X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

'Physically And Mentally Drained': Healthcare Staff Bemoan Working Conditions As Covid-19 Cases Surge

1 Oct, 2021

The surge in Covid-19 cases – now in the thousands every day – has healthcare staff expressing discontent over working conditions in a Reddit thread with almost 250 comments.

Singapore’s healthcare system is under tremendous pressure according to multi-ministry task force co-chair Lawrence Wong, as new restrictions are put in place to stabilise the situation and prevent avoidable deaths.

Citing tough working conditions, manpower crunch, and packed wards, the Reddit thread posted last Thursday (Sept 23) gives a behind-the-scenes look in hospitals dealing with the spike in numbers.

A few Redditors have voiced out that they are working long hours, even to the point of exhaustion. Redditor throwawayacct276 said that hospitals are all stretched thin taking care of patients.

“Healthcare workers are mentally and physically drained,” Redditor throwawayacct276 added.

Meanwhile, Redditor repressednomoreok said that for their morning shift last Thursday, they faced a manpower crunch with four workers taking medical leave.

Sometimes, they would have to go back and work on their day off due to the lack of manpower – with some having their annual leave suspended. 

“We don’t even have time to use the toilet or have proper meals,” they said, adding that they still have to attend to patients while wearing the tight N95 mask and goggles. 

weakness of singapore healthcare system

Image source: iStock

‘Flooded with patients’

Also, the Reddit thread highlighted how wards and A&E departments are “flooded with patients” every day. 

“My hospital has had to open new Covid-19 wards every week to keep up with the case numbers, and there’s only so many wards we can open before we start running out of manpower or compromising other services,” user Xethrion said.  

Some of these concerns are highlighted by the Instagram account SG Healthcare Heroes, a safe space to honour healthcare work in Singapore.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  A post shared by SG Healthcare Heroes (@sghealthcareheroes)

A post titled 5 Things Healthcare Workers Wished You Knew served as a reminder to the public on the challenges of working during the pandemic, and also amid this surge of Covid-19 cases. 

“Everyone in the industry is overwhelmed, not just the nurses and doctors. From medical technologists and patient services assistants to housekeepers, paramedics and ambulance drivers, we are all at our max capacity,” said the post uploaded on Wednesday (Sept 29).

Despite being overwhelmed and tired, healthcare workers do care but they can’t “get you that cup of Milo and extra pillows” because “we have so many patients and everything is time-sensitive.”

Partner Stories
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
Singapore's Dengue Cases Surpass The 35,000 Mark, Highest Since 2013
Singapore's Dengue Cases Surpass The 35,000 Mark, Highest Since 2013
Typhoon Haiyan relief effort
Typhoon Haiyan relief effort

“We seek your patience and understanding because we really are doing our best and going as fast as we can.”

On Sept 22, visitors to hospital wards have been barred for a month with more cases detected among staff, patients, and visitors. Also, telemedicine providers are trying to cope with more people going into home recovery for Covid-19.

On Sept 29, Singapore saw a total of 2268 new Covid-19 cases and 8 seniors died from complications.

This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.

ALSO READ:

Yearning For A ‘Normal’ Life: A 32-Year-Old Recovered Covid-19 Patient’s Story

Students Affected By COVID-19 Who Miss Their PSLE Papers Can Apply For Special Consideration

Physically And Mentally Drained: Healthcare Staff Bemoan Working Conditions As Covid-19 Cases Surge

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

asiaone

  • Home
  • /
  • News
  • /
  • 'Physically And Mentally Drained': Healthcare Staff Bemoan Working Conditions As Covid-19 Cases Surge
Share:
  • ‘They Never Surveyed Me’: Singapore Named Happiest Country in Asia, Several Netizens Disagree

    ‘They Never Surveyed Me’: Singapore Named Happiest Country in Asia, Several Netizens Disagree

  • 5 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Personal Loan in Singapore

    5 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Personal Loan in Singapore

  • Guide to Baby Grants in Singapore (2023) — Baby Bonus, Medisave, Tax Reliefs and More

    Guide to Baby Grants in Singapore (2023) — Baby Bonus, Medisave, Tax Reliefs and More

  • ‘They Never Surveyed Me’: Singapore Named Happiest Country in Asia, Several Netizens Disagree

    ‘They Never Surveyed Me’: Singapore Named Happiest Country in Asia, Several Netizens Disagree

  • 5 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Personal Loan in Singapore

    5 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Personal Loan in Singapore

  • Guide to Baby Grants in Singapore (2023) — Baby Bonus, Medisave, Tax Reliefs and More

    Guide to Baby Grants in Singapore (2023) — Baby Bonus, Medisave, Tax Reliefs and More

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and lifestyle updates.