#hospitallamaalorsetar
Assalammualaikum semua.
This was under one of the old trees in the Hospital Lama Alor Setar yesterday...visiting my younger brother Razif Adira. It was such a nostalgic place for lil' me, bagai ternampak-nampak kami kanak-kanak berlari riang di bawah pohon-pohon tu. Tempat tu sekarang sangat sunyi, to the point of eerie..sambil lalu tu, kita sampai tak tahu wad mana yang ada pesakit, wad mana yang ada hantu... berbeza sungguh.
It used to be so lively and buzzing with activities and we used to frequent the place, tagging along our parents who visited their friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues at work, students... Looking back, I think in small town ('pekan' then) Alor Setar, everybody knows everybody and was connected to everybody. Words about someone falling sick or giving birth or having an accident spreads fast and come visiting hours, the gates open to picnicker-like visitors with stacks of si(sengau)a containing home-cooked meals, flasks of hot tea, delicacies not only for the sick but also to be offered to others in the ward including 'Misi', 'Sister' 'Attenden' and 'Anggama' on duty. They will only disperse when the bell rings to alert people that visiting hours are over. I remembered there used to be a couple of regular food peddlars going around the ward quickly offering nasi lemak, roti and kuehs to patients... Well those were more secure times with less red, blue, yellow tapes, i guess.
Orang dulu-dulu sangat memberatkan kawan-kawan dan saudara mara, mengimarahkan ziarah, sehinggakan bila tahu seorg tu sakit, hari-hari disebut dan diingatkan antara satu sama lain selagi beliau belum dijenguk. Mungkin orang dulu-dulu ada masa luang, kerja tidak terlalu menuntut; pengangkutan utama, motosikal, basikal dan beca, jadi isu payah parkir tidak timbul dan hubungan hablumminannas sangat dititik-beratkan.
Ada sorang kawan baik Pakcik Din, abang Mama, fondly-known by everybody as Pak Zan@Dan OT, a bald, steadily-built and very jovial guy who emitted warmth and laughter wherever he went, he worked at the Operation Theatre, hence the kuniyyah given, OT.
Dulu-dulu, kalau ikut Ayah ambil ubat atau buat rawatan, dapat makan roti bakar sapu planta dan kaya panas-panas di kedai hospital. Kedengaran biasa saja tapi masa kecik-kecik, keenakannya terasa luar biasa, entah kenapa.
Anis Fadzliyana, adik ketiga lahir di sini. Kesemua kami ternanti-nanti di koridor luar bilik bersalin, terlari-lari keliling tiang bulat dan seluruh kompaun berdekatan. Akhirnya, Misi datang beritahu Ayah, Mama dah selamat lahirkan bayi lelaki sedangkan Mama di dalam dah tengok dan tahu bayi beliau seorang perempuan yg comel dan gebu. Kecoh sekejap selepas itu, takut-takut tertukar bayi.
Itulah, Hospital Lama Alor Setar yang menyimpan seribu kenangan buat semua penduduk Kedah.
