Dr. Alfred G.M.L. Shiroya

My story

My mother, like her two elder brothers, was a locally renowned herbal medicine specialist. She was particularly good with sick women and children, and she continued to practice until her death in 2002 at the age of 97. Her patients, especially those who prefer alternative medicine, still miss her. As a child, I often observed her at work. She was caring and patient, and money was never her primary objective. Her clinical methods were predictive and the outcome of treatment often happy . . . and I wanted to be like her.

However, when I was about twelve I discovered modern medicine. I was at boarding school at that time, and fell seriously ill with pneumonia. The nuns at the local mission hospital gave me the same care that I had seen my mother give her patients; they also used a stethoscope and administered injections. There were no herbs; and I was well within three days. It was then that I told my mother that I wanted to be a doctor. She nodded approvingly.

I am a paediatrician now, and I find this the most satisfying of all medical disciplines. The formula is simple. Most parents care about their children’s health, so they will not delay at home with a sick child. Nor will they give me wrong facts or hide anything about the child’s ailment. So the right diagnosis is made early, which makes treatment easier. This means faster recovery; and the result? A happy, healthy growing child; relieved parents; and a satisfied me.

Yours truly,

Dr. Alfred G.M.L. Shiroya

Paediatrician