Understanding multiple languages in Malaysia is no new discovery due to our country’s innate diversity in culture. However, every now and then, one person comes along to show us that despite the common dialects practiced in our country, there are some underrepresented ones that are just as important as those we come across daily.
Such was the case seen in a recent TikTok video when a Malaysian medical practitioner named Dr Ikram shared a clip of himself to his page @ikrammohdnoor91 conversing with a patient using Malaysian Sign Language, otherwise known as Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM).
According to Dr Ikram, the man had come into his clinic to seek treatment for his child, who is not hearing impaired. At the beginning of the video, Dr Ikram can be seen standing in the waiting room of the clinic while conversing with the man in BIM. Eventually, Dr Ikram moves to a private room with the man and his child while continuing their discussions.
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Dr Ikram said that he was discussing the procedure of circumcision with the father as it related to his child, particularly the course of action and aftercare for his son’s wound.
Elaborating on his experience in understanding BIM, Dr Ikram explained that his journey of learning the language first began in July of 2022, when he had an interaction with a patient who was hard of hearing at his previous place of employment.
“I attended to a patient who was having severe abdominal pain. During the treatment, I noticed that he was deaf. I had difficulty communicating with him as he was in pain and unable to write about his illness. He tried to tell me things in sign language but I did not understand. We had to wait for his brother to come and be his sign language interpreter,” said Dr Ikram to WORLD OF BUZZ.
Candidly expressing his emotion, Dr Ikram said that this incident haunted him for weeks, saying that if he knew sign language, he would be able to diagnose and treat the patient without delay.
After resigning from that job, Dr Ikram soon sought out classes offering sign language education, signing up for for a physical class of BIM with the Kelantan Association of The Deaf (POPK).
Three months later, Dr Ikram declared his clinic as a deaf-friendly clinic, so as to encourage the hearing-impaired people of Kelantan to visit him and thereby seek medical treatment from him, since he can communicate to them in BIM.
Dr Ikram at the Sukan Orang Pekak Malaysia (SOPMA) 2023 event.
Relating one of his experiences with a hearing-impaired patient soon after, who sought care for uterine cancer, Dr Ikram said it shattered his heart once he realised that the woman did not in fact have cancer, but an ovarian cyst.
“The misunderstanding occurred because of wrong interpretations of ‘cyst’ and ‘cancer’ during her previous consultation. Luckily, today she is in a better place psychologically and able to live happily with her family after knowing her true condition,” said Dr Ikram to WORLD OF BUZZ.
In expressing his hopes for the future, Dr Ikram is still seeking ways to improve awareness regarding the deaf community in Malaysia, as the perception of them are that they are mentally challenged, when in reality, most have a proper education background and function just like any other person.
“I really hope our Malaysians improve awareness regarding the deaf community. Because all these deaf people are just normal people like us. The only difference is that they communicate in their own language, which is BIM,” stated Dr Ikram to WORLD OF BUZZ.
Receiving immense praise in the comments section of his video, various Malaysians applauded Dr Ikram’s ability, saying that he is truly making a difference for his patients and the healthcare industry altogether. One user even hopes that more medical practitioners will learn Malaysian Sign Language, so no patient gets left behind.
“Learning sign language is so important. You can help anyone who needs it!” wrote one user.
Watch the full TikTok video below:
@ikrammohdnoor91 Kisah minggu lepas, suami isteri deaf bawa anak (normal) berkhatan di klinik. . Dr Ikram Mohd Noor, Klinik Ziad Azhari. . #doktorbahasaisyarat #bahasaisyaratmalaysia #komunitideaf #klinikziadazhari
You’re an inspiration to us all Dr Ikram! May this serve as a motivator to the public that learning an additional language will always be beneficial.
