A birthday, a note, and a reminder

A nation’s pride: Hospital Kuala Lumpur nurses in personal protective equipment caring for a Covid-19 patient in a quarantine ward in January. — Filepic/The Star

AT a time when the voices pointing out the cracks in our healthcare system are overwhelmingly loud, I want to pause, step back, and look at a different picture – one that rarely makes the headlines.

Last week in our ward, a little girl celebrated her 12th birthday. Not at home, not surrounded by classmates or cousins but in a hospital bed, the place she has learned to call her second home.