As Covid-19 cases in Singapore spiked over recent weeks, demand for medical attention in hospitals has unsurprisingly soared too.
A video circulating on social media showed that this was certainly the case at Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
The clip showed patients awaiting admission at SGH lined up in beds in what looked to be a temporary holding area.
Source: TikTok
In light of the situation, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has issued an advisory urging patients with mild Covid-19 symptoms to visit clinics instead.
The video, which The Straits Times (ST) also shared, showed two rows of trolley beds lining walls in what appears to be makeshift holding site. In the beds were individuals donning home clothes instead of hospital garments.
A signage on one of the walls indicated that the location was at Outram Community Hospital, which is near SGH.
Source: TikTok
Even though the video did not show the entire hall, there seemed to be at least 10 beds on each side of the venue.
Presumably to provide better ventilation, each trolley bed also had a standing fan beside it.
Source: TikTok
A nurse was also seen providing assistance to one of the patients.
The scenes in the video might be reminiscent of the situation in some hospitals more than two years ago when the pandemic was much more serious.
Speaking to ST, a patient said she had to endure a painful wait for a bed when she was admitted to SGH in the last week of November.
She recalled seeing patients on trolley beds outside the emergency department (ED) observation rooms as she was wheeled to the holding area.
After informing her that there were no more beds in the wards, hospital staff allegedly placed her in a hall outside Outram Community Hospital.
She compared the experience to being in Grand Central Station in New York City, with staff constantly wheeling patients between places.
In response to ST’s queries, an SGH spokesperson acknowledged that the environment at the transient ward “may not be ideal”.
However, he assured patients that they will receive the same level of medical care as in a conventional ward.
Last week, Singapore recorded its highest weekly number of Covid-19 cases for the year after experiencing a gradual surge.
In the week ending 2 Dec, MOH recorded 32,035 coronavirus infections. This is 11% higher than the previous high in April.
In the same week, hospitalised Covid-19 cases rose to 225, though this is just a fraction of hospitalised cases in May.
MOH said the increase in Covid-19 cases has translated to additional workload for hospitals.
The health ministry thus promised to keep a close eye on the situation to ensure there is sufficient healthcare capacity.
They also urged patients to only visit emergency departments for “serious or life-threatening emergencies” in a statement on 8 Dec.
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Featured image adapted from TikTok.
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