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Woman says she “feels cheated by the government” after her elderly COVID-positive father isolated with stranger, and no proper care
Photo: Instagram/ummi_umayrah_umar"And he's sooo disappointed and depressed. He's feeling much worse than when he was at home fighting the virus."
October 5, 2021
By Obbana Rajah
Singapore ― The frustrated daughter of a Covid-19-positive elderly man wrote she felt “cheated by the government” after her father was made to stay in poor conditions at a Community Care Facility (CCF) without adequate care.
In a series of Instagram stories on Saturday (Oct 2), the Tampines resident wrote that a “shady van” will be sent to pick up the Covid-positive elderly person without informing them where they will be sent to or if their Covid-positive family member would be together in the facility with them.
She added that the en route van picks up two to three other Covid-positive senior citizens who are likely older than 70.
Upon reaching the facility, the lot – including her father – was made to wait for about three hours with the driver (who does not have Covid). At the lobby of the facility, she added that the elderly people were again made to wait.
The woman then wrote that the seniors were “casually” informed that they would be housed in a twin sharing room. “Your SMALL ROOM has 2 single beds and they are ONLY A METRE AWAY from the stranger! With an attached toilet. With NO room service or nurses or cleaners”, she wrote.
Shocked, she also wrote that the elderly patients were also expected to clean their own rooms and toilets. “How do u expect a 70+ yr old to keep up their hygiene of the toilet?? Let alone their own hygiene when you are weal and unwell??” She also noted that no cleaning supplies were provided to the elderly patients.
By the time her father was brought to his room and had his blood drawn by a “very unexperienced young person”, it was already 9:30 pm, with the patients leaving their homes at 6:20 pm. The woman wrote that her father and his roommate were not given dinner as it was already served earlier at 6 pm. And despite breakfast the next day being promised at 7 am, she wrote: “What time did they finally send breakfast? 8:34am…& u didn’t get dinner last nite (sic) ya”.
She added that her father was “disappointed and depressed. He’s feeling much worse than when he was at home fighting the virus”.
In her Instagram stories, one of her followers reshared her story and wrote that the woman’s father messaged them to send over a toilet brush and supplies “so he can clean the toilet after his roommate” who is also Covid-positive and experiencing diarrhoea.
Many netizens who commented on her post called for CCFs to do better without blaming healthcare workers as they were already overworked as well.
Others also tagged Masagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos Mohamad, the Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs. /TISG
