Long time ago the words Brunei and Poverty would seldom come together in one sentence, much less in the front pages of newspaper articles. As you can see in the above CIA factbook map of poverty, there simply is 'no data' on Brunei's poor. That just about says it all. Until recently they are almost denied of existing at all.

All too often we see people less well-off than us, roaming the streets and asking for money. But modern poverty sometimes come in various guises. From the snorty civil servant driving his modified sport rim second hand BMW car to the housewife flashing the latest iphone tucked away nicely in knock-off pirated LV bag. Both boasts more credit cards than they can fit in their hands. How many people do you know who become 'kapih' just 1 week after masuk gaji? Buying $5 petrol just enough to send their kids to/from school? If not for the cap in personal loan amount (due of course to bad debts), there will be even worse scenarios.

At the moment the extended family spirit help to bolster the costs of daily living. Having carpool, living under daddy's roof, not paying electricity bills (or food bills) no doubt has its perks in times of hardship. And let's not kid ourselves - our disposable income is surely shrinking, with inflation over the last many many years, and ever-increasing wants (remember the xbox, broadband connection, and weekly pirate dvd shopping). Perhaps there really is not many in the poverty line (under 5% according to the newspaper). But remember, copper wires are routinely being stolen, potplants kena curi, millions of dollars of unpaid electricity bills, little children being let loose by parents to sell kuih, kids rummaging the rubbish dump, maybe poverty is really upon us. Even $1 for doctor consultation with presciption of 10 different life-saving drugs are even too much for some (ask the lady with the ticket - she will tell you how it is like).

So, to all you aspiring clinicians there, next time try to ask what your patients diet are. You'll be surprised that red meat (and a balanced diet) is a luxury to a fair proportion. I just wonder if sometimes cases that came in through your door are actually diseases arising of society rather than simple bugs.