MCO has now slowly transitioned into the RMCO phase, meaning instead of being confined, business can slowly open after being closed down throughout the MCO phase (Some of my friends moved to online business so that they are able to sustain a source of income) , but there's also the unfortunate ones who are forced to close down because due to lack of income, or their business are unable to transition online. The moment RMCO started, I took the opportunity to try to support local indie business to keep them going. I probably won't be able to make much of a difference but I try to at least put in around double figure to keep them going, as much as my budget allows.
With RMCO, certain restrictions have been lifted. Last time some patients couldn't come to our side because some of them stayed too far away, which is over the distance limit. So some of them had been forced to postpone their appointments, shuffling back and forth. The worst cases are oncology and surgical patients, whom needed their chemo treatments or had surgical history (mainly post-op). With the MCO in place, it was so strict to the point where the authority force you to turn back. The same goes for non-urgent cases like travelling out of state. I was nearly forced to turn back until I showed my license and then they let me go.
*I have seen news where family members took advantage of their families' privilege. Eg. Your spouse is a healthcare professional, but to avoid the hassle, you misuse their letter and license. Please do not be that type of person. I even made sure my family don't do that, because ethically, it is wrong. If healthcare professionals could go on the 2 months MCO break... Wishful thinking.
In my honest opinion, I wished the MCO had extended a little longer. I spoken with colleagues and doctors and they said 2 months was a little too soon. It's not that we wanted it to go on, but we haven't gotten a solid foundation yet (Furthermore, we felt that we haven't fully control everything yet), and this is the main reason why: When the government announced that RMCO phase started, guess what happened. A tsunami of patients came flooding into the hospital. During MCO, you are allowed only one or two person to accompany to the hospital to avoid further complications. I can tell you when RMCO came about, I seen whole families coming into the hospital, including little children and babies. If you are telling me that they are coming for the pediatrician's appointment, I get it, but no, it's back to normal again. (I'm being a little sarcastic here.)
Confined spaces like elevators are restricted to four or six at a time, depending on size and capacity. One day I decided to use the elevator because my knee was hurting so bad because on that particular day, I was running around the department. I was alone when I got on the elevator, but once it reached a floor -
10 people came swarming into the elevator, forcing me to a corner. Furthermore, some weren't wearing mask (!) Luckily I was standing near the door, so the moment the elevator reached my floor, I was out. Don't give me the ignorant excuses ("Oh, you mean the lift capacity is limited?"), boxes or crosses has been marked everywhere now, not just lifts but seating areas as well. Not to mention our Ministry of Health and government had been stressing on social distancing every day. I never understood why locals like to say our healthcare system is awful. I asked my doctors, most of them pioneers, on various healthcare system in the world. Surprisingly they said ours is the best. Even I was surprised. This is just a few of the things from the top of my head which they told me:
- Our healthcare is considered one of the most affordable in the world (internationally)
- Our healthcare is accessible 24 hour.
- You don't need to make an appointment to see a specialist.
** I have gotten comments from...challenging patients who claimed we are so lucky (in a sarcastic or nasty way), that we still get to keep our job, whereas they are forced to stay at home. Depending on your company policy and laws, you still get paid a certain wage. We have no choice but to work, because like it or not, healthcare is essential to everyone. And ask any healthcare workers, why do we risk our life to come to work, because we wanted to help you. It is never about us. Please don't act as though doctors and nurses don't have their own personal matters, or how lucky we are. Some of us were so overworked to the point where we couldn't even take break to spend with our loved ones. Throughout MCO, we came to work to help those in need. So please, stop saying how lucky we are and how unlucky you are. Be grateful with what you have, every little thing counts.
