Singapore – Local veteran actress Chen Xiuhan offered to drive her daughter, now a doctor at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), along with her colleagues after ride-hailing service drivers refused to pick them up.
Speaking to 8days.sg, the 55-year-old mother shared that her daughter and her colleagues had difficulty getting a ride home from work.
“After we knew about what had happened, her dad and I offered to ferry her, along with any of her colleagues who couldn’t get a ride home after work,” said Mdm Xiuhuan.
While fully supportive of her daughter’s career, the concerned mother can’t help but be worried about her being on the front lines of the ongoing fight against Covid-19.
“People always talk about how grateful we are to the healthcare workers, and I agree,” said Mdm Xiuhuan. “But now, my daughter is on the front lines. I can’t help but feel uneasy, but being a doctor is her calling, so I’ll support her wholeheartedly.
Her eldest daughter, Ms Shanisse Tsai, 22, had graduated from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in April 2021. She is now working as a houseman at TTSH.
TTSH has resumed admissions since May 18 after a two-week closure due to a Covid-19 cluster forming in the hospital.
After six rounds of testing for all inpatients and two rounds for all 12,000 staff on campus, the results have returned negative consistently, said TTSH in a press release on May 17.
“This gives us added assurance that the containment measures are tight, and our processes have been in place across the hospital. As we progressively reopen our hospital, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and stay vigilant and strengthen our defences.”
When the TTSH cluster was forming, its staff had shared instances of discriminatory behaviour such as rides home getting cancelled and being refused hotel accommodation.
Since then, extra efforts and measures have been extended by the hospital and the public to ensure the safety and well-being of TTSH staff.
It was also reported that Grab has since recruited more volunteer driver-partners under GrabCare, which is an initiative to make it easier for healthcare professionals to travel to and from hospitals.
“Finally, to demonstrate our solidarity and encouragement, we will be providing GrabFood promo codes to all doctors and nurses who are serving (their) stay-home notice,” said a Grab representative.
Mdm Xiuhuan added that her daughter turned down their offer as she didn’t want to put her parents at unnecessary risk. The hospital has also worked out something, and transport is no longer an issue, she noted.
The proud mother also took to Instagram on Wednesday (May 19) to share that Ms Tsai had given her parents, grandparents and godmother angbaos after receiving her first pay cheque.
“I immediately thought that her first salary would be all gone because of this! I suppose this is how mothers worry. My heart is filled with happiness and gratitude, my daughter has grown up and is now sensible. I’m almost crying!” wrote Mdm Xiuhuan./TISG
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