As Covid-19 cases surge in Singapore, our healthcare resources are being stretched.
To alleviate the strain on hospitals, the government set up Community Care Facilities (CCF) for stable Covid-19 patients to be monitored and cared for.
On Saturday (2 Oct), a lady living in Tampines took to Instagram stories to share her disappointment in the CCFs after her elderly father was admitted to one.
She pointed out that many patients had to wait for long periods in uncomfortable situations and there is inadequate care for them in these facilities.
The lady hoped the government can do better for these patients, especially as most are seniors.
On Saturday (2 Oct), the lady shared on Instagram that oftentimes seniors with Covid-19 are admitted to CCFs.
She then relays the experiences her father went through that now makes her question if patients are adequately cared for at CCFs.
On the 1st day, she claims a “shady van” picked her father up without further information about where he would be conveyed to.
Upon reaching the CCF, the lady says with the exception of severe cases, patients still have to wait in the van.
She continues that the wait isn’t a pleasant one, being trapped in a vehicle with a driver and other elderly patients.
Even when patients are finally dropped off and get checked in, they have to wait in the lobby.
Such a situation, she adds, is not conducive for frail elderly patients who are anxious and battling Covid-19.
The lady continues that her father was informed that he will be admitted to a twin room which he will share with another patient.
She added that the beds were only 1m away from each other and patients had to share a single attached toilet.
To make matters worse, there was allegedly no room service, nurses, or cleaners assigned to the room.
This means the patients themselves have to clean the toilets.
The lady expressed outrage, saying unwell elderly patients should not be expected to clean their own toilets, especially when hygiene is so important.
Besides that, the lady said an inexperienced young nurse came to draw her father’s blood, painfully poking twice to do so.
He was picked up at 6.20pm and by this time, it was already 9.30pm.
When he asked about dinner, staff allegedly said dinner was served earlier and he had to go to sleep on an empty stomach.
Her father then had to wait in hunger until breakfast was finally served at 8.34am although the allotted time was at 7am.
The lady made further allegations that checks were not regularly done and elderly patients were largely left to do their own checks with an oximeter.
The lady continued that while staying at a CCF sounds fancy and full of hope from the name, the reality of it appears quite different.
Right now, her father is still recovering at a CCF and he’s “disappointed and depressed”.
In fact, she says, he feels much worse than he had when he was at home. This makes her feel helpless and worried.
Ultimately, she’s disappointed by the government she had trusted so much.
The lady said she was compelled to share about her father’s experience because she didn’t see many sharing about quarantine orders for the elderly.
She urged others to think twice when asked to recover at a CCF.
While authorities and healthcare providers are feeling the pressure, it is still important to ensure all Covid-19 patients who need it are receiving adequate care.
CCFs are undeniably a great idea in theory.
However, if these allegations are found to be true, there is much more that can be done to make such facilities more conducive for patients.
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Featured image adapted from Ong Ye Kung on Facebook and Instagram. Image used for illustration purposes only.
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