Rahul’s Oral History

● Interviewee is a 31-year-old male, Indian, Malaysian.
● He is a dentist in West Malaysia.
● He shared about how he had to survive with minimal medical support while treating his patients. For example, the nurses and doctors having to stitch their own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while attending to Covid-19 cases.
● His wife was also pregnant during the Covid-19 crisis and he shared about his worries about being in a different state from her and the potential dangers for her and the baby because of the disease.
● As a medical personnel, he shared the benefits he had in terms of moving between states despite the ban on inter-state travel.
● He shared his disappointment about the political moves the Malaysian government had done in prioritizing political gains over public health safety by hosting the Sabah elections.

January 21, 2021

English

Biography 1-4
- Baby 15
- Parents 9, 12-13, 23-24
- Wife 7-9, 15

Communication
- Social Media 15, 19,, 24-25

Daily Routine
- Commodities 13
- Food 10, 12, 24
- Hygiene 10
- Sanitization 12

Job
- Armed Forces 1-3, 28
- Dental Officer 1-3, 6, 10, 24, 26, 28
- Frontliner 11, 22-23
- Frozen leave 11
- Hospital 10, 14, 24-26
--- Nurse 14
--- Psychiatrist 24
--- Patients 26

Malaysian Government
- Covid-response 11, 14, 17
- Emergency 27
- Sabah Elections 17, 21

Memory and trauma
- Mental health 24
- Missing birth of child 15
- New experience 15

Mobility during pandemic
- Food delivery 10, 24
- Movement restriction 6, 17, 21
- Tourism 21

Response measures for Covid-19
- Contract Tracing 3
- Fines 18
- Food Checks 4
- Government Support 22
- Isolation 4
- Person Under Influence 5
- Person Under Suspicion 5
- PPE 6, 11, 14, 24
- Swab Test 4
- Vaccine 16, 28-29