BASILAN (MindaNews / 20 March 2021) — It’s hard to be a doctor, especially if you’re poor. And, not all poor people can be doctors.
Being a physician is often a child’s dream. Maybe because of the state in society, it can also be because of the size of the income. Often, the graduate of this course is the son of a politician, a doctor’s son and a life-changer.
Occasionally a daring person will enter this fight. When I entered Medisina, my father, who was a former fighter of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) of his childhood and became a juice vendor and farmer when there was peace, asked me why I wanted to be a doctor despite the hardships in life.
I still remember my answer: ′′I want to be a doctor because I want to prove that a farmer’s son can be a doctor and I want to contribute to my land, Basilan. And let it be Ibadah when yawmul qiyamah comes.′′
I knew at that time my will was almost impossible. And I didn’t know where to find school supplies. But I didn’t give up on everything, and because of the perseverance of my uncle Ibrahim Lim, I enrolled in the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) School of Medicine, (a decision) that I will never regret. Here, I found people who helped me.
Eventually, I was given a scholarship by the school from Unilab Inc., Free tutition. My gratitude is indescribable when I was chosen as a scholar, Alhamdulillah.
Yet, many trials still happened (including) almost starving because I didn’t have anything to eat. Sometimes, I was absent from duty because I was looking for a place to ask for food.
On this day I wanted to say ′′Amah, I am a doctor now, you don’t need to sell juice” but… my father died when I was just 2nd year in Medicine. I hope we will meet in Jannah and I can show how good you are to raise a Sulaiman Tahsin.
By Allah’s mercy, with the support of my inah and uncle, I made it to be a doctor even if we are poor. For the poor, this victory is for you, too.
Before I go back to our hometown, I want to thank these people who have been part of my life. Thank you so much to you.
(MindaViews is the opinon section of MindaNews. Raised in Basilan, Dr Sulaiman Tahsin is a registered medical technologist who passed the Physicians Licensure Examinations 2021. A former presIdent of Moro Students Association-University of Zamboanga. Dr. Tahsin is an alumnus of Isabela East Elementary High School, Basilan National High School, Universidad de Zamboanga, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University- School of Medicine)
