To a parent, nothing is more important that their child’s health. That is why Doktor Budak is perfect for nervous parents in Malaysia who may seek immediate online help for their children’s health issues.
DoktorBudak.com was founded by consultant pediatricians Dr. Zahilah Filzah Zulkifli and Dr. Foo Chee Hoe in July 2013. According to The Star, Dr. Zahilah was inspired to create the blog after receiving overwhelmingly positive response from a vaccination article she wrote for Barelysupermommy, which is a blog run by Dr Harlina Yusof, Malaysia’s first astronaut, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha’s wife.
Her article highlights the widespread misinformation regarding vaccination and provides information rebutting the internet lies. This article was received with hundreds of additional questions regarding vaccination, prompting Dr. Zahilah to make her own blog where she can share her expertise with the public.
Dr. Foo shared that Malaysia lacked its own medical website. “You can find medical advice anywhere on the web these days, but they are almost always foreign content and may not necessarily be right for someone who is living in Asia or Malaysia. At Doktor Budak, we like using layman terms as it helps our audience understand the situation that they are in,” he said in an interview with The Star.
Both Dr. Foo and Dr. Zahilah wanted to reach out to parents who are uncertain of their children’s health. In an interview with Myra Mahyuddin in 2013, they credited the development of this blog to their shared sentiments of wanting “to reach beyond the patients we see in clinics and wards”.
Often parents come in with children in dangerous health conditions that could have easily been avoided if they brought the children to the hospital or clinic earlier. On the opposite side of the spectrum are parents demanding unnecessary medication and treatment for their children. Dr. Zahilah and Dr. Foo wanted to reach out to these parents and share their knowledge with them.
Also read: 5 Singapore Apps To Help Keep Your Health In Check
The website has kicked off splendidly since its creation a little more than a year ago, now receiving up to 20 queries a day. And if you’re worried about the credibility of Doctor Budak, don’t. It is managed by an 26 volunteers of 19 pediatricians (including the founders), 2 paediatric dentists, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, a paediatric surgeon, a speech-language pathologist, a nutritionist and a pharmacist. What more, Doktor Budak is a non-governmental organization where everyone can consult all the experts listed above online and for free! What a bargain!
Have a question? Ask Doctor Budak.
The “Ask Doktor Budak” section is an organized and easy method for parents to browse the website and search for question that they can relate to. The page is divided into several sections: Nutrition, Speech & Language, Surgery, Dentistry, Vaccination, Pharmacy, and more. If parents cannot find the question that they are looking for, then they can submit their question and the team will do their best to provide an appropriate and helpful answer. Doktor Budak is currently not answering questions posted to them via Twitter.
The website has articles in both English and Malay, catering to a wide audience. However if you want more than that, the team at Doktor Budak will be live at 1 Utama (Bandar Utama), Malaysia from the 3rd to 7th of September and you can meet the brains behind the operation, and ask them your questions in person.
Despite the useful advice and answers available at Doktor Budak, Dr. Zahilah still reminds parents that early medical attention is important for children as sometimes parents would only bring their child to a doctor days or weeks after the first medical symptom. Early treatment is crucial to avoid further complications to the child’s health. Better to be safe than sorry!