Due to its size, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster has fast become a concern for Singapore in her fight against Covid-19.
Though measures are in place to monitor hospital staff’s health, it seems that some still worry about coming into contact with them.
On Tuesday (12 May), Dr Tan Wu Meng of Jurong GRC highlighted the plight of some TTSH nurses who have allegedly been evicted on short notice.
In response, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said the authorities are currently working on providing them with alternative accommodations.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday (12 May), Dr Wu said that there have been cases of TTSH nurses being asked to move out on short notice by their landlords.
He also noted other struggles that TTSH staff have had to face.
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For instance, one particular TTSH staff allegedly moved out on his own accord to keep his wife and their newborn baby safe.
He also apparently did so to prevent potential transmissions between hospitals, as his wife is a healthcare worker at a different one.
Meanwhile, other TTSH workers reportedly struggle to find a ride to or from their place of work.
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Other leaders, including Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, have highlighted such similar cases.
In light of these worrying trends, Dr Tan questioned if anything is being done to help the healthcare staff.
Responding to the query, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong assured that MOH is currently working to address such issues.
He explained that MOH and hospitals are working with hotels and other providers to provide alternative accommodation for the workers.
However, Mr Gan said that landlords should not see this as an excuse or permission for them to evict their tenants,
This should not be an excuse for the landlords to kick them out on the basis that now there’s alternative accommodation.
The Government prefers to encourage landlords to be more understanding and support healthcare workers during these trying times.
You can watch the exchange between Dr Tan and Mr Gan here.
It’s indeed worrying to see healthcare staff facing such discrimination during these difficult times.
Though their fear is somewhat understandable, we hope landlords and other Singaporeans would be more considerate and support these workers as they continue to battle on the frontline against the invisible foe.
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Featured image adapted from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) on Facebook.
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