Covid-19 Frontliners Claim They Didn’t Get Resilience Medals, Write Open Letter To Ong Ye Kung

Covid-19 Frontliners Write Letter Asking Why They Didn’t Get Resilience Medals

Last week (13 Dec), it was reported that Resilience Medals awarded to frontliners who contributed to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic were being listed for sale on Carousell.

The price range for the listings varied widely, starting from S$300 and going all the way up to S$1 million.

Now, the incident has caught the attention of a group of frontliners.

In an open letter to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, they wrote that they never received Resilience Medals despite serving alongside other healthcare workers in Covid-19 wards since the start of the pandemic.

Frontliners ask why they didn’t get Covid-19 Resilience Medals

The open letter was posted yesterday (17 Dec) on @thehonesthealthcareworker, an Instagram page purportedly run by a healthcare worker in Singapore.

Addressing the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Mr Ong directly, the letter said that they never received their medals while others were selling theirs.

To provide some context, they claimed that they served alongside other frontliners in Covid-19 wards from the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, they alleged that senior doctors who refused to enter the pandemic wards managed to receive the medal.

To date, over 110,000 people have received the medal for their contributions during the pandemic.

They were recently able to collect their medal during a carnival event from 10 to 14 Dec.

While the frontliners behind the letter did not reveal their names, they introduced themselves as different groups of healthcare workers in a bid to represent those who were instrumental in the fight against Covid-19.

They include doctors, allied health professionals who purportedly helped rehabilitate patients, nurses, and ambulance drivers of 993 (the number for MOH’s special ambulance service).

Even so, “there’s more of us — too many to name”, the frontliners wrote.

Frontliners claim they weren’t aware of qualifications for Resilience Medal

The frontliners alleged that they simply waited their turn while seeing their colleagues being called up to receive their awards, but that turn never came.

Subsequently, they tried looking for their names in the full list of recipients on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), but to no avail either.

They recalled their awarded colleagues being confused by the snub, as they had provided direct care together on the frontlines.

“How is it that we were forgotten?” they asked.

Additionally, they said they were never aware of any nomination process or criteria required to qualify for the medal.

Frontliners just want to be acknowledged for efforts

Despite it all, the Resilience Medal is not actually what the frontliners are after. Rather, they want the recognition that the medal represents.

They acknowledged that medal or no medal, they know they did their part. They’re not looking for a monetary reward either, even though they would have appreciated that.

Furthermore, they emphasised that they do not hold anything against those who received the Resilience Medal.

“All we wish for is to be recognised and remembered for the sacrifices we made,” they wrote.

With such recognition, they could symbolically take their rightful place alongside their colleagues.

The inclusion would also mean that one day, their children could find their names when they look back on the pandemic.

In doing so, they would then know that their parents served Singapore and did their duty when the country needed them most.

Finally, they signed off as the “frontliners who were forgotten”.

Open letter prompts debate on reasons for snub

The letter has since sparked theories among fellow frontliners on the selection process for Resilience Medal recipients.

Many of them wondered whether retirement or resignation played a part.

One of them speculated that one would need to remain in the healthcare organisation they were in as frontliners.

Citing their own experience, they said they were on the ground during the pandemic and even worked in the wards. However, they have since left their job there, which meant their name was no longer on any list.

Another commenter concurred, saying that their mother worked during the pandemic but had to retire the following year.

Meanwhile, one frontliner shared MOH’s alleged response to their email enquiring about their recipient status.

In notifying that they did not receive the award, MOH referred them to check with their institution or nominating agency for further information.

The commenter then said they felt the snub to be “pretty insincere” after everything they as healthcare workers have gone through.

Questions arise as to whether nominations were necessary

On a whole other note, one commenter questioned why the award and nomination process even existed in the first place.

From their standpoint, people from all walks of life played a part during the pandemic, even if they weren’t in healthcare.

Finally, one Instagram user said that the absence of claps or medals does not diminish the fact that frontliners were there when Singapore needed them.

As someone who has worked in the accident & emergency (A&E) unit for nearly two decades, they could testify that the majority of people truly appreciate what they do.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Share them with us in the comments.

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Featured image adapted from @thehonesthealthcareworker on Instagram and orzalaga on Pixabay via Canva.