Reflection On Hunger And Poverty

When the word ‘world hunger’ is mentioned, the foremost idea that normally pops up in most people’s minds is starvation faced by people living in poverty in third world countries such as Ethiopia and Mali. Little do they recognize that the immense majority of people suffering from hunger and poverty exists in developing nations, including Malaysia. According to Senator Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Malaysia has successfully reduced its poverty rate from a staggering 49.3 per cent in 1970 to 0.6 per cent in 2014 due to an explicit poverty eradication stance adopted by the government in 1970s. Although it is a favourable adjustment, 0.6 per cent of Malaysia’s population, which is 200,000 individuals are still living in poverty. Eradicating hunger

All the exhilaration faded when reality strikes. I was incapable of providing any useful assistance because I am yet to obtain a medical degree. I could only stand aside and observe the physicians and the experienced volunteers do their work, at the same time fretting that I might be a burden to them or interrupting the flow of the procedures. Observing the procedures gave me an insight into the importance of physicians to acquire comprehensive medical knowledge in order to provide accurate diagnosis and prescribe the right medications to the inadequate, without further complicating their lives with wrong judgement. Besides medical knowledge, I also realized the importance of attaining the ability to speak various languages fluently in this multiracial country, especially the official language because a vast bulk of the underprivileged could only speak and interpret one specific language. Being able to converse in different languages allows us as future physicians to communicate effectively with patients and potentially gather more constructive information from them, preventing