A year into Covid-19_ ICU doctor shares most difficult moments
- 3 years ago
Exactly one year ago, Malaysia recorded its first Covid-19 case, and on March 17 the country was shaken by its first death related to the respiratory illness.
Currently, the country has consistently recorded mind-numbing four-digit daily infections, with the national death toll at 678 as of Jan 24th.
For doctors like Dr Engku Naim Nasir, these figures are more than just statistics as he recalls the individuals he helped recover, and those he had lost under his watch at the Sungai Buloh Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).
Engku, who was one of the first doctors attached to the unit since the pandemic started, shared some of his most devastating moments with patients in an interview with KiniTV recently.
One of them was a 70-year-old gentleman who was at the late-stage of the illness.
“When he came to us his condition was already quite severe. I told him; Pak Cik, I want to help you. I’m going to help you recover, but the patient replied: It’s okay, my time has come.
“That immediately sent a shockwave through my heart, because suddenly my patient was accepting his fate that he is probably going to die”, he said.
The patient did not survive.
For Engku, watching patients lose their battles to Covid-19 was especially difficult because they were not accompanied by their family members or friends during their final moments.
With the number of cases at a worrying level, he added that the healthcare system will fail if the current trend continues.
From December 2020 to January 2021, ICU patients doubled from around 110 to more than 250.
The number of active cases have also increased from around 18,000 to 43,000 within the same period.
Engku is currently a UiTM lecturer in anesthesia and intensive care. He is also involved in the preparation of Hospital UiTM in managing Covid-19 patients.
Currently, the country has consistently recorded mind-numbing four-digit daily infections, with the national death toll at 678 as of Jan 24th.
For doctors like Dr Engku Naim Nasir, these figures are more than just statistics as he recalls the individuals he helped recover, and those he had lost under his watch at the Sungai Buloh Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).
Engku, who was one of the first doctors attached to the unit since the pandemic started, shared some of his most devastating moments with patients in an interview with KiniTV recently.
One of them was a 70-year-old gentleman who was at the late-stage of the illness.
“When he came to us his condition was already quite severe. I told him; Pak Cik, I want to help you. I’m going to help you recover, but the patient replied: It’s okay, my time has come.
“That immediately sent a shockwave through my heart, because suddenly my patient was accepting his fate that he is probably going to die”, he said.
The patient did not survive.
For Engku, watching patients lose their battles to Covid-19 was especially difficult because they were not accompanied by their family members or friends during their final moments.
With the number of cases at a worrying level, he added that the healthcare system will fail if the current trend continues.
From December 2020 to January 2021, ICU patients doubled from around 110 to more than 250.
The number of active cases have also increased from around 18,000 to 43,000 within the same period.
Engku is currently a UiTM lecturer in anesthesia and intensive care. He is also involved in the preparation of Hospital UiTM in managing Covid-19 patients.