The rat near the operating room in the Tangerang public hospital

This is one of the “Letters to the Editor” published in Wednesday’s Kompas newspaper:

Here’s my English translation:

My younger brother was admitted to intensive care in Tangerang public hospital, Banten, because of appendicitis. He had to undergo surgery. When he was first admitted to the emergency ward on 26 October, we had to look for a wheelchair ourselves to take him in.

On Sunday, 27 October 2013, at around 11.00, my brother was taken to the operating room. While in the waiting room, which was located directly in front of the operating room, suddenly my family and I were surprised to see a rat close to us. My sister-in-law - who was pregnant - jumped out of her seat.

After startling us, the rat then entered into one of the operating rooms. There, one of the nurses who was treating a patient for injuries received in a motorcycle accident fled the room in panic. A male nurse chased after the rat and after some time the rodent finally came out of the operating room. It was then that a doctor descended from the first floor and, as he past the stairs, joked to the nurse, “They taste great fried!”

As family of the patient, we have the right to feel comfortable – even in the waiting room.

HILARIUS S LAOLI

Hahaha! And just look at who wrote the letter to Kompas – Hilarious?!!! WTF!!! Are you kidding me? 

Almost as wacky a name as Batman bin Suparman. 

But it’s difficult not to feel at least some sympathy for the doctor – there are a lot of rats in Jakarta, after all. Because of the open drains, they tend to get about a bit. 

I once had a problem with the blighters coming into my front yard and it was only a welding job on the front gate, about 50 jumbo size mouse traps and enough agent orange to wipe out 15 Vietnamese villages later that they were under control.

And if Hilarious is feeling a bit peckish, I wonder what he makes of rat sate? Manado style!

Picture from Merdeka ©lissabrinapasla.blogspot.com