Saturday, June 5, 2021

Singapore's silent heroes: Front liners go above and beyond during hospital stay and quarantine amidst surge of Covid-19 cases



Li Xueying's mother was discharged from NCID a month after she tested positive for Covid-19 while warded for another ailment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
PHOTO: Li Xueying's mother was discharged from NCID a month after she tested positive for Covid-19 while warded for another ailment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Photo by The Straits Times
Picture posted by Rohit Brijnath, Tan Hui Yee, Li Xueying, Wong Ah Yoke, Rhoda Chua and Venessa Lee on 30 May 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzR85BJMZA6jrU2huXfim_t70s24J5268ulxXDG5DuX80rD7PAbPfRmcQBng_9Gbzh9oM8DOVHWDRNINSP9djwSThI60qNe3c4p2NbKnNeOaKr9vyRQJ62UCBKPBwDL06CTpAPQC3d6o/s1280/yq-fishsoup-29052021_1.jpg
https://static.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/articles/2021/05/29/yq-fishsoup-29052021.jpg
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapores-silent-heroes-front-liners-battling-surge-of-covid-19-cases


SINGAPORE - When my mother lost her sense of taste and smell after she got Covid-19 in April, she lost whatever appetite she used to have.

Meat, in particular, became repulsive to her.

Worried about the lack of protein in her diet, I decided to order and have delivered to her fish collagen soup, which is easier to swallow.

The soup comes in vacuum-sealed cups. Upon hearing about my mother, the staff at the company - AO Broth - took it upon themselves to shrink-wrap each cup for added hygiene.


Worried about the lack of protein in her diet, I decided to order and have delivered to her fish collagen soup, which is easier to swallow.
PHOTO: Worried about the lack of protein in her diet, I decided to order and have delivered to her fish collagen soup, which is easier to swallow.
The soup comes in vacuum-sealed cups. Upon hearing about my mother, the staff at the company - AO Broth - took it upon themselves to shrink-wrap each cup for added hygiene.
Picture posted by ChannelNewsAsia - Tired staff, but pushing on: How TTSH-NCID responded to COVID-19 from day one. Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) are ground zero for the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore.  Over more than 6 months, CNA Insider gets exclusive access to see how their staff - from medical workers to administrators - keep the novel coronavirus at bay.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyX8oHb6ONjGqsDbckimdB0gENNq4gSYwxY57aqfMuG1KF2aU8PDLMsRXLQUfpnD2NiKHxiYn3niD90K6sNdsFx2XipSY4VLtALQdEtti7Oui3LZsYvRO_msZnn9yIE6P-PXW5MPSLu6c/s779/day-one-covid-19-main.png
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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/tired-staff-pushing-on-how-ttsh-ncid-responded-covid-19-day-one-13106408


The soup was kept in the ward freezer at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), where my mother was hospitalised.

Once a day, an NCID nurse - one of them was Joel from the Philippines, newly arrived at the centre - would heat up a cup for my mother despite the added work required.


Once a day, an NCID nurse - one of them was Joel from the Philippines, newly arrived at the centre - would heat up a cup for my mother despite the added work required.
PHOTO: Once a day, an NCID nurse - one of them was Joel from the Philippines, newly arrived at the centre - would heat up a cup for my mother despite the added work required.
Picture posted by freepil.com
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https://www.freepik.com/premium-photo/asian-female-nurse-uniform_4234585.htm


When the soup ran out, it was explained to us that we should not send any more over.

The rule, understandably, was that delivery of items to patients in isolation would be allowed just once, so that the staff could focus on caring for the patients instead of traipsing up and down to collect packages from the ground floor.


The rule, understandably, was that delivery of items to patients in isolation would be allowed just once, so that the staff could focus on caring for the patients instead of traipsing up and down to collect packages from the ground floor.
PHOTO: The rule, understandably, was that delivery of items to patients in isolation would be allowed just once, so that the staff could focus on caring for the patients instead of traipsing up and down to collect packages from the ground floor.
Picture posted by Ng Huiwen on 15 September 2016 at 5:00 am SGT - Nurse Myint Myint (left) and physiotherapy associate Tan Lip Yiap (right) attending to a patient at the Bethany Methodist Nursing Home
PHOTO: In stepped my mother's doctor, Dr Barnaby Young. "Send the soup to me," he said. "And I will get it to her."
Picture posted by Homees
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https://wp.sghomeneeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/bigstock-smiling-asian-medical-staff-wi-51221821_1_orig.jpg
https://www.homees.co/articles/complete-guide-elderly-care-singapore


My mother was discharged from NCID on Friday (May 28), exactly a month after she tested positive for Covid-19 while warded for another ailment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Throughout those 30 days, there were many acts of kindness from friends, colleagues and strangers.


My mother was discharged from NCID on Friday (May 28), exactly a month after she tested positive for Covid-19 while warded for another ailment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
PHOTO: My mother was discharged from NCID on Friday (May 28), exactly a month after she tested positive for Covid-19 while warded for another ailment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Throughout those 30 days, there were many acts of kindness from friends, colleagues and strangers.
Picture posted by Alamy
PHOTO: Throughout those 30 days, there were many acts of kindness from friends, colleagues and strangers.
A colleague from Lianhe Zaobao, whom I had met but fleetingly, curated, packed and dropped off a box of limited-edition Chinese-language books for my mother.
Picture posted by Rohit Brijnath, Tan Hui Yee, Li Xueying, Wong Ah Yoke, Rhoda Chua and Venessa Lee on 30 May 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBx4V15rSL7oz1HxojHxd89VZAej0KMsNINx4U6lhPyKZIX-RCSLPw9pYlG03hua5BS1hAm9dY7FkaYjZsWbB7Zc95-qGsHCaWG9A5XWiPBAuA7YP_9bFdW-oX4KyeVcp-R_nemwmoVJk/s1280/rk_delivery_300521.jpg
https://static.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/articles/2021/05/30/rk_delivery_300521.jpg
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapores-silent-heroes-front-liners-battling-surge-of-covid-19-cases


A former hotelier whom I last met two decades ago for an interview called with offers of help, including advice on getting a night light for my mother.

The healthcare worker who did my exit swab during my quarantine did so with utmost care.

A security officer bantered with some of us stuck in quarantine. He must have known we were starved of social interaction.

There were many others.

Such gentle and generous kindness has been the one silver lining in this episode.


A former hotelier whom I last met two decades ago for an interview called with offers of help, including advice on getting a night light for my mother.
PHOTO: A former hotelier whom I last met two decades ago for an interview called with offers of help, including advice on getting a night light for my mother.
A security officer bantered with some of us stuck in quarantine. He must have known we were starved of social interaction.
Picture posted by Rohit Brijnath, Tan Hui Yee, Li Xueying, Wong Ah Yoke, Rhoda Chua and Venessa Lee on 30 May 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBB9SDMFrqKVeAMJ7M90tchBTpMu8txLSZ19Y3hRbct4lY_cX3q-2GFtRclq8dHlRLuoovLkUV3WBneB5AE2rvpJB9ficIKl_61N_kVKwHPQt4P6FO9z2b7c4qH9T-F7kJsMz84RvgLE/s860/rk_sg-silentheroes-collage_300521.jpg
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapores-silent-heroes-front-liners-battling-surge-of-covid-19-cases


Mr Christopher Soh, assistant director of nursing at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s emergency department, putting on protective personal equipment while his wife, Ms Tina See, an infection prevention and control nurse, ensures the proper steps are followed.
PHOTO: Mr Christopher Soh, assistant director of nursing at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s emergency department, putting on protective personal equipment while his wife, Ms Tina See, an infection prevention and control nurse, ensures the proper steps are followed.
ST PHOTOS: GIN TAY
Picture posted by The Sunday Times on 15 March 2020
By Li Xueying, The Straits Times, 30 May 2021 at 8:58 am
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
Reference
[1] Li Xueying, The Straits Times, Singapore's silent heroes: Front liners go above and beyond during hospital stay and quarantine amidst surge of Covid-19 cases, posted on 30 May 2021 at 8:58 am, https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/singapores-silent-heroes-front-liners-hospital-stay-quatantine-surge-covid-19-cases







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