VHT to Sungai Lijau

Just got back from a VHT (village health team) visit to Sungai Lijau. this was my first trip with the VHT team. there are 2 longhouses in the Sungai Lijau area, Rumah Jipun and Rumah Manja. Rumah Jipun is the furthest and it used to be a FDS (Flying Doctor Service) area but the FDS service to this area had been stopped  around 2 years ago for some reason.

Me and my team at the beginning of the hike. MA Abu taking the picture.

we took a perahu panjang from Song to Sungai Lijau. the journey took around 30-40 minutes. Sg Lijau is a very small river. we couldn't travel very far in via the river due to the low river water level. so we had to park our longboat by the river bank and hide our engine by the bushes and hope no one steals it. or else kantoi...

Hiking through a hilly terrain.

from there, we had had to hike through the jungle for 1 1/2 hours through a hilly well beaten path. thank god there was no thick under growth. the hike itself was not too difficult but if you are not physically fit it can be quite a challenge. i was told one of my JM had cried when she hiked to Rh. Jipon last time. there were certain areas where it was a bit scary. you will be walking exactly at the edge of the hill with the path no wider than half a meter. and the ground is made up of stones covered with moss making it very slippery. if you slip and fall, it will be a 30-40 foot drop into the river. i was a bit scared myself. i was carrying a knapsack at the back and at the front (look like a pregnant mother) and was unable to see clearly where i was putting my foot with each step. but it was great to hike in the jungle....shady sky, cool air, birds chirping, crossing multiple small streams.

Taking a break during the hike.

through the jungle and stream and suddenly out of no where, there stood Rh Jipon. the old longhouse was made of wood and was very dilapidated. the new one has been under construction for the past 2 years. construction has come to a halt due to financial difficulties (increasing petrol prices, inflation and what not). because of logistic and financial problems, the folks here make their own bricks and plywood using stone and sand from the river and trees from the jungle. the only thing they buy are cement, tiles and paint. and the only time when they can buy these things is after a heavy rain fall when the river water rises enough for the sampan and its cargo to go through. 

Rh. Jipon under construction

like many other longhouses in the interior, the younger generation has all left for bigger cities for better paying jobs, leaving behind the older generation and their grandchildren. they only come back during gawai. the folks here hunt and farm for a living. every morning at 4am, the old folks here hike through the jungle to sell their produce at the market in Song. if there was a medical emergency or if there is someone who is very ill, they would have to carry him/her through a make shift stretcher or give him a piggy back ride through the jungle to the river. and bear in mind, these are old people.   

Health screening for the longhouse folks.

saw around 30 plus patients in the longhouse. mostly are hypertension and complaints of body ache. also had a NCD (non communicable disease) screen and picked up 11 new cases of HPT. we had a makeshift clinic in the "ruai" of the longhouse. i will be seeing patients in the middle and we had maternal/child health on one side and the dispensary on another side. not used to seeing patients while sitting cross legged on the floor. had cramps after that hahaha... 

Make shift clinic. Thats me in the middle. The dispensary is on the left by the blue wall and the  MCH  SN on the right.

after work, it was time to relax. took a bath in the river with the rest of my male staff. it was nice and refreshing to bathe in the cold clean river water. at night we had "Ngiling Bidai" festival which was too marked the end of Gawai. will write about that in another post. 

Ulu Sungai Lijau. Crystal clear water.

next day we were off to Rumah Manja which was a 20 minutes hike from Rh. Jipon. Rh Manja is a smaller longhouse with even lesser occupants. didnt see many patients here, only 20. most of the younger people here working and staying in Song.  

Rumah Manja

no festivities here cause they just had someone who passed away and the entire longhouse is in mourning for 2 weeks. we were told too remove whatever chains, bracelets or ear rings or else we would be liable to a fine RM16 as stated in the "Buku Hukum Adat." to indicate that there that the longhouse is in mourning, they hang a white clothe with a tied bowl in the middle of the cloth and hang it at the entrance to the longhouse. 

Clinic at Rh Manja

the journey back was real tiring. it did not rain the night before we left. and the water level was low....very low. our longboat was stucked on the river bank. we had to carry and drag it out. after that we had to push the boat through the river in what the local call "berpatak." so it was "satu, dua...TARO!!! satu, dua TARO!!!..." it took us 10 minutes to reach from the river mouth to our location the day before. but it took an hour plus or so before we could reach the part of the river that was deep enough to use the engine. by the time we got backed to Song, we were all half dead. still it was a good experience. looking forward for the next VHT trip to another river.