Ampang Medikal : Siti Gets Her Groove

Totally forgot about Ampang Medikal this week but I managed to find a quick replay on the website. Though I do have my gripes, I couldn't give up on the newbie drama series that soon so I gave it another try!

In the second episode, the enthusiastic interns in Ampang Medikal finally get down to business - taking care of their shockingly few patients. No wonder they have all the time in the world to weep and whine about their problems. :) Though I don't doubt that the titular character Dr Siti has her basket full. What with her father getting a heart attack ( what a cliche! ) to being singled out as the dummy amongst the latest batch of house officers, it's no wonder Siti's looking so blue.

Dr Siti : The patient is gasping. He's turning blue. His symptoms are unusual, he could be having myocardial infarction probably as a reaction to the...
Nurse : His blood pressure is falling. We can't find a pulse.
Dr Siti : I don't know what to do! Call someone.
Nurse : Well, you're the doctor. Do something!

Well they didn't exactly put it that way but I think most first-time house officers have been thrust into a similarly nightmarish situation where they've literally been tossed into the deep end without a lifejacket. Where there's no one else around to consult and you have to put all that book-read knowledge into clinical practice.

Fortunately it's television and Dr Siti's patient comes back to life in magical milliseconds. Quite a feat.


A suitably inspiring muhibbah shot for the coming independence day!
Undaunted by her trials, Siti still manages to find the time to trace a patient's long-lost son by turning to her fellow house officers for help. Just amazing how quick ( and how unnatural! ) these total strangers all bonded as instant friends despite never having met before! Was there a secret ice-breaker moment in the locker room that we never saw? Isn't there even a lil strife between them? No initial bitchy catfights?

Fortunately the token minority doctors - Dr Rajesh and Dr Wong - are finally getting their own lines. Which is a relief since I've gotten to like Dr Wong who shines far more than her colleagues even with her woefully short scenes. Which did include a memorable one where the poor gal got splattered with vomit.

Trust me, we've all been there.

And yes, Dr Rajesh is cute enough when he tries to charm a staff nurse into handing over a patient's records. Though I'm curious why the records were kept from the attending doctors. The four interns all need more characterization though to keep them from turning into bland, interchangeable characters.

The interns ( and oddly enough the patients! ) are all still speaking in Malay though which I find utterly peculiar! Unfortunately certain words, phrases and jargons in medical-speak simply can't be translated so presenting a case from beginning to end in Malay would be near impossible. Wonder which utopian hospital this is! Maybe speaking in perfect Malay is the main criteria for admission!

And what's this talk of changing residencies? Isn't Dr Siti still a house officer?

But fortunately they have better monitors on display in the wards now. I swear I even saw a blood pressure monitor! Heavens! And they did show a reasonably crappy cafeteria with appropriately lousy plastic food and neon-coloured drinks! Little wonder most of the interns didn't seem to have much of an appetite.

Better second episode. Still dislike the whispery, winsome Siti and her dull anecdotes though. Where is dark twisty Meredith with her sharp witticisms when you need her?