World Health Organisation (WHO) officials on Tuesday (Feb 18) praised the efforts of Singapore in tackling cases of coronavirus and said other countries should follow its example. Singapore is leaving no stone unturned, testing every case of influenza-like illness and pneumonia, and so far there is no evidence of community transmission.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat had started his speech on the Budget 2020 by thanking our frontline agencies. “I will set aside an additional $800 million in this Budget …The bulk of this will go to the Ministry of Health.”
“Let me, on behalf of the Government, express our gratitude to all our frontline officers who have been working tirelessly, day and night, over weekends, in our fight against the outbreak. You exemplify the resilience and indomitable spirit of our people. But please take care of yourselves.”
His views are spot on.
“ I have many regular elderly patients. I must take care of them at this time.”
Doctor Chua gives an insight into the work of a doctor for the vulnerable group especially the very young and elderly.
“Real life. Walks into the clinic at 9.10am. All staff cheerfully exchanging morning chit chat as I came to realise whole clinic phones were ‘burnt out’ . Spent an hour dressed in N95 mask, gown and gloves holding and using my handphone to try and troubleshoot the dead clinic phones, while patients wait outside accumulating. Catching up on patient care an hour later and realised at 7.30pm with a pounding headache that I’d not drunk a single drop of water for the past 5 hours because n95 is in the way.”
“Returned home to learn about the death of a hospital director, Liu Zhiming, in Wuhan. Greatly saddened by the news and am glad I am not a doctor in China. I thank MOH for PPE. I dedicate this following poem to all the medical colleagues. This is a poem which inspires me to go on .”
医者，仁心。
当你睁开无邪的双眼
第一个见到的是我
我把你迎到这个缤纷的世界，
当你闭上疲惫的双眼
最后一个见到的也是我
我把你送离了这个繁杂的世界，
生命在这圣洁的殿堂轮回。
我，是医者。
医海浩瀚无涯
幸幸学者苦作舟
南丁格尔的誓言不曾忘
希波克拉底的誓言不敢忘
为的就是不敢怠慢
最神圣的生命。
在那万家灯火举家团圆的时候，
我是最不孝的子女
是最不合格的父母
只因为承载了太多性命的负荷
我无睱顾及。
我，是医者。