In hospitals you meet patients, that's like saying you go to a police station and you meet policemen.

The group of us entered the ward, scanning the patients to pick our next target for our case presentation. Not many noticed the man in the corner in a wheelchair eyeing us with great interest. He was easily dismissible and judging from his physical outlook, most students would tend to avoid him. It was only when we realised that the rest of the patients in the ward was uncooperative did we decide to take a chance on this eager patient and talk to him.

In regular hospitals, patients come in and then they leave when they're better. But in the Orang Asli Hospital, patients were allowed to stay for as long as they wish. After attempting to talk to him, we finally left and we approached a nurse asking about the man's condition. It was then that we realise that he had been one of the "permanent residents" of the hospital. The hospital had been his home since he was young. Perhaps all he sees is the nurses and the patients that come and go. Who knew if he had family members who visited him? Was his enthusiasm to see us because noone really paid any attention to him throughout the years? Who knew?

But it was something, seeing the joy in someone's face, to see the eyes that lighted up, simply a product of a gesture of noticing.