Singapore—Some healthcare staff from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) are being denied service by taxi drivers and even some hotels, according to a report in The Straits Times (ST).
The report cited the experience of one 27-year-old staff nurse who endeavoured to reserve a hotel room for himself in order to minimise contact and exposure with his elderly parents.
The nurse’s parents’ health issues put them at risk, since his father is in recovery from heart bypass surgery and his mother has cancer.
At first, the nurse, Mr Nigel Rankine, sought to avail of temporary lodging through TTSH, which is coordinating with different hotels to get accommodation for its staff members
Since the nurse knew this would take a while, he endeavoured to book a room on his own in one particular hotel, disclosing that he worked at the hospital.
He was told there were no rooms available. According to ST, Mr Rankine surmised that he could not get a room at the hotel because he works at the hospital.
But when a friend of his tried to book a room at the same hotel, the friend got a different answer.
When questioned by the nurse, the hotel said that it was only accepting staycation bookings for the time being.
Fortunately, TTSH was able to get the nurse a room, something that has given both him and his family peace of mind, he told ST.
While he understands the need to protect people, he minded that the hotel had not been truthful with him.
The nurse told ST, ”I don’t expect people to treat us differently or put us on a pedestal just because we are healthcare workers. But they should at least speak to us like we’re human and not some kind of parasite.”
Another nurse, who also started staying at a hotel this month, said that she was doing so in order to protect others, including her elderly landlord, through minimal contact.
Furthermore, where she lives, she is already being avoided by her neighbours.
After the cluster of infections began at the hospital, the nurse tried to catch a taxi. The driver asked her numerous questions before eventually saying he would not drive her.
“He asked me a lot of questions, like why I was heading there, when did I get my vaccination, and what was my swab test result. I answered all of his questions but he still rejected me in the end,” the nurse told ST.
This was not the first time it happened. She then decided to no longer wear her TTSH uniform on her commute.
A doctor from TTSH also said getting a taxi to the hospital has become difficult.
He expressed his disappointment, saying, “My colleagues and I are more than willing to put ourselves at the same risk every day for them and it would be nice to know that others are standing together with us. In times like this, I just wish more people would step up instead of turn the other way.”
The hospital is the site of one of the biggest infection clusters in Singapore, with 46 infections to date and 1,000 staff members in quarantine.
However, the hospital resumed admissions on Tuesday (May 18), saying in a Facebook post: “We are not fully out of woods just yet but we are turning the corner.”
It said it is adding even more measures to ensure the safety of its patients and staff.
/TISG
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