Of free Socso check-ups and surprise diabetes

NOV 6 — Having paid for multiple health exams in the past, Socso subsidising them for middle-aged people like me seemed a deal too hard to pass up.

Normally I hate going to the GP because most of the time I end up just being prescribed OTC medications I could get cheaper at Watsons.

The whole experience is unpleasant; waiting upwards of 20-30 minutes in an enclosed space with other people who are also not enjoying themselves and then being charged a ridiculous sum for... lozenges.

At least at Watsons I can choose the flavour of lozenges.

My youngish doctor looked at me very seriously when she had my results, her face growing ever more concerned when she looked at my numbers.

The good news: my kidneys and liver look fine but alas that wonderful trifecta of penyakit tua (old people disease) has found me — my blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels have made me a walking stroke risk.

I declined medication because I thought hey, I’ll just severely change my lifestyle (which has undergone way too many changes already if you ask me).

Then one day at work my blood pressure skyrocketed right to “why are you not in the emergency room, Erna?”

I dutifully walked to the GP and got my meds.

Then I walked home and read about someone saying that Malaysia has too many sick people thus the need for public-private partnerships in the medical sector.

I felt the tell-tale pulsing at my temples that told me I was about to register readings that would earn me an ambulance.

While I won’t be winning awards for being a paragon of health anytime soon, I know that like me, many people find themselves in less than ideal health situations through bad luck and circumstance.

Honestly, I think free medical check-ups should be available at least once a year for everyone so also like me, they can weigh their options in improving their health.

Right now I have multiple apps on my phone to track my vitals, a smart watch that will help capture important health information, alert me to changes or at the very least call emergency services should I get into a car crash or collapse from a stroke reading news headlines.

I’m optimistic about my health even if my doctor’s eyebrows disappeared into her hair seeing my results.

All my life I’ve fallen and gotten back up again (with the help of too many people to name) so I’m steeling myself to keep climbing that steep middle age hill made even harder by perimenopause.

I feel empowered enough by my options; I just think everyone should be, no matter the size of their bank accounts.

Right now I do feel despair reading about the man who is now in jail for stealing to pay for his child’s medical treatment, having shown up at a construction site to ask for work but there was none.

Where are the partnerships to ensure the poor can afford medical treatment, then?

Why can’t we instead start off with a national health insurance scheme and perhaps, too, quit enriching the coffers of private insurers who keep trimming benefits while increasing premiums?

Cynicism won’t save Malaysia but deciding that everyone, regardless of status or income, deserves access to healthcare just might go a long way.