Dr Wan Afdzal

21/05/2026

I've never really been from just one place.

Leeds first. Yorkshire countryside, public school, a childhood that felt enormous. Then dad finished his PhD and we came back. Lembah Keramat. Sekolah kebangsaan right across the road from the house. I remember asking my teacher permission to go home to use the toilet because the school one was... yeah.

I was finally home. Until I wasn't.
Washington DC next. Maryland. American middle school. A kid who had just started to feel settled, starting all over again. It was hard. But kids adapt. And I did.

When we came back to Malaysia for good, I ended up in this small international school near Sri Rampai. It was something else. Kids from everywhere, mixed in with local kids, borrowing each other's languages, each other's food, each other's everything. Some of those international kids were more Malaysian than Malaysians I know.

I think that's where I quietly learned something - home isn't where you're from. It's who you end up with.

Tonight one of those friends came back to town. We sat, caught up, talked about everyone else. Where they are now. Turkey. Nigeria. Korea. Canada. Australia. A whole group of people, scattered everywhere.

I think about why expats and travellers find their way to Remedine. I think it's this. I know what it feels like to be between places. Between versions of yourself. It's not a concept I read about. It's just my life.

Grateful for every move. Every adjustment. Every place that left something in me.

And grateful that now - I'm just home!

30/04/2026

I've been on the patient's side of the table too.
I know how it feels like.

Sometimes for myself.
Other times, as support for someone I love.

We all carry something.
Most of us carry it quietly.

The hidden guilt, the unspoken shame.
The battles nobody sees.

As a doctor, it's this awareness that keeps me humble.
We should never be quick to judge.

Because medicine is more than prescriptions.
It's recognising that every person in front of you
is trying to transcend their own pain.

Beneath every role we carry, we are still just human.
Each of us with a human heart.

When we realise this is what connects us,
only then can healing truly start..

08/04/2026

Always do what you love.

It's one of those inspirational things you always hear.

But honestly, how many of you are actually doing something you really want?

It's always much easier to say than to embody.

It becomes an ideal instead of a priority.

At the end of the day, the reality is still how you're going to pay bills and feed your family.

Some people are lucky.

They naturally find their own rhythm and pace.

They discover their ikigai early.

For others, it might take years of searching.

Not just for opportunities - but just to find themselves.

Everyone's on a different journey, each with their own challenges and blessings.

But I do believe acting out of love is always a choice.

It's a decision we actively take each day.

Even the smallest act of love can build momentum along the way.

Maybe the question isn't 'are you doing what you love?' - but 'are you loving what you do?'

31/03/2026

What does it mean to be a Change Energy Giver?

Everyone transfers and receives energy.
Everyone connects this way.

It sounds woo-woo, right?

But the reality is that each interaction we have with others has the potential to improve or ruin their day.

Sometimes, it only takes a simple response to shift the entire energy of the room.

Those who are aware do it knowingly, while others who might not be are swayed by it unintentionally.

Greater self awareness begets greater responsibility.

Because it presents us with a conscious choice, like when to be present and how we show up.

Our words and behaviour ripple further than we realise, affecting everyone around us.

When we show up with intention, we leave others better than we found them.

We must remind ourselves that what we give, we get back.

As humans, we've been gifted with these choices.

Everyone has something beyond their control.

But our energy, our presence, our words - they are ours to give.

That's what it means to be a Change Energy Giver (CEG).



I am thankful to learn from and be among great teachers.
An amazing mentor to us all - Colonel Izaidin @ Pak Izzi
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29/03/2026

We're called the sandwich generation. 🥪

It's usually somewhere between our mid-30s to 50s.

It's that season where life converges all at once - small children who need raising, partners who need presence, aging parents who now need care.

It's not just about being busy, but more about being needed - you're pulled in different directions at the same time.

The challenge isn't managing your calendar.

It's holding space for everyone, while somehow holding yourself together too.

People navigate it differently.

Some find their footing, while others struggle.

Because there are layers here that schedules can't fix.

The visible ones are obvious - work, relationships, childcare, responsibilities stacking up.

But the invisible ones are what wear you down.

The mental load that never clocks out, the silent emotional weight you carry, the quiet expectations you set for yourself that no one else even knows exist...

And there are sacrifices. Real ones.

Every role takes something from you. And most days, you're giving before you've had a chance to refill.

Most people around you won't see that part.
But that's often the heaviest part to carry.

So maybe the goal isn't to do it all perfectly.

Maybe it's just to stay present through it - without disappearing in the process.

I'm curious, how are you managing this season of life while still pursuing what matters to you most?

26/03/2026

It's strange how explosions can mean different things to different people.

For some they're sounds of celebration.
For others, they bring fear, loss, and suffering.

The world is exploding in so many different ways.

Alhamdulillah, I am blessed.
Truly grateful.

Fortunate to experience these times from a place of humility and grace.

This Aidilfitri reminded me to cherish these transient moments with my loved ones -
whether in quiet presence, or in laughter and noise.

I pray that those who are suffering are granted strength.
We are all tested differently.

For those who are still searching, may you find peace in time.

Because in the end, we are never truly ready for the final explosion.

So while we can, we stay present...
and watch the sky.

26/03/2026

I love how magical the golden hour is at Remedine Clinic. 🌅

12/03/2026

When the healers themselves are hurting...
A trainee doctor in Malaysia has tragically lost their life.

Investigations are ongoing, but early reports suggest that work stress and workplace bullying may have contributed to the tragedy.

Sadly, this is not an isolated conversation within the medical community.

Many doctors who trained in the Malaysian public healthcare system know too well the incredibly demanding journey through housemanship and early training.

The long hours, intense workloads, steep learning curves, and high expectations are part of the profession.

But there is an important difference between rigorous training and toxic environments.

Over the years, there have been repeated discussions about bullying, humiliation, and unhealthy hierarchies in hospitals.

Many of us have experienced being treated as “doormats” - insulted and belittled in ways contradictory to the "noble" profession medicine claims to be.

And the impact is real, not only in physical exhaustion, but also in mental wellbeing.

These conversations are uncomfortable but they are necessary.

Some doctors would justify these experiences as "building reslience".

Others speak of it as a badge of honor - surviving their hardships during "their time".

What is even more concerning is how these experiences can perpetuate themselves - when those who were once subjected to toxicity later carry the same behaviours forward as they become seniors, specialists, and consultants.

Medicine is a profession built on the principle of caring for others, yet sometimes we forget to care for those within our own profession.

Training doctors must be challenged and guided - ofcourse, lives depend on them being competent.

But fear, humiliation, and intimidation do not create better doctors - they create exhausted, burnt-out and broken ones.

I say this not as an outsider, but as someone who has personally experienced how difficult that environment can be during training.

The reality is that many doctors carry these experiences quietly.

We rarely talk about them publicly - perhaps because medicine teaches us to endure.

But endurance should never come at the cost of someone's physical and mental wellbeing.

If there is any lesson from tragedies like this, it is that we must continue building a healthcare culture that is:
- demanding, but humane
- disciplined, but respectful
- resilient, but supportive

Our healthcare system depends on doctors who are strong, capable, and compassionate.

But to care for patients well, we must first ensure that our doctors themselves are cared for too.

My deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues affected by this loss.

Perhaps the real test of our profession is not just how well we heal our patients, but how well we look after those standing beside us in the same journey.

The challenges and pressures faced by trainee doctors at government hospitals at this time are quite worrying.

02/03/2026

We get patients from all around the world. 🌏

From expats to international travellers, Remedine goes beyond just serving our local community.

We care for many expat families living around Kuala Lumpur - some of them have made us their family doctor away from home.

Some call us as soon as they land in KL.

Others fly annually from places like Singapore and Bali, just to do their routine medical check up with us.

We would follow up with teleconsults, and sometimes find ourselves making hotel visits across the city.

Travellers passing through Malaysia somehow hear about us and end up at our clinic too.

They love the ambience and appreciate our hospitality.

When we ask how they discovered us, some say ChatGPT recommended us.

And almost all of them say the same thing,
"I wish we had something like this back home."

When you focus on quality, experience, and trust - borders stop mattering.

Trust travels.

Sometimes, it even waits for you at your hotel lobby. 🏨🛎






HotelVisit

28/02/2026

It's easy to spread hate.

And if we're honest, we sometimes enjoy spreading it.

When emotions run high, that's when we're most easily manipulated.

There's something thrilling about feeding flames - it's contagious and seductive.

When rallies validate and cheer us on, that outrage feels powerful - it feels good in a strange way...

But the world is already heavy with anger and pain.
There is already enough destruction from wild fire.

There is already so much suffering.
Protecting the vulnerable is work we should never grow tired of.

Yes, some anger is justified.
To deny that would be blind and crude.

Pain deserves acknowledgement and injustice deserves to be confronted.

But the harder work is not to amplify the fire - it is learning to transmute it.

Anger can illuminate, but hatred consumes.

In the end, it's on us to decide what we use as fuel.

So what is it that feeds us?