: Anesthesiology Assalamu Alaykum (Peace be upon you all!). It’s been 5 days since our classes resumed. Actually, I prefer calling it “training” than “classes” because we don’t have much “class sessions” compared to when we were on our first three years in medschool. We are spending more time in the hospital, shadowing our doctors, trying to learn as much as we can from them. So yeah, it should be “training”. We are now training under the department of Anesthesiology and this will last for two weeks only. They told us that we are fortunate because there are only TWO medical schools in the whole country has clerkship trainings for Anesth. Cool! So it’s really best to make the most of our two weeks stay while we can.  We’ve been to Surgery last time, so we are not that “alien” to the world of the Operating Rooms. Only this time, we are not working on the OR table anymore, but at the Anesth “territory”: that small, ever-present area where the anesthesiolog...

This is an auto-publish post. I orignally wrote this letter last July 2015.  Six months since I wrote this letter, I wonder what have changed? Assalamu Alaykum wa rahmatullah! Hey dude, it’s me, your pre-clinical clerkship self a.k.a. the self that you had (hopefully will still have) before you started your death-defying ordeal called “Clerkship”. I know this is crazy, but hey, since when did we ever consider things “not crazy” huh? Perhaps, right now you’re about to begin your most challenging year in Med School. And the anxiety is killing you already—you don’t know what to expect, you feel like you know nothing at all! Don’t worry, that is exactly what you are supposed to feel. Just give it a few days and you will get used to the feeling, the pressure and slowly you will find yourself adapting to the new environment you have.  Or maybe you are already in the middle of your clerkship year: Now far more confident that you were the past years. Ge...

"Bantay" or "watchers" are those who come and stay in the hospital to accompany the patient. Mostly, they are the patient's parents (notably, mothers), grandparents, siblings or even cousins. Sometimes, they are just a close relative, a friend, a neighbor or even at times, just a stranger, a passer-by. We see them everyday. We interact with them almost at all times. Although we often neglect their mere presence, we cannot deny that they are among those who play an important role in the management of our patients' health and well-being.  This is just a portrayal of how a day of a "bantay" begins as they enter the hospital for the first time through the Emergency Room.... *I used the Tagalog language in this post as I found it the most relevant and appropriate in this setting.  ====  “Kayo po ba ang bantay ng pasyente?” “Opo. Ako po.” “Ah, OK po. Eto po yung mga kailangang gawin. Kailangan po namin siya kunan ng dugo para po sa...

“Tell me about yourself.” Our professor asked us before beginning our case discussions. My group mates started by telling their names and then their future careers (future Neurologist, Surgeon, Medical Oncologist, etc.) until it reached my turn. I was still unsure what “specialty” I will go into, so I just answered the question with what I can think of best: “I am Ahmad from Sulu. I love to travel and do photography. My dream one day is to publish my novels.” “Oh, I have been to Sulu a lot of times,” said our professor who is a practicing surgical oncologist in PGH, “my last trip there though was in 1996.” “Ma sha Allah, really sir? That’s nice sir! What did you do there, sir?” “We stayed and volunteered in IPHO-Sulu. Did a lot of charity services doing surgeries for free.” H mentioned names of some Tausug surgeons back then, some I knew by name some I don’t. I was somehow elated to find out that another great physician have visited my dear homeland before. “It was...