Have to thank mum for asking me to watch 稀游记 the Ch U documentary abt extraordinary Singaporeans in foreign lands. The episode aroused my interest as it was featuring the life of a medical social worker in kunming, yunnan who mainly visits/counsel ppl who are mentally ill. And she mainly works with 傈僳 (li su) tribe ppl.. which happens to be the same tribe of ppl we interacted with back in my dec yunnan trip.

What she does is indeed admirable and respectable. She doesn't get paid a single cent and have to climb like how many thousand ft and go thru god knows wad kind of treacherous journey just to visit one or 2 mentally ill patient/orphans every week/few days. Compared to the mini hill we climbed up to the leper's village then, which was a one off thing and not a v difficult journey, I really shldn't complain.

Then there was this 26 yr old male patient that they featured, who suffers from schizophrenia. He has been locked up in a wooden fenced up area prob abt 1m x 1m space for 8 yrs. EIGHT YRS. and he hasn't came out since. he has been sitting there for eight years. forgotten how to stand. forgotten how to do aything. Doesn't bathe. Does his business at a corner. CAN U IMAGINE. How can such a thing happen to anyone, to any human? And whats even more shocking and saddening its that when he was locked up there 8 yrs ago he did it willingly as he was too guilty that he set his own house up on fire. As in he JUST SAT THERE and WATCH THE FENCE BUILD UP ARD HIM. 8 YEARS since. 8 YEARs. I'm jus speechless. 心情好沉重. SIGH.

The state of lack of medical knowledge, treatment and misconception of many diseases are just appaling. The idea of a lepers village at the top of a secluded hill away from civilization, and that fence thing are all a result of lack of medical help and knowledge. The people simply jus do not know wad to do with these group of ppl with medical condition, hence they can only think of such saddening and extreme methods to isolate all these patients. Its jus damn saddening. And that medical social worker was saying how she wished that there could be doctors treating them, sufficient meds, rehab and stuff which is near impossible in these poverty stricken rural areas.

I suddenly have the urge to go back to yunnan. But what i can do? bring more trouble to them? Sighz. I'm simply not ready to give everything i've got. We definitely benifited much more from the trip than those ppl we were trying to help.

What can i do from the knowledge of pharmacy? Can I use it to help these ppl? Am i that 伟大 in the 1st place? What do i really wan out of these 4 yrs of pharmacy.

I'm thinking too much. And getting emo. time to sleep. I jus hope that all these ppl get better treatment.