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‘Unsung hero of rural Sarawak'
This is the first article of a three-part series about the 'ulu' dressers, beginning with one who had his start in Julau
Lim, now in his early 80s, seen during a recent trip to Kapit.
THE term 'dresser' harks back to the colonial days in Sarawak, referring to the profession of those assisting the physicians at a clinic or a hospital, often providing basic care and performing routine tasks.
The position's name originated from their main task of helping the doctors 'dress up' surgical wounds on patients.
Today, they are known as medical assistants (MAs).
Back in the old days, when accessibility to health and medical care was severely restricted due the remoteness of the majority of villages and longhouses, the dressers were regarded as almost having the same status as doctors.
Lim looking smart in his hospital assistant's uniform in this photo, taken in 1978.
'My colleagues and I were called 'jungle tycoons', simply because we distributed the government-supplied medicines,' said former dresser Thomas Lim Eng Guan, now in his early 80s.
'Still, we're proud of our profession as we, over the past 50 years, have helped improve healthcare and enhance harmony in Sarawak's rural heartland.
'Acknowledged or not, it's our contributions,' he told thesundaypost when met during a recent tour involving several senior citizens to the Rajang Valley, where he acted as our tour guide.
Sarawak's turbulent times
Lim was very familiar with Julau, Song and Pakan as he had served as an 'ulu' (rural) dresser during Sarawak's turbulent times in the 1970s, which he termed as the 'communist period'.
'I remember many communists were rewarded for giving up their struggles in the jungles. I regard my work as a dresser back then helping to keep the peace and maintain the good health of the rural population.
'Still, back in those days, we earned very, very small salaries despite the challenges that we faced.
'In the larger towns, we could see the politicians being taken here and there in big cars and staying in grand hotels, while the regular civil servants just walked – sometimes barefooted!'
Many residents of Julau still use longboats, where they can seek treatments at Sarikei and Sibu hospitals easily. However, this has made the river-based mobile clinic operation to no longer become available.
When he brought us to see Pakan town and the bazaar in Julau, where he worked half a century ago, we could see his eyes getting all misty.
'These places remind me of the patients those long years ago.'
Humble beginning
Born in Rantau Diling, Rajang Valley in 1941, Lim is of Chinese-Iban heritage. His great-grandfather migrated from Fujian, China and married an Iban woman from Bawang Assan.
They had five children, and one of their daughters was Lim's grandmother. He grew up in poverty during and after the Japanese Occupation.
The family's farmhouse was a three-hour longboat journey from Kanowit, making it very difficult for Lim to attend the Primary 1 class every day.
'I did attend Primary 1 in 1950, but the following year, I had to quit school,' he recalled.
However, fate took a turn as Lim's father managed to enrol him in a mission school in Kanowit in 1952, where he stayed on and passed his Primary 6 class.
'By then, I was already 17 years old – too old for secondary education according to the rules and regulations of the colonial government. I felt dejected; I felt that I would never, ever land any good job,' he said.
Photo shows the narrow Julau River, where the 'ulu' dressers used to operate the mobile clinic.
Again, fate intervened when a kind government health officer, Simon Chen, gave Lim a job as a clinic assistant in Julau on Jan 1, 1960.
At age 19, Lim began his healthcare career scrubbing the latrines and cleaning the premises, earning RM90 a month.
From that humble start, he eventually gained the trust from his supervisors, who later engaged him in mobile clinic operation, which had a team travelling via longboats along rivers that led them into the remote pockets, and delivering healthcare services to the rural longhouse communities.
A post with many roles
Lim's fluency in Iban, Malay, English, as well as the Chinese dialects of Hokkien and Foochow, made him 'a bridge connecting diverse cultures'.
He showed great dedication during the 1964 cholera outbreak in the Rajang Valley, which earned him the trust from the local communities and superiors alike.
'But, I must say, it was the hardest time of my life. I escorted patients to the Lau King Howe Hospital in Sibu, many of whom died during the journey.'
In the 1960s, Sibu was only reachable from Julau via motor launches and longboats.
'Even travelling using a motor launch back then took eight hours. Sometimes, the patients and medical personnel walked between Julau and the surrounding villages, taking half a day.
'Today, it takes only minutes on board a good four-wheel drive vehicle,' said Lim.
Julau town today is very different from the old bazaar in the 1960s, says Lim.
After a while in Julau, he was asked to man the Kanowit Clinic, where he gained more experience in operating a mobile clinic.
He had a boat driver, who operated a 72-foot long roofed vessel.
'It became our second home, as we sometimes slept in the boat during operations. We travelled up and down the rivers across Julau and Kanowit, getting to know all the longhouse folks there.'
In 1970, Lim was assigned by Dr John Whitlam, Sibu Division's then-medical officer, to reopen Pakan Clinic.
Lim succeeded, and was officially promoted to a 'Rural Health Dresser'.
'It's quite rare for someone with only a Primary 6 education,' he smiled.
The Pakan Clinic then was a wooden block, with concrete flooring.
Lim was told that the clinic was built by the villagers through 'gotong-royong' (work party).
'Half of the clinic housed the 'Mother and Child Clinic', under the charge of an Iban midwife. She was tasked with going to the longhouses to deliver babies, and looking after the mothers and the babies when they called on the clinic.'
In Pakan and other 'ulu' areas, Lim worked alone. Many patients walked for hours just to seek treatment and sometimes, they would set up camps nearby.
'TB (tuberculosis) was rampant back then, and I spent considerable time educating the patients on the importance of completing their medication.
'TB's curable and no one should die from it, but sadly, some did as many chose traditional healers' methods over modern medicine. I carry these losses personally.'
Not all was bad for Lim during his service.
'In Pakan and Song, I met two very great medical men: Dr P Doraisingam and Prof Dato Dr Chong Chung Hian, who inspired me to work harder as an 'ulu' dresser.
'They wrote great letters of commendations that had helped me get promotions. I would never forget the kindness of these two gentlemen.'
Photo shows the archway, welcoming visitors to Pakan.
'Defender of peace'
Lim was more than just a rural dresser during his years in that position.
One night in 1970, when his medical team was in Song, an Iban man was killed by individuals suspected to be communist sympathisers.
'A mob threatened retribution, and a local Chinese community leader came to me for help. Sensing imminent violence, I stayed overnight with a Chinese family to defuse tension.
'When the armed mob arrived, I stepped forward and pleaded for calm – preventing bloodshed.'
Lim said the same thing had occurred several times in Pakan, where he acted as the mediator between opposing quarters.
'My intention was solely to prevent conflicts, but it turned out that my efforts had helped secure grassroots peace.'
Still, it was a relief for Lim that his 'ulu' stint in Pakan ended in 1976.
Rural-urban transition
In 1976, Lim was selected for a 30-month course in Miri, to qualify for the 'Junior Hospital Assistant' post.
Upon completion of the course in 1978, he was posted to several rural clinics in Sibu but eventually, he got assigned to Merbau Polyclinic in Miri – his first post in a city.
There, he took charge of the leprosy programme, using his diagnostic acumen to detect early symptoms and support the patients despite the social stigma.
'The stigma was hard to eradicate,' said Lim.
'I followed up with the patients up to the Brooke Memorial Hospital in Kuching. I was never afraid to care for them.'
The leprosy patients kept in contact with Lim over the years – even invited him to their children's weddings.
After his retirement in 1995, Lim managed a clinic at an oil palm plantation located between Miri and Bintulu, continuing his service to estate workers.
Again, his multilingual skills and deep compassion made him a trusted figure. He also discovered a passion for carpentry and sculpturing.
'Since then, I have been giving away furniture pieces and wooden arts as gifts to friends and faith groups. I have also sold some pieces, but I'm happily keeping some for my son and grandchildren.
'I do want to leave something behind for my family.'
'A legacy forgotten'
Everyone in our tour group could see that Lim was a jovial man and during our interview, I could sense his pride in having lived a life of selfless service.
However, I could also feel his sadness that the contributions and sacrifices rendered by him and other rural health workers during the 'Insurgency Period' had gone unrecognised.
'We saved lives, not only medically, but by keeping peace between communities. Still, no one remembers us,' he said, with a quiet dignity.
Lim believed that acknowledging the contributions of the 'ulu' civil servants, it would inspire future generations to truly serve their communities with dedication and compassion.
'My story affirms that even without titles or degrees, you can make a difference. You can bring peace.'
In typing the end-part of this article, I must say that Lim's story reminds us that history is not shaped only by leaders and politicians with their grandiose plans, but also by humble men who carry medicines via boats to be distributed to the rural folks, can speak multiple languages, stand up bravely against furious mobs to uphold peace, and always care for patients no matter what their conditions are.
The second part of this series will be out next Sunday, recounting a former dresser's experience in Rajang Security Command Area and Flying Doctor Service. dresser Thomas Lim Eng Guan
