I worked as a Medical Officer (MO) at Klinik Kesihatan Ibu dan Anak (KKIA) Limbang in Sarawak for 1 year and 6 months from October 2024 to April 2026. Throughout my MO placement at KKIA Limbang, I rented a studio unit at Bangunan Bangkita in Limbang town. Here, I am sharing my experience working as an MO at KKIA Limbang. In this post, I will be using a two-letter pseudonym to refer to each particular person.
October 2024:
On 7 October when I was working at Klinik Kesihatan (KK) Sundar in Lawas, I was offered to transfer to KKIA Limbang. I was having a difficult time at KK Sundar due to the extreme isolation, so I gladly accepted the offer. On 25 October, I drove from Lawas to Limbang and attended the Approach To Unwell Children Under 5 Years (ATUCU-5) Course at Pejabat Kesihatan Bahagian (PKB) Limbang. KKIA Limbang is located within the same compound as PKB Limbang and Hospital Limbang in Limbang town. After the course, I moved into my studio unit in Limbang and just stayed there without returning to Lawas.
I began working at KKIA Limbang officially on 28 October. At that time, there were 4 existing Medical Officers at KKIA Limbang, MT, FR, SW and SM. I was the one and only male MO at KKIA Limbang. The working hours is from 8AM to 5PM every Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. There's no oncalls, whether active or passive. There were regular Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions for MOs, usually held on Friday afternoons. MT, the leader of KKIA Limbang, brought me around the clinic. KKIA Limbang mainly provides maternal and child health services. Generally, Mondays and Wednesdays are for maternal cases, Tuesdays and Thursdays are for child cases, while Fridays are for contraception cases including Implanon and intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) insertions. Blood taking at KKIA Limbang is generally done by nurses, although they may seek MO's help in the case of difficult blood taking.
Additionally, MOs at KKIA Limbang would cover certain portfolios. One of the portfolios is the tuberculosis control programme (TBCP), which I would cover. FR, the leader of TBCP, introduced me to the work at TBCP. All tuberculosis (TB) cases in Limbang are managed and followed up by TBCP, in conjunction with the relevant specialists if necessary. TBCP consisted of 2 parts, control and treatment. FR told me that she would let me take over the treatment part first, followed by the more complicated control part in January 2025 before she leaves for her specialty training. Every day, I would do the work at TBCP first, and then go over to KKIA Limbang once that was complete.
I was able to adapt to the work at KKIA Limbang quickly enough. Within my first week of working there, I had found KKIA Limbang to be a much better place to work at compared to KK Sundar. KKIA Limbang has a supportive work environment, manageable workload and no on-calls and is located in the nice town of Limbang. At that time, my plan was to work at KKIA Limbang till I complete my compulsory service in September 2025, then resign from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to be a Medical Lecturer. Earlier in August, I had obtained my Annual Practising Certificate (APC) for 2025, with the principal place of practice stated as KK Sundar. On 31 October, I applied to have the principal place of practice for my APC 2025 amended to KKIA Limbang.
November 2024:
On 1 November, there was a Implanon insertion case at KKIA Limbang. The Family Medicine Specialist (FMS) offered me the opportunity to do the Implanon insertion under her supervision. Having done it successfully once at Klinik Kesihatan Lawas during my tagging back then, I agreed to do it. However, I got a step wrong with the administration of local anaesthesia. The FMS then decided to let one of my colleagues take over the procedure and let me observe and learn more first. On that afternoon, I had lunch with the FMS and my MO colleagues at Restoran D' Selera Kita in Limbang town. I was still not close to them at that time and I didn't have much to talk with them during lunch, making it a little awkward. However, the nasi kukus ayam goreng berempah which I had at that restaurant was really good.
On 7 November, I joined the school health team for the first time. We visited SK Limpaki. At the school, I performed routine health examination for the students. On that afternoon, I saw a rather complicated TB case with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) at TBCP, which had to be referred to a Respiratory Physician. There was no Respiratory Physician at Hospital Limbang and I had to refer the case to the Respiratory Physician in Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching through email. I spent quite a long time on the referral and it was 6PM by the time I was done. That was my first time working overtime at KKIA Limbang. Despite that, I didn't feel stressed or frustrated about it. In fact, that experience felt a bit like a previous experience back when I was a Teaching Fellow at NUMed where I stayed back late at the NUMed library to prepare the teaching materials, which I had enjoyed. On 8 November, I again participated in the school health team in visiting SK Batu Empat. On that day, a nurse at KKIA Limbang introduced me to Sarimah Curry House. The fish curry there was really good.
On 18 November, I joined the school health team in their visit to SJK(C) Chung Hwa. The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) approved my application for amendment of the principal place of practice for my APC 2025 to KKIA Limbang on that day. On 22 November, I attended an under 5 mortality review meeting at PKB Limbang. During the meeting, a few drowning cases at KK Sundar that happened back when I was still working there in October were discussed. On 27 and 28 November, I attended the wound care course at PKB Limbang. I wasn't quite interested in it, but I acknowledged that it's important for general practice. Around that time, a few new MOs, BD, KL and TK were transferred to Limbang. They were allocated to KK Batu Danau, KK Medamit and KK Medalam which are rural KKs, but will undergo 2 weeks of tagging at KKIA Limbang.
December 2024:
On 1 December, I participated in a community health screening event. It was held during the Festival Kesenian Islam at Dewan Suarah Limbang. Around that time, all MOs at KKIA Limbang were told to stay alert for the possibility of floods in Limbang, due to king tides coinciding with the north-east monsoon. In the event of a flood, we may be called to join the medical teams at flood relief centres. On 6 December, an assembly was held at PKB Limbang and I attended it. As a new MO at KKIA Limbang, I was called up the stage by the District Health Officer (DHO) to introduce myself to everyone. Around that time, the nurses decorated KKIA Limbang with Christmas decorations.
I had applied for RUMC's Malaysia-Ireland Training Programme for Family Medicine (MInTFM) previously in September when I was still working at KK Sundar in hopes that I could leave KK Sundar earlier that way. However, we are only allowed to join the MInTFM under the MOH's Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) scholarship, and I was only eligible to apply for HLP in the following year. Following my transfer to KKIA Limbang, there was no longer any urgency for me to leave, so I didn't bother about the MInTFM anymore. On 12 December, RUMC informed me that my MInTFM application wouldn't be considered any further because I didn't complete my HLP application.
At that time, although my aim was still firmly to be a Medical Lecturer, I had been enjoying my work at KKIA Limbang quite a lot that I had considered it an acceptable start. However, the impending handover of the control part of TBCP to me in January 2025 created some degree of uncertainty and anxiety. My colleague MT had signalled to me that following the handover, I might not necessarily be working at KKIA Limbang anymore and I might be stationed full time at TBCP. Having enjoyed working at KKIA Limbang a lot, I really wanted to continue working there. Still, I didn't voice out any concerns or disagreements, knowing that the handover already was planned and agreed upon since I first entered KKIA Limbang. On 19 December, there was a Christmas banquet at KKIA Limbang.
On 20 December, I and all my colleagues at KKIA Limbang took a photoshoot for Christmas. On that afternoon, I attended a TB mortality review meeting at PKB Limbang. During the meeting, my colleague FR remarked that she would be handing over the entire TBCP portfolio to me at the start of 2025. The Physician, who too was attending the meeting, then remarked that the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Hospital Limbang was severely lacking MOs and asked if I could help cover the OPD whenever I am free, as being stationed full time at TBCP meant that I likely would have some free time. I replied that I was more than happy to help with that. I thought, if I wouldn't be working at KKIA Limbang anymore following the handover, covering the OPD would be preferable to staying at TBCP full time. The Physician thanked me while the DHO stated that she would consider it.
Limbang has no cinemas and rather limited food choices due to the relatively small population. On 21 December, I drove to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei for a short getaway. I travelled through the Pandaruan-Ujung Jalan border and the Temburong bridge. There, I had mala hotpot at 117 Super Hotpot and watched Mufasa: The Lion King at The Mall Cineplex. I stayed a night at Higher Hotel. On 31 December, one of the senior nurses at KKIA Limbang retired. A farewell celebration was held for her. Around that time, I wanted to go to Restoran D' Selera Kita, missing the nasi kukus ayam goreng berempah there, only to find that the restaurant was no longer there, so I assumed that it had closed down.
January 2025:
I was supposed to take over the control part of the TBCP from the start of 2025 onwards. However, my colleague FR told me that following further discussions with our FMS, they had decided to scrap that plan and retain the existing arrangement where I would be in charge of the treatment part of TBCP while FR would continue to be the leader of TBCP and be in charge of the control part. Presumably, they managed to read between the lines and pick up the fact that I wasn't really keen on the handover. Subsequently, MT also confirmed to me that I would continue to work at KKIA Limbang as usual. I was so glad about that. At that time, the nurses of KKIA Limbang put up Chinese New Year decorations at the clinic. On 3 January, I and my colleagues attended an Implanon practical session. We could practise Implanon insertion and removal on a mannequin.
On 6 January, I registered for the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) Part 2 exam. I had previously passed the MRCP Part 1 exam in September 2024. I had no intention to pursue specialty training in Internal Medicine, instead I was taking MRCP to strengthen my credentials for my application for a Medical Lecturer post in the future. I had already begun my revisions for MRCP Part 2 before that. Around that time, the FMS proposed a research project to identify the factors of late antenatal booking in Limbang. For a start, she told all MOs in Limbang to perform a literature review on previous studies on late antenatal booking. Having experience in literature review, statistical analysis and poster and abstract creation during medical school, I responded to it enthusiastically. I also knew that my participation in this research project would boost my curriculum vitae (CV) and be very helpful in my application for a Medical Lecturer post.
KL was undergoing tagging at KKIA Limbang from 6 to 24 January. I got to know her and had some conversations with her. On 10 January, I had lunch with my colleagues SM and KL at DKC Limbang. During lunch, they asked me about my future career plans. At that time, my plan was to take MRCP, Diploma in Child Health (DCH) and Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (DRCOG), then resign from the MOH after completing my compulsory service to be a Medical Lecturer or General Practitioner (GP) in the private sector, while I had no intention to join any specialty training programmes. Later that day, I also announced that plan on Facebook and Instagram. Yet in a twist of fate, on the next day 11 January, RUMC informed me that they wanted to give me the chance to proceed with my MInTFM application even though I failed to complete the HLP application earlier, and invited me to take the Clinical Entrance Test. I decided to go ahead with taking it to keep my options open. I didn't specifically revise for it, instead I just utilised my knowledge from the MRCP exams.
2 new MOs, NJ and OC joined KKIA Limbang at that time. A few others new MOs also joined KK Batu Danau and KK Medamit. My MInTFM Clinical Entrance Test was held online on 21 January. I found it moderately difficult and was confident of passing it. Coincidentally, on the same day FR was attending an online interview as part of her application for her specialty training Master's programme in Family Medicine. Later that day, I had lunch with my MO colleagues and FMS at SCR in Limbang Plaza. Having known that I was applying for the MInTFM, my colleagues were quite impressed. I requested my FMS at KKIA Limbang and my previous FMS at KK Lawas to be my referees for the MInTFM application, and they agreed. Around that time, the FMS decided that moving forward, I would be in charge of the contact screening of TBCP in addition to the treatment part, while FR would continue to be in charge of the rest of the control part and take lead of TBCP. On 24 January, I and my colleagues took a photoshoot for Chinese New Year at KKIA Limbang. I took 2 weeks of leaves from 25 January to 9 February for the Chinese New Year. I returned to my hometown to celebrate Chinese New Year.
February 2025:
On 5 February, RUMC informed me that I had passed the MInTFM Clinical Entrance Test and was shortlisted for interview. After the Chinese New Year, my parents followed me to Limbang for a short visit. On 8 February when my parents were in Limbang with me, they brought my car to a workshop to have its engine serviced, despite me repeatedly saying that it wasn't necessary. The service seemingly went well, but on the following day my car's check engine light illuminated. We had to bring the car back to that workshop, and we were told that there was a major engine problem that would take weeks to repair due to lack of spare parts in Limbang. I had to rent a car for a week.
On 10 February, I resumed working at KKIA Limbang. Now that I was in charge of the contact screening of TBCP, I would be spending considerably more time at TBCP compared to previously. However, I still went over to KKIA Limbang once I was done with the work at TBCP every day. After NJ and OC joined KKIA Limbang, there were not enough tables in the MO room for every MO, so some of us had to use the tables in the nurses' room at times. On 14 February, I and my colleagues went for lunch at Restoran D' Selera Kita. The restaurant hadn't closed down, instead it had moved from Limbang town to Kampung Limpaki. Having gotten closer to my colleagues at that time, I could talk to them more during lunch. After lunch, we went to the newly open MK Hypermart for a quick shopping. On 15 February, I applied for my APC for 2026. I had 70 myCPD points since 1 July 2024, way more than the 20 points required for APC 2026. The MMC approved my APC for 2026 quickly enough on 17 February.
On 20 February, I attended the online interview for MInTFM. It was quite difficult, but I tried my best to answer all of the questions asked. My car's repair was not yet done at that point. After renting the car for a week, the workshop's owner agreed to lend me their company car until my car was done repairing. On 24 February, I saw an underaged unmarried pregnancy case who came for antenatal booking at KKIA Limbang. Following discussions with the FMS, the case was classified as constitutional rape. I had to refer the case to the One Stop Teenage Pregnancy Committee (OSTPC) and then make a report at the police station. On 26 February, RUMC informed me that I was successful in the MInTFM application. However, as I was only eligible to apply for the HLP in the following year, I had to defer my MInTFM entry to July 2026. I decided to wait till a later time before making a decision on whether to join the MInTFM.
March 2025:
I was busy doing revision for the MRCP Part 2 exam at that time. This exam required a lot of in-depth revision. On 4 March, PKB Limbang provided me with my new stamp for KKIA Limbang. Up until that point, I had been using my previous stamp from Kluang hospital. I attended a TB mortality review meeting on 6 March. On 7 March, I delivered a CME session on Management of Hepatitis B at KKIA Limbang. On 9 March, the repair of my car was finally complete. The nurses had put up the decorations for Hari Raya Aidilfitri at KKIA Limbang at that time. On 14 March, there was a health screening for all staffs at KKIA Limbang. My BMI, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and total cholesterol were all normal. On 18 March, I attended a buka puasa event with my KKIA Limbang colleagues at Restoran Hajah Saibah. Then, there was another buka puasa event for TBCP staffs at Nasi Katok Sambal Hijau Nauran on 19 March. We celebrated a nurse's birthday at the same time.
Around that time, I had enjoyed my work at KKIA Limbang so much that I had fully embraced it. I made sure to show my fullest enthusiasm and dedication in my work. I always put in my time and efforts to communicate properly with every patient to address their concerns and expectations. 23 March is my birthday. A few of my KKIA Limbang colleagues wished me happy birthday. I didn't celebrate much other than having some noodles at SCR and getting a slice of chocolate cake at icoffee in Limbang Plaza, as I was so busy with my final push for the MRCP Part 2 exam. My MRCP Part 2 exam was held online on 26 March. I had initially wanted to take it in Brunei like what I did with the MRCP Part 1 exam previously, but I wasn't granted permission to take the MRCP Part 2 in Brunei. Eventually, I took it at Purnama Hotel in Limbang. The exam questions were really difficult and I wasn't very confident of passing it.
The FMS decided to cancel the proposed research project on late antenatal booking at that time due to its complexity. There was a 4 day break for Hari Raya Aidilfitri from 29 March to 1 April. On 29 March, I travelled to Miri for the first time by flight. Miri is a really nice city. There, I went to watch Ne Zha 2 at TGV Cinemas in Permaisuri Imperial City Mall. I wanted to have mala hotpot at the new Cuan Yue Malatang outlet in Miri, but unfortunately it was not yet open. I then had mala hotpot at Ju Xian Ge Buffet Hot Pot instead. I also had Nando's, bak kut teh, briyani rice and dim sum. Someone at Miri Airport had recommended the famous Taka Patisserie to me and I went there to buy some bread. I stayed at Ano Hotel in Miri for 4 days and 3 nights.
April 2025:
I returned to Limbang on 1 April. On 3 April, I covered KK Medalam for a day, as TK, the MO working there, was on leave. KK Medalam is located at a very remote location, about 1 hour 15 minutes by car from Limbang town. It's even more isolated than KK Sundar. PKB Limbang provided me with the transport to KK Medalam. On the journey to KK Medalam, I passed through KK Medamit. On that day, there were only about 5 patients at KK Medalam and all were rather simple cases. On 4 April, I joined the Flying Doctor Service (FDS), where I had the opportunity to go on a helicopter for the first time in my life. We were supposed to fly to Long Adang. However, by the time we approached Long Adang, the weather there had turned quite bad, making it unsafe for us to attempt to land there. The helicopter pilot decided to turn back to Limbang and the FDS on that day was cancelled.
On 9 April, I registered for the Diploma in Child Health (DCH) Foundation of Practice (FOP) exam. Since there’s substantial overlap between MRCP and DCH, I wanted to leverage my MRCP knowledge to speed up my revision for the FOP. On 10 and 11 April, I joined the Village Health Team (VHT) Darat for the first time. We travelled to an extremely remote village in Long Napir. The journey took more than 3 hours by car, going through off-road places. We went to a longhouse in Long Napir and set up a mobile clinic there, where I saw several patients. The longhouse was really nice and I really wished I could stay a night there, but that was not part of the plan.
Later in the evening, we went to nearby village in Kampung Bahagia. There's a nice church where we set up a mobile clinic. Once again, I saw several patients. Right beside the church was a wooden house for us to stay overnight, but it was in a very poor condition, even worse than the quarters of KK Sundar. I refused to stay in that wooden house, instead I thought of spending the night in the church. As it turned out, there was a water cut at Kampung Bahagia at that time. My team then decided to spend the night at the longhouse in Long Napir after getting the agreement from one of the longhouse's owner. I was so glad about that. The longhouse was quite comfortable to sleep in. On the following morning, we did some blood taking for the patients at the longhouse and then headed back to Limbang town.
On 12 and 13 April, I worked as a locum doctor for the first time, at Care Medical Clinic, a private clinic in Limbang. I wanted to get additional clinical experience as well as additional income. Care Medical Clinic was a busy clinic with a lot of patients. It felt like the green zone of an Emergency Department. The past 2 weeks had been full of adventures for me. On 14 April, I and my colleagues had lunch together at the newly open Nasi Lemak Bamboo in Limbang Plaza. During lunch, I shared my VHT and locum experiences with my colleagues.
Later that month, I and my colleagues attended several Hari Raya banquets, held by various departments of PKB Limbang. On 22 April, I attended another TB mortality review. On 25 April, my MRCP Part 2 exam results were released. Much to my delight, I passed it with a great score. I had started my revisions for the DCH FOP exam at that time. DCH FOP felt so much easier compared to the MRCP Part 2. By then, I found my work at KKIA Limbang to be just as great and enjoyable as my previous Teaching Fellow post at NUMed, which I had always considered a paradise. With that, I began to seriously consider joining specialty training in Family Medicine.
May 2025:
On that month, the Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound Credentialing and Privileging (C&P) programme began for all KKs in Limbang district. In the previous year, I had the opportunity to do the Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P when I was working at KK Sundar, but I refused to participate in it as I was deeply frustrated with the extreme isolation there and I felt that it had little relevance with my aim to be a Medical Lecturer. Now that I was seriously considering doing Family Medicine, I regretted letting go of that opportunity previously. Thankfully, I was given the opportunity to join the Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P again this year. Several of my colleagues joined it too.
We had to attend a lecture on 1st trimester ultrasound on 2 May and a lecture on 2nd and 3rd trimester ultrasound on 14 May. We were also issued our logbooks for the Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P. We had to perform 15 ultrasound scans under supervision of the Family Medicine Specialist, 5 for each trimester, and another 15 ultrasound scans without supervision, 5 for each trimester, then record them in the logbook with the ultrasound images as evidence. I decided to participate in the Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P with my fullest commitment, not wanting to miss out on it once again. On 3 May, I went to Temburong, Brunei, just to have lunch at Ya-Nur Restaurant, and then headed back to Limbang right after lunch. On 8 May, a farewell party was held for FR at Kawah Tantaya Cafe. FR would be leaving KKIA Limbang to pursue specialty training Master's programme in Family Medicine. The DHO, FMS and most of my colleagues in Limbang attended it.
On 9 May, PKB Limbang held the My Health Status Surveillance (MyHeSS) test for all staffs. Despite my initial hesitation, I opted to participate in it. The MyHeSS test consisted of 4 parts, curl up, push up, sit & reach and YMCA 3-minute steps. Due to my poor fitness due to lack of regular exercises, I struggled with the curl up, push up and sit & reach. Then for the YMCA 3-minute steps, I could seemingly maintain the pace during the first 1.5 minutes, but by the next 1.5 minutes, I had gotten so exhausted that I could no longer keep up with the pace. Right after that, my heartbeat got so fast and I felt like fainting. After resting for quite some time, only could I stand up and walk. I then went to the air-conditioned TBCP office and took a nap. After I woke up, I felt much better and I thought I had mostly recovered. But later that afternoon, my leg muscles suddenly gave way when walking and I had a fall. At that point, I realised that I was having widespread muscle weakness and pain, likely as a result of the intense exertion during the MyHeSS test. My colleagues advised me to start doing regular exercise to improve my fitness.
My studio unit was upstairs, and luckily I could still walk up the stairs. After returning home, I took a simple dinner and then started resting straight away. My muscle weakness was severe enough that I was finding it a bit difficult to get up from bed and I had to walk very carefully to avoid falling. There was another farewell party for FR held by TBCP on that evening. I had no choice but to skip it. I had earlier planned to travel to Miri for the second time on the next day and I had already bought the flight tickets and booked the hotel. Considering my muscle weakness, I contemplated whether or not to cancel the Miri trip, but eventually I still decided to go to Miri as planned. Thankfully on the next morning on 10 May, my muscle weakness had improved somewhat. I flew to Miri as planned. I watched Thunderbolts* at GSC Cinemas in Bintang Megamall. This time, Cuan Yue Malatang was open for real in Miri and I could finally have my favourite mala hotpot there. I once again stayed at Ano Hotel. Over the next 2 days, my muscle weakness continued to get better. By the time I returned to Limbang on 12 May, I had almost fully recovered. The Wesak Day was on that day and I went to pray at a temple in Limbang.
On the following week, following discussions with the FMS, FR decided to let JP take over the entire TBCP portfolio after her departure. I would continue to be in charge of the treatment part and contact screening of TBCP. JP was an MO at KK Batu Danau, but following the TBCP handover, he was transferred to KKIA Limbang and became the second male MO here after me. 16 May was FR's last day at KKIA Limbang. On that day, I and my colleagues took farewell photos with FR in front of the Gawai decorations at KKIA Limbang, doubling as a photoshoot for Gawai. On 17 May, I attended the Medical Update 2025 at PKB Limbang, organised by the Physicians at Hospital Limbang. On 19 May, the FMS decided to reinstate the research project on late antenatal booking that was previously cancelled, following discussions with the DHO. Considering my experience and enthusiasm in research, the FMS made me the leader of the research project. For a start, I and my colleagues resumed our literature review on previous studies on late antenatal booking.
From 21 to 23 May, only 3 MOs including me were working at KKIA Limbang, and the number of patients was quite high. Thankfully, we still managed to finish seeing all patients on time. On 26 May, I presented an under 5 mortality review at PKB Limbang for the first time. At that time, I saw a highly complicated case of recurrent isoniazid-resistant TB at TBCP. I had to refer the case to the Respiratory Physician through email. The Respiratory Physician then requested a video call to discuss the case. The video call was held on 28 May, where the Respiratory Physician told me to get a full history of the case and then redo the referral. On 31 May, I travelled to Lawas for a short getaway. There, I had dinner at my favourite Hao Wei Restaurant. I went to the cafe of Hotel Seri Malaysia Lawas for lunch. I also had bak kut teh, which wasn't available in Limbang at that time. I stayed at Perdana Hotel, my favourite hotel in Lawas, for 2 nights.
June 2025:
I went back to Limbang on 2 June. I brought Uncle Bob's fried chicken from Lawas back to Limbang for my dinner. Around that time, the recurrent isoniazid-resistant TB patient got admitted to Hospital Limbang. I updated the case history to the Hospital Limbang MO, who then referred the case to the Respiratory Physician. After JP moved to KKIA Limbang, we became close friends and often had lunch together at the canteen. JP invited me to join him in jogging to improve my fitness. I declined it as I wanted to focus on revising for the DCH FOP exam at that time, while I promised to join him after I was done with the exam. At the same time, I had gotten very close to my other colleagues at KKIA Limbang, with lots of casual conversations. That made me cherish my experience at KKIA Limbang even more.
On 12 June, I joined the medical standby team for a government event at Dewan Suarah Limbang. Apart from a person seeking painkillers for his migraine headache, there was no one requiring any medical assistance on that day. At that time, after discussing the findings of the literature review for the research project on late antenatal booking with the FMS, we decided that our research project would be titled Factors Influencing Late Antenatal Booking at Limbang District, Sarawak and it would be a retrospective study. Our next step would be to compile a list of patients who had late antenatal booking at KKIA Limbang between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 and trace their antenatal books, with the plan to interview them using a questionnaire for our research project. On the following week, I and my colleagues at KKIA Limbang jointly bought a watch as a farewell gift to the FMS of KK Lawas who was leaving to pursue further specialisation.
On 24 June, I flew to Kuching. I took the DCH FOP exam in person at The Meeting Place in Kuching on 25 June. The exam questions were moderately difficult and I was quite confident of passing it. One of my friends from NUMed, AF, too was taking the same exam at the same place. On that evening, I and AF had dinner together at Eastern Pavilion and we had a lot of catching up. AF recommended that I try the famous Go Fun Kee Bak Kut Teh in Kuching, which I went on the following day and really liked it. As it was a public holiday for Awal Muharram, I stayed in Kuching until the weekend. I watched Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning at GSC Cinemas in The Spring Shopping Mall. I had various good food in Kuching, including mala hotpot, tandoori chicken, Penang prawn mee, grilled fish and mandy rice. I also went to Kuching Waterfront and bought some souvenir for my colleagues. I stayed at Pine Garden Hotel for 6 days and 5 nights. I was back in Limbang on 30 June.
July 2025:
Throughout that month, I focussed on getting my logbook for the Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P completed. I performed as many antenatal ultrasound scans as I could and made sure to keep the ultrasound images for every antenatal ultrasound. I also wanted to get going with the research project. Upon further thoughts, I noticed 2 key issues with our research plan. First, only interviewing the late bookers would mean that we couldn't make a comparison between those who had late booking and those who had early booking; second, it would be challenging to get in touch with many of the patients who attended antenatal booking in the past year, especially those who had already delivered. I discussed the issue with the FMS, and we decided to change the research plan. It would now be a cross-sectional study, where we would collect data by interviewing every patient attending antenatal booking at any KK in Limbang district from 1 July 2025 onwards using a questionnaire, regardless of whether they are a late booker or not. The previously compiled list of late bookers would no longer be used. We began the data collection right away.
On 3 July, I went jogging with JP at Stadium Limbang for the first time. I didn't have a pair of sports shoes, but JP brought an extra pair for me. I jogged 5 rounds which was about 2km. On 8 July, I and my colleagues had lunch together at Restoran D' Selera Kita. On 9 and 10 July, I covered the OPD of Hospital Limbang which was lacking MOs on that week. The OPD is very busy with a very large number of patients, and it's common for MOs there to work overtime. I had the opportunity to see a wide variety of cases at the OPD and I considered that an important test on my suitability for Family Medicine specialty training. Thankfully, I and my OPD colleagues managed to finish seeing all patients by 5:30pm on both days.
Following that experience, I set my minds on pursuing specialty training in Family Medicine. However, I felt that the Graduate Certificate in Family Medicine - Advanced Training in Family Medicine (GCFM-ATFM) might suit me better compared to the MInTFM, as the training for GCFM-ATFM is done full time at KKs. On 13 July, I bought a new pair of Skechers sports shoes at Sports Gallery in Limbang. I and JP usually went jogging at Stadium Limbang on Thursday. Each time, I jogged 1 round more than the previous time, eventually culminating in 10 rounds which was about 4km. For so many months after joining KKIA Limbang, I never performed an IUCD insertion, only assisted with it at most. Now that I wanted to pursue Family Medicine, I was determined to learn IUCD insertion. On 18 July, I finally gave it a try and successfully inserted an IUCD for the first time.
On 28 July, I and my colleagues held a farewell party at KKIA Limbang for our dietician who would be leaving. At that time, Penang prawn mee was available at Hainan Cuisine Limbang for the first time. On 31 July, two children were brought to the TBCP by their father for contact screening. The Paediatrician instructed me to start both of them on latent TB treatment and to take a baseline blood test for them prior to that. The father was not too keen on blood taking, but after I explained the need for blood taking to him, he agreed to let me attempt the blood taking once only. Unlike KKIA Limbang, all paediatric blood taking at TBCP had to be done by MOs, as the nurses and MAs there weren't trained in paediatric blood taking. Thankfully, I successfully got the bloods for both children in one attempt. Later that day, my DCH FOP exam results were released and I passed it with a great score.
August 2025:
On 1 August, I and my colleagues took a photoshoot in our pink KKIA Limbang T-shirts. On that day, I completed my Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P logbook, got it signed off by the Family Medicine Specialist and submitted it. I joined the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) on 4 and 5 August. On the first day, we flew by helicopter to Pa' Berunut. There's a really nice longhouse in Pa' Berunut and we set up a mobile clinic there. I saw several patients. Then on the second day, we flew to Long Adang. We set up a mobile clinic in a school's classroom. There were usually a lot of patients at Long Adang, but on that day the number of patients was significantly less than usual. We had no issues landing at both places. On that week, a 1 month old baby came for contact screening at TBCP. I had known that it's important to screen the baby as the age put him at high risk, but a misunderstanding by TBCP staffs regarding the need to screen the baby resulted in delays in screening, and the Paediatrician was furious about that. I strongly emphasised to the TBCP staffs regarding the need to take all child cases seriously.
Around that time, the FMS started conducting daily bedside teaching sessions, where an MO would present on a particular topic each day. On 6 August, permanent MO posts were open for application. Despite my initial hesitancy, I eventually decided to apply for it in hopes that I could get allocated to a KK in my hometown. All of my colleagues applied for it too, and I guided them on the application process. On 8 August, I attended a quality, innovation and research meeting at PKB Limbang. During the meeting, I presented the proposal for the research project on Factors Influencing Late Antenatal Booking at Limbang District, Sarawak to the DHO. The DHO accepted the proposal and gave some feedback, one of which was that we should register our research project with the National Medical Research Register (NMRR). Right after the meeting, there was a patient who came for Implanon insertion at KKIA Limbang and the FMS offered to let me do it. This time, I successfully inserted the Implanon under her supervision, for the first time at KKIA Limbang. On 9 August, I did a locum shift at Care Medical Clinic.
At that time, I registered for the MedEx Family Medicine exam. Although MedEx Family Medicine isn't required for entry into the GCFM-ATFM or MInTFM, I still chose to take it to demonstrate my commitment to Family Medicine. On 12 August, I and my colleagues celebrated our Matron's birthday at KKIA Limbang. On 16 and 17 August, I participated in the Measles-Rubella Supplementary Immunisation Activity (MR SIA) at KKIA Limbang. My role was to key in the details of every patient in the computer spreadsheet and answer any questions from the parents. Around that time, KKIA Limbang got a new WiFi printer. It's really advanced and we could print from any phone or computer that's connected to the same WiFi. I found out that before we could register the research project on NMRR, everyone involved in it must create their NMRR account and upload their curriculum vitae (CV). I told my colleagues about it and gave them some time to get it done.
On 22 August, an incident happened where there was a disagreement between me and the TBCP staffs regarding the need for baseline bloods for children who were started on latent TB treatment. It was deeply frustrating, considering that it happened hot on the heels after the earlier incident where the contact screening for the 1 month old baby was delayed. Thankfully, JP, the leader of TBCP, intervened and reaffirmed the need to take baseline bloods for children started on latent TB treatment as per the Paediatrician's instruction, resolving the incident. It was also decided that moving forward, all gastric lavages at TBCP would be performed by MOs instead of the MAs and nurses, which I agreed.
On 23 August, I travelled to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. For the first time, I used the Tedungan-Kuala Lurah border instead of the usual Pandaruan-Ujung Jalan border. The distance between Limbang and Bandar Seri Begawan was almost the same for both borders. I had mala hotpot at 117 Super Hotpot and bought some mooncakes at The Mall Gadong. I wanted to watch The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but unfortunately it was no longer showing in cinemas in Brunei. I went back to Limbang on that day itself. Around that time, my colleague SM introduced me to Ming's House Canteen & Catering at Taman Desa Pabahanan. It's a really nice cafe and it served a good variety of food.
September 2025:
On 3 September, my car's engine suddenly overheated when driving to work. Luckily, that didn't happen in the previous week when I drove to Brunei. On 4 September, I covered KK Batu Danau for the first time. KK Batu Danau is a rural clinic, located about 40km from Limbang town, near the Tedungan-Kuala Lurah border. Due to the problem with my car, I had to request for transport from PKB Limbang to get to KK Batu Danau. As usual, KK Batu Danau is really busy with a lot of patients, but thankfully I could finish seeing all patients by 5pm. From 5 to 7 September, I visited Miri for the third time, once again by flight. This time, I stayed at Kingwood Hotel. I bought a new shirt at H&M in Bintang Megamall. I also bought some mooncakes. Once again, I had Nando's and Cuan Yue Malatang. I found out that Go Fun Kee Bak Kut Teh had outlets in Miri and I had it.
After returning to Limbang, only did I bring my car to a workshop to be repaired, and the mechanic told me that the engine overheating happened due to a leak in the engine coolant. The repair took a week. Throughout that week, I travelled to work by Maxim every morning, while my friend JP would send me home after work. I finally completed my 2-year compulsory service on 6 September. At that time, I had scrapped my plan to resign from the MOH and I set my minds on pursuing the GCFM-ATFM programme for Family Medicine specialty training instead of becoming a Medical Lecturer. On 11 September, I covered KK Batu Danau once more. I again managed to finish seeing all patients by 5pm. At that time, a Chicago 7 outlet was newly open at Limbang Plaza, located at the same shop as SCR. Its fried chicken was quite good. There was also a new Chinese restaurant in Limbang, Hock Cafe, that served bak kut teh. With that, I had more food choices in Limbang.
On 13 September, I submitted my online application for the GCFM-ATFM programme. Then on 18 September, I found out that starting from the next intake, MOs working at KKs who wish to join the GCFM-ATFM programme would be required to apply for the HLP, self funding is no longer allowed. On 22 September, I presented a TB mortality review at PKB Limbang for the first time. A research workshop was held at PKB Limbang on 23 and 24 September. I attended it with my colleagues SM, FW, NS and TK. The research workshop taught us about literature review, study design, data collection, statistical analysis, SPSS, manuscript writing and poster creation. During the workshop, there was a competition on research plan presentation by every group of participants. I and my colleague's group ended up winning the first place and we got a hamper as our reward. The speaker of the workshop suggested that we use Multiple Logistic Regression or Multiple Linear Regression for the statistical analysis for our research project on Factors Influencing Late Antenatal Booking at Limbang District, Sarawak. Around that time, mooncakes were finally available in Limbang.
October 2025:
On 2 October, several new MOs were transferred to Limbang. YS and PD joined KKIA Limbang, RD joined KK Batu Danau while IT joined KK Medalam. All of them came to PKB Limbang to report for duty. MT, the leader of KKIA Limbang, was on leave that day, so I, SM, NJ and OC brought the new MOs around. On that afternoon, all of us had lunch together at Nasi Katok Sambal Hijau Nauran. On 3 October, SM had to send her car to a workshop for a repair. I followed her to the workshop, she left her car there, and then I brought her back to KKIA Limbang. On 6 October, I gave a radio talk on Limbang FM on the care of senior citizens. Following the radio talk, I was given a corporate T-shirt by PKB Limbang. All of my colleagues had created their NMRR accounts and uploaded their CVs, so I proceeded with registering our research project on NMRR on that day. At that time, I brought my car to a car accessories shop in Limbang to install a new audio system with touchscreen.
The HLP was open for application around that time. I submitted my HLP application on 7 October. I was only allowed to choose one specialty training programme under the HLP, and I decisively chose the GCFM-ATFM, which meant forfeiting the offer I had received for the MInTFM. Following the departure of the FMS of KK Lawas, the FMS at KKIA Limbang had to cover KK Lawas as well. On 14 October, the FMS travelled to KK Lawas for visiting clinic, and I followed her there. KK Lawas looked mostly the same as it was when I last did my tagging there in July 2024, except for the fact that the MO rooms had been moved to another side of the clinic. I saw a few FMS cases there, and I had to discuss every case with the FMS on the management plan. I really valued that experience, seeing it as a great preparation for entering Family Medicine specialty training. I had lunch with the FMS and a KK Lawas MO at Restoran Idaman 2.
At that time, I began my revisions for MedEx Family Medicine. On 16 October, I went jogging at Lapangan Rekreasi Limbang, instead of the usual place at Stadium Limbang. Lapangan Rekreasi Limbang is located at the runway of the old Limbang and many people jog there every day. Later that month, BG was transferred from KK Batu Danau to KKIA Limbang. On 23 October, I took a full blood count (FBC) test to rule out anaemia as I sometimes felt tired despite getting enough sleep at night. My FBC turned out to be normal. On 24 October, a total of 5 children at TBCP were started on latent TB treatment. As usual, a baseline blood test had to be taken for all of them as per the Paediatrician's instruction. Thankfully, I managed to get the bloods for all 5 children in a single attempt. Later that afternoon, the Timbalan Pengarah Kesihatan Negeri visited KKIA Limbang. I had the opportunity to shake hands with and speak to him. On 30 October, I, JP, PD and YS went jogging together at Stadium Limbang. I and my friends had lunch together at Restoran D' Selera Kita on 31 October.
November 2025:
Early that month, a new fever triage counter was set up at KKIA Limbang. On 2 November, I had obtained 40 myCPD points since 1 July 2025, way more than enough for APC 2027. However, the application for APC 2027 would only be open in January 2026. On 5 November, there's a celebration at KKIA Limbang for the Hari Pembantu Perawatan Kesihatan (PPK) and we had some cakes. At that time, I applied for a transfer to a KK in my hometown. 2 new cafes were open in Limbang, First Met Cafe and Mr Chicken, and both were quite good. On 17 November, a HIV patient came to KKIA Limbang for his appointment with the FMS. As the FMS was on leave at that time, I saw the patient on behalf of her in the FMS room, and that I discussed the case with the FMS to confirm the management plan.
On 18 November, it was the MedEx Family Medicine exam, held online. I chose to take it at Purnama Hotel in Limbang. The exam questions were more difficult than expected, but I was still confident of passing it. Several of my colleagues also took the MedEx exam in various specialties. A fire drill was conducted at KKIA Limbang and PKB Limbang on 19 November. The famous Lepak Sama Nanyang Cafe from Miri opened up an outlet in Limbang at that time. I and my friends went there for lunch on 20 November. It's really nice, and it reminded me of Oriental Kopi. On 21 November, we held a farewell party for one of our nurses who would be transferred from KKIA Limbang to KK Penganan.
On 22 November, I travelled Labuan for the first time by ferry. At the Limbang jetty, I bumped up with BG and his wife who too were travelling to Labuan. Mid way to Labuan on the ferry, I suddenly realised that I had parked my car at the spot of the Limbang Night Street Market, where parking was only permitted during daytime. Parking wasn't allowed during nighttime as many food stalls would be set up there, but I had overlooked that when I parked my car there before boarding the ferry. I couldn't ask a friend to move my car as they didn't have my car keys. I tried calling a workshop in Limbang to have my car towed to a safe spot, but they couldn't tow it without access to the car keys. Like it or not, I had to take the next ferry back to Limbang immediately after arriving at Labuan, without having any time to visit any places in Labuan. I arrived back in Limbang around 3pm, in time to move my car away.
On 26 November, I followed the FMS to KK Lawas for visiting clinic once again. I saw a rather complicated case with poorly controlled diabetes and unexplained dyspepsia. I managed to counsel the patient for insulin initiation and endoscopy. However, the referral to Surgery for endoscopy took so much time, and I could only see 3 patients on that day. I, the FMS and another MO had lunch together at Rich Tea in Lawas. Rich Tea looked similar to Share Tea and Taste Tea in Limbang. On 27 November, a nurse at KKIA Limbang fried a fresh unsalted duck egg for me, after I remarked that I had never tried one before and that I disliked the more common salted eggs. It tasted really good. On that evening, I and my friends had dinner at Sambal Delights.
On 29 and 30 November, I visited Labuan once again by ferry. This time, I made sure to park my car at a safe spot near my studio unit and I just walked to the Limbang jetty that's located within walking distance from my studio unit. Coincidentally, JP and NS were also travelling to Labuan at the same time. I had wanted to watch Wicked: For Good at a cinema in Labuan, but unfortunately it wasn't available. I visited Pantai Layang-Layang, Surrender Point, The Chimney, Labuan Bird Park, Labuan Marine Museum and Labuan Clock Tower. On that evening, I had dinner with JP, NS and a friend of NS at Whoop Whoop Restaurant. I stayed a night at Ocean Hotel. On the following morning, I had noodle soup with grouper fish for breakfast and tandoori chicken briyani for lunch. I went to OneStop Duty Free to buy some chocolates for my friends in KKIA Limbang.
December 2025:
I and my friends celebrated NJ's birthday on 4 December. On 5 December, the nurses put up the Christmas decorations at KKIA Limbang. I and my friends helped them with the decorations. All KKIA Limbang staffs then took a clinic profile photo together. On 7 December, I visited the Limbang Museum for the first time. It's really nice and I learnt a lot about the history of Limbang through that visit. None of my colleagues in Limbang had visited the Limbang Museum before. On 8 December, the MedEx results were released, and I passed MedEx Family Medicine with Band 4. Around that time, the Cloud-based Clinic Management System (CCMS) was introduced at KKIA Limbang, KK Batu Danau and KK Medamit. A briefing and demonstration of the CCMS was held at KKIA Limbang on 11 December.
On 12 December, I delivered a bedside teaching session on Maternal Tachycardia. Later that day, there was a Christmas photoshoot at KKIA Limbang. On that night, the KKIA Limbang team had the Denim and Diamonds Night at Purnama Hotel Limbang. Everyone dressed up in denims, and thankfully I had a pair of jeans. There were several fun group activities, including games, musical chairs, singing and dancing. I joined the dance with every one. We took many photos together. It was really fun and it brought me even closer to everyone at KKIA Limbang. On 14 December, I and my friends attended the wedding of one of our PPK at Dewan Bunga Raya in Limbang. I took 3 weeks of winter break from 14 December to 4 January, during which I returned to my hometown. My flight tickets to my hometown and back were sponsored by PKB Limbang. Around that time, I was informed that my application for the GCFM-ATFM programme was unsuccessful as KKIA Limbang didn't fulfill the training requirements for the programme. On 30 December, I finally received my Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P certificate.
January 2026:
I resumed working at KKIA Limbang on 5 January. At that time, a new parking area was open for all staffs of PKB Limbang, KKIA Limbang and Hospital Limbang. I applied for my APC 2027. I found out that my application for a transfer to a KK in my hometown was declined. KKIA Limbang had started utilising the CCMS on every afternoon. On 7 January, I performed an Implanon insertion under supervision by the FMS. I successfully inserted it once again. On 8 January, I and my friends had lunch at DKC. There was a gotong royong at KKIA Limbang on 9 January. I, MT and SM had lunch together at Nasi Katok Sambal Hijau Nauran on 12 January. On 13 January, I delivered a bedside teaching session on Obesity in Children. On 15 January, I joined the Village Health Team (VHT) Sungai for the first time. We took a boat to Kampung Limpaku Pinang and set up a mobile clinic there. The journey took about 40 minutes. There were only about 5 patients there on that day and all were rather simple cases.
I attended the GCFM & ATFM Pre-training Orientation Webinar on that evening. On 16 January, the nurses decorated KKIA Limbang with Chinese New Year decorations and I helped them with that. A new WiFi printer was added to the MO room of KKIA Limbang at that time to facilitate the CCMS. Starting from that month, KK Penganan would be covered by MOs from KKIA Limbang every Thursday. It was previously covered by KK Batu Danau MOs. At the same time, KKIA Limbang MOs would be covering the diabetes mellitus (DM) clinic at the OPD of Hospital Limbang, as part of the process of integrating KKIA Limbang and OPD Hospital Limbang into a single KK Limbang. I covered KK Penganan for the first time on 22 January. KK Penganan is a rural clinic, located about 30km from Limbang town. It's very busy with many patients, but thankfully I could finish seeing all patients by 5pm.
On 23 and 24 January, I went to Lawas for a short getaway. I stayed at Perdana Hotel once again. Lepapa Hypermarket was newly open in Lawas at that time and I went to visit it. There was a Premier Food Republic in Lepapa Hypermaket, where I had pork noodles and pork chop. Lepapa Hypermarket is really nice, how I wished there would be one in Limbang as well. Around that time, my car's left rear door latch suddenly failed, and consequently the door couldn't be closed properly. I brought my car to a few workshops in Limbang and Lawas, but none of them could repair it. On the following week, I covered the DM clinic at the OPD. I had to discuss the cases seen at the DM clinic with the FMS on the management plan. I initiated several patients on insulin. On 26 January, KKIA Limbang organised a pre-farewell party for me at Pit Stop Cafe Limbang as I would be leaving in the near future. During the pre-farewell party, I sang the song Halusinasi. Many of my friends also sang. On 27 January, I attended the online interview for HLP application. I could answer all of the questions asked quite well. TBCP also organised a pre-farewell party for me at Stesen Udang Galah Pebahanan on 28 January.
MMC approved my APC 2027 on 29 January. On 30 January, I and my friends had lunch at the 3rd outlet of Satu Selera in Limbang for the first time. The 3rd outlet looked so much better compared to the 1st and 2nd outlets. On that day, YS suddenly suggested that we go on a road trip to Lawas, which we agreed. I and my friends went on our road trip on the next day 31 January. We went to Lepapa Hypermarket in Lawas. There, we had lunch at Premier Food Republic, walked around the hypermarket, played a basketball game on a machine and bought some desserts. I and SM bought some mandarin oranges as a gift to our friends. After that, we decided to travel further to Sipitang in Sabah. We went to Esplened Sipitang, where we had the famous satay there. We also had ZUS Coffee at the outlet there, since there's no ZUS Coffee in Limbang. We rode a bicycle cart at Esplened Sipitang together. We returned to Limbang later that evening, and the journey from Sipitang to Limbang took 2 and a half hours. It was a really fun experience, making me cherish my time with my friends even more than ever.
February 2026:
Pak Kopi was newly open in Limbang around that time. The coffee there was quite good, and it's the closest to ZUS Coffee we could have in Limbang. On 3 February, there was a birthday celebration for a senior nurse at KKIA Limbang. The MyHeSS test was conducted by PKB Limbang on 5 February. Following my disaster with the previous MyHeSS test, I opted out of it. On 6 February, I covered KK Batu Danau. NS was working at KK Batu Danau on that day and she brought me there. With KK Batu Danau fully utilising the CCMS, we could see patients faster. A staff had brought back nasi katok from Kuala Lurah, Brunei, and we had that for lunch. On the way back to Limbang town, NS took an alternative longer route through Kampung Meritam. I spotted a real buffalo there.
I and my friends went to Taman Rekreasi Bukit Hitam on 8 February. There was a hut next to a waterfall, and we had a picnic there. Each of my friends brought some food, while I brought drinks. We had a long chat and took several photos together during the picnic, bringing us even closer than ever. 2 of my former colleagues from Kluang hospital, who are mutual friends with YS and FW, were surprised to see on their Instagram that I was regularly going out with them, considering that I almost never went out with friends back when I was working at Kluang hospital. One of them remarked that she was really glad to see me having a great time at KKIA Limbang.
On 9 February, I registered for the DCH Clinical exam. PKB Limbang held and banquet on 11 February, where I and my friends had a great lunch. Around that time, KKIA Limbang acquired a fundoscopy machine. Prior to that, KK Batu Danau was the only clinic in Limbang district with a fundoscopy machine. It had become a routine for me and my friends to have lunch at the 3rd outlet of Satu Selera, which I nicknamed Tiga Selera, on every Friday. I applied for a transfer to a KK in my hometown once more at that time. Later that month, BL was transferred from KK Batu Danau to KKIA Limbang. I took 2 and a half weeks of leaves from 14 February to 3 March for the Chinese New Year. I returned to my hometown to celebrate Chinese New Year.
March 2026:
I resumed work at KKIA Limbang on 4 March. On 6 March, there was a farewell party for the FMS and the Matron at Kawah Tantaya Cafe. The FMS would be transferred to West Malaysia, while the Matron would be transferred to Lawas. Ironically, my pre-farewell party was held more than a month before their farewell party, yet the FMS and Matron would be leaving KKIA Limbang before me. On 9 March, I covered KK Medalam. IT, KK Medalam's MO, wasn't around on that day as he came to KKIA Limbang for his Basic Obstetrics Ultrasound C&P. KK Medalam had gotten a nice new building. There weren't too many patients on that day and all were relatively simple cases. Around that time, the nurses decorated KKIA Limbang with Hari Raya Aidilfitri decorations. On 11 March, my friends jointly celebrated the birthdays of me, PS, NS, BL and OC, who were all born in March, at Tiga Selera. We got a birthday cake.
On 13 March, I delivered a bedside teaching session on Dementia. That was the FMS' last day at KKIA Limbang. I and my friends took farewell photos with her on that afternoon. Permanent MO posts were once again open for application at that time. Having been unsuccessful in the previous permanent MO post application, I decided to reapply for it this time. Many of my friends in Limbang applied for it too. On 14 March, I finally found a workshop in Limbang where the mechanic said they might be able to repair my car's door latch. Still, they would have to order the spare parts from West Malaysia which would take some time to arrive. My birthday is on 23 March. Nearly all of my KKIA Limbang colleagues wished me happy birthday. I had kolo mee with roasted duck and roasted pork at Ting Roasted Cafe for breakfast. I got a slice of chocolate cake at icoffee in Limbang Plaza. On that evening, BG gave me a birthday dinner at Tung Seng Kopitiam in Taman Desa Pabahanan.
On 24 March, I covered KK Batu Danau. BD brought me there. Once again, I managed to finish seeing all patients by 5pm. The clerking sheet for neonatal jaundice cases at KKIA Limbang was based on the 4th edition of the Paediatric Protocols for Malaysian Hospitals. The 5th edition of the Paediatric Protocols for Malaysian Hospitals had since been released, with substantial changes to the guidelines for neonatal jaundice. At that time, I created a new version of the neonatal jaundice clerking sheet for KKIA Limbang based on the 5th edition. MT, the leader of KKIA Limbang, accepted it and quickly started using it. I had remarked to the nurses of KKIA Limbang that after being in Sarawak for so long, I never had the chance to try the famous Iban delicacy of ayam pansuh. A senior nurse then made ayam pansuh for me and my friends on 30 March, doubling as a celebration for Doctor's Day. I really liked it.
April 2026:
On 1 April, PD cooked chicken rendang for me and my friends. It's really good. On that evening, I and my friends had dinner at Amertha Cafe. We attended a Hari Raya open house by an MA from KK Penganan at Kampung Binjai on 3 April. After that, we had desserts at Taste Tea Limbang. On 4 April, we went to another Hari Raya open house by an MO from PKD Limbang at Kampung Limpaki. Later that afternoon, JP and NS brought me to yet another Hari Raya open house by a KK Batu Danau nurse at Kampung Meritam. Those open houses were a really fun experience. There was a Hari Raya banquet at PKB Limbang on 6 April.
On 8 April, I attended a quality, innovation and research meeting at PKB Limbang, where I updated the DHO on the progress of the research project. The DHO feedbacked that we could start performing a preliminary statistical analysis on the data we had collected so far without having to wait till the completion of data collection. On 9 April, I covered KK Penganan. There were a lot of patients on that morning, but there were quite few patients in the afternoon, and I finished seeing all patients by 4pm. A nurse at KK Penganan cooked lunch for me. It was Bisaya cuisine and I really liked it. On 10 April, I covered the School Health Unit (PKS) of KKIA Limbang, as PD, the MO in change, was having a meeting. I saw a school-aged patient with resolved anaemia. On that afternoon, everyone at KKIA Limbang had an Ai-CHA party.
On 12 April, the Limbang Fun Run 5km was held as part of the Program Sarawakku Sayang. I joined the run with my friends. To avoid overexerting myself, I walked for most of the journey instead of running. I managed to complete it without difficulties. After the run, I and my friends had breakfast at Restoran Hajah Saibah. We attended a Hari Raya open house by a PKB Limbang staff at Taman Damai A on 13 April. Around that time, the FMS came back to Limbang for a short visit. I and my friends had lunch with her. On the afternoon of 14 April, there was a power outage that affected the whole of Limbang including KKIA Limbang and my studio unit. Power outages are very rare in Limbang town. Thankfully, the electricity was restored within an hour. There was another Hari Raya banquet at the Health Inspectorate unit of PKB Limbang on 15 April. Around that time, our research project finally attained the required sample size of 310. I decided to continue the data collection till the end of April. I performed a preliminary statistical analysis using SPSS, which identified several significant factors influencing late antenatal booking in Limbang district.
KKIA Limbang held the final Hari Raya banquet on 17 April. On that afternoon, I and my friends unboxed the Hacipupu blind box which was our gift from the FMS. I got the Hacipupu Cancer. We then took a photoshoot and a video with the Hacipupu. Nasi Katok Sambal Hijau Nauran opened up a new outlet just opposite my studio unit at that time. I and my friends had lunch at Yaqeen Cafe on 21 April. On 23 April, I ordered Ai-CHA for everyone in KKIA Limbang, TBCP and PKS as my farewell. 24 April was the last day of my MO placement at KKIA Limbang. On that day, the nurses cooked a farewell lunch for me, and I took some farewell photos with them. On 25 April, I and my friends had dinner at Hidden Escape Cafe in Kampung Bakol. The cafe had a snooker table and a karaoke. I sang the song Halusinasi once again. After dinner, we went to the Limbang Fun Fair, where we played some team games.
On the following week, I still went to KKIA Limbang on most days even though my placement there had ended. The research project had a bit of missing data and I worked on recovering it. I also went through all of the TBCP case files and made sure there was proper documentation for every case so that my colleagues could properly take over. The spare parts to repair my car's door latch still hadn't arrived at that time, so I told the workshop to cancel it. Ocania had confirmed to me that they could ship my car back to West Malaysia despite the door latch problem. On 30 April, I moved out of my studio unit at Bangunan Bangkita. I gave a heartfelt farewell speech to everyone at KKIA Limbang. The data collection for our research project concluded on that day, with a total sample size of 335. In the evening, I went on a road trip to Sabah with PS, YS, PD, FW and PL. We stopped by Sipitang and had dinner at Esplened Sipitang. It was after midnight when we arrived Kota Kinabalu.
May 2026:
On 1 May, I and my friends went on an island hopping in Kota Kinabalu. We visited Mamutik Island, Manukan Island and Sapi Island. There, I experienced parasailing for the first time in my life and it was so fun. We had a simple lunch on Manukan Island. On that evening, we had a seafood dinner at Todak Waterfront. We stayed at Aeropod Suites for 2 nights. On 2 May, we visited the Polumpung Melangkap View Camp Site in Kota Belud. After that, we continued our journey to Kundasang. In Kundasang, we visited the D' Mesilau Rabbit Garden and hiked the Sosodikon Hill, where we could get a good view of Mount Kinabalu. We had dinner at Restoran Selera Kebun and stayed a night at Sulap II Homestay. On 3 May, we visited the Desa Dairy Farm. After that, we began our return journey to Limbang. We stopped by Kota Kinabalu, where I bought some souvenir at Pasar Filipina. By the time we crossed the Sabah-Sarawak border, it was quite late in the evening and we had to rush to get into and out of Brunei's Temburong district before 10pm, as the Malaysia-Brunei immigration checkpoint closes at 10pm. Thankfully, we made it out of Temburong and entered Limbang just in time at 9:45pm.
As I had moved out of my studio unit, I stayed at Purnama Hotel in Limbang that night. Shortly afterwards, I started having diarrhoea. Subsequently, I had several more episodes of diarrhoea over the night. I likely was having traveller's diarrhoea following the Sabah trip. By the next morning on 4 May I was feeling really weak despite having drank a lot of water to replace the water loss. On that morning, a staff from Ocania came to pick up my car to be shipped back to West Malaysia. I had planned to fly to Miri on that afternoon and then to Kuala Lumpur on the following day. After checking out of Purnama Hotel, I went to KKIA Limbang to take a rest. I was still feeling so weak at that time, and my friends gave me some intravenous fluids. After running the intravenous fluids, I felt significantly better for a while, but soon felt weak again. MT strongly advised me to postpone my flight to Miri to the following day, which I agreed. She also prescribed me with some medications.
On that night, I stayed at Prime Hotel in Limbang. I was still having diarrhoea at that time. JP bought me porridge from Lepak Sama Nanyang Cafe for my dinner. On 5 May, I felt much better. I went to KKIA Limbang for a while, where I distributed the souvenir from Sabah and said goodbye to everyone. That was my last time stepping into KKIA Limbang. I then boarded the flight to Miri. I took a rest at Ajang Hotel in Miri for a few hours. At that time, I found out that my HLP application for the GCFM-ATFM programme was unexpectedly successful. I flew to Kuala Lumpur on that evening. Despite leaving KKIA Limbang, I would continue to be involved in the research project, which was expected to go on for a few more months.
Conclusions:
I definitely had a very great experience working as a Medical Officer at KKIA Limbang. It surely is my most favourite placement since the start of my medical career. After my Teaching Fellow post at NUMed ended in July 2021, I spent the next 3 and a half years chasing a Medical Lecturer post, thinking that it's the one and only way to replicate the paradise of the Teaching Fellow post. As it turns out, the best replication of that paradise is actually KKIA Limbang! I definitely gained a lot of clinical experience, skills and knowledge throughout my time at KKIA Limbang. I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to the healthcare delivery in Limbang.
My experience at KKIA Limbang had been truly transformative, enabling me to discover my true interest in Family Medicine. My colleagues in Limbang are truly great, and we had so much good memories together that I will keep remembering forever. I am extremely grateful that fate brought me to KKIA Limbang. When I first got transferred from KK Sundar to KKIA Limbang, I saw it as a consolation prize after I repeatedly failed to get a Medical Lecturer post. But I now understand, KKIA Limbang isn't a consolation prize at all, it's the very place I was meant to be at! After this, I surely will miss KKIA Limbang and everyone there so much. I hope my next MO placement will be as good as KKIA Limbang.
