Dr Hamid is currently one of the doctors helping out at the HealthServe clinics. During his training years as an Orthopaedic Surgeon, his colleague told him that the clinics in HealthServe see many migrant workers with musculoskeletal problems. Realising that this group of migrant workers were an underserved population that needed help, he began volunteering since 2015.

He shared that his experience volunteering at HealthServe added a new dimension to his practise in the hospital when he regularly encounters migrant workers. In the busy setting of a hospital, he is unable to address a lot of the socioemotional aspects of care. However, he is able to do that at HealthServe. This, along with the appreciation shown by the migrant workers at the end of their consultation, continue to motivate Dr Hamid to continue serving at the clinics.

Dr Hamid recalled an incident where he saw a young migrant worker with a bad spinal injury for which he had undergone fixation. From a doctor’s perspective, Dr Hamid believed that the migrant brother had made a remarkable recovery, and was thus perplexed as to why he was seeking help at the HealthServe clinic. After asking him a few questions, Dr Hamid realized that he had a lot of emotional burden as the sole breadwinner of his family in China. Having travelled across the globe to earn a living not only for himself but also for his elderly parents, the migrant brother was depressed that he could no longer work and perhaps even ashamed that he was not able to send money back for his parents. 

“At that moment, I realized that sometimes as doctors we forget that what a patient sometimes needs is not our medical opinion or a complicated care plan, but just a listening ear and a little encouragement.” Dr Hamid spent the rest of the consultation time listening to his story and reassured him that he will be gainfully employed again.

We are thankful to have dedicated volunteers like Dr Hamid here!