Lifestyle
Rachel Wan speaks out on father’s solitary passing in Singapore hospital due to staffing shortages
Rachel Wan of ‘Kin’ highlighted her father’s solitary passing in a Singapore hospital due to understaffing in an Instagram post. She contrasted Singapore’s overworked healthcare culture with Australia’s, emphasizing the need for a better work-life balance in the nation.
SINGAPORE: On 25 August, Rachel Wan, the 26-year-old star of ‘Kin’, took to Instagram to share a poignant account of her father’s passing, revealing that he had died alone in a Singapore hospital due to understaffing issues.
Wan’s emotional revelation sheds light on the need for a transformation in the prevailing culture of overworking in the nation.
Disparities between healthcare work in Singapore and Australia
In a candid Instagram video, Wan expressed her long-standing desire to address a topic she finds deeply meaningful.
She remarked, “I came to Australia because I felt like there was a better work-life balance here,” before unveiling a recent discovery that profoundly affected her.
The ‘Kin’ star recounted her encounter with a nurse who had previously worked in the same Singapore hospital where her father had spent his final moments.
This nurse later moved to Australia, much like Wan herself.
A stark contrast between working conditions in the two countries emerged.
Wan unveiled that in Singapore, nurses might be tasked with managing “up to 12 patients at any given time”. Conversely, in Australia, nurses are limited to caring for six patients each.
Moreover, Australian healthcare staff are afforded designated rest periods between shifts, a practice reportedly absent in Singapore.
Heartbreaking account of Wan’s father’s passing
Wan’s emotions were palpable as she recounted the circumstances leading to her father’s demise, underscoring the fact that he passed away in solitude at the hospital without any loved ones by his side.
Her poignant Instagram tribute suggested that he passed away in March 2022.
Describing the events of his passing day, she detailed how her father had been transferred from the emergency ward to the general ward as his time grew short.
However, to access him, Wan and her family had to undergo a Covid-19 test, mandatory at the time for hospital visits. Tragically, her father passed away during the testing process.
Distressingly, no one from the hospital informed them of his passing.
Wan expressed her shock, revealing that they discovered his lifeless body alone in the ward without any staff present.
When she inquired about the lack of communication, a doctor allegedly cited understaffing as the reason.
Wan stressed the importance of sharing her experience, noting that the healthcare sector is not the only one grappling with such challenges in Singapore.
She asserted that overworking should not be celebrated as an achievement and urged for a shift towards a healthier work-life balance in the nation.
Her Instagram post resonated with many, drawing a flood of comments from netizens who shared their similar experiences and nurses who opened up about the demanding work environment they face.
Amidst the discussions, Wan clarified that her father’s passing was due to oesophageal cancer, not Covid-19.
A plea for empathy and understanding
In response to differing opinions, including some who highlighted Singapore’s relative advantages compared to other countries, Wan emphasized that her intention was to raise awareness about the lack of work-life balance in Singapore.
Influencer and doctor Zoen Tay also contributed to the discourse, acknowledging room for improvement in both countries’ healthcare systems.
Wan extended her empathy to Singaporean nurses, finding a sense of healing in realizing that her father wasn’t neglected due to a lack of care, but rather due to the strain of their demanding workload.
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Blue-collar workers hold up civilisation. The ruling government has ignored them for too long, at the detriment of everyone.
I hope the 70% are saving up, because the ruling government will be needing their money to fix their own mess in the near future.
The “stark contrast” mentioned is easy to explain.
One country claims to be a “developed country.” While the another is actually a “developed country.”
World-class healthcare, but only if you can afford a private hospital bed.
Dear Ms CB mouth, Firstly blah blah condolences. Do you know how many people die alone in SG everyday? Those who can’t afford senior care, those who are chucked in the aged home, those who are homeless. Thank your lucky stars the man died with dignity and under a roof. Why don’t you pick your bottom up and go volunteer at some old aged home or hospitals if you’re so critical about the system? In fact the shortage of health care workers play an important role too, well I bet you already knew that. So instead of using your time… Read more »
Is Rachel Wan prepared to join the hospital as nursing staff with low pay?
If not…Rachel Wan……please shut your CB mouth like all Sinkie bitches, who only know HOW TO COMPLAIN AND BE CRITICAL!
NO WONDER EVEN THE LOCAL GUYS GOT TO FIND FOREIGN GIRLS TO MARRY!😆😆😆😆
Smart Nation flunk health care provisions, to care, and save to lives of it’s own people – what sort of country is this – eFF IMMORAL Administrators DRAWING HUGE MILLIONS of Dollars of salaries treating own citizens like shit.
Certain jobs need to be paid more and have rosters and duties spread out.
Importantly, we, the users of such services must accept & agree that it will
be much more expensive.
We cannot say we want better quality but unable or unwilling to pay for it.
We did pay for world’s most expensive politicians, no??
And we continue to pay that price for more than 30 years.
It is so contradictory.
Citizens are truly dumb fools here… and have zero courage.
First, I would like to extend my condolences to Rachel Wan for the loss of her father. It is also heart wrenching for a person to know their loved ones passed on alone. The problem of manpower shortage in our healthcare has still not been resolved. Even in polyclinics, you have to wait a long time past your appointment to see a doctor. Imagine if you had fasted the night before with your appointment for tests at 8.30 am the next day but you have to wait an extra 1 to 1.5 hours before your turn. For some, the hunger… Read more »
I agree with Rachel Wan. A family member who had breathing difficulties in December last year could n’t get a bed and was kept in the Emergency ward which was overcrowded with only one doctor and two nurses. I think this is a result of the increase in population without the supporting infrastructure in place. There are many Singaporeans who could not get beds during the COVID. The recent recruitment of nurses from other countries is unfair as we are stealing their health care workers and their countries will suffer because we are focused on the increase in GDP by… Read more »
Overworked and understaffed, and yet, … the guiding light and saving grace is efficiency, if you can even call it that !!!
To ram home what little positives that exists, … “we’re” better than most countries by comparison.
So, … let’s just accept the efficiencies and that we’re better than most countries, and “as you were” then !!!
What an absolute “cop out” !!!
My CB (cuckoo bird) tells me: Why are we keeping our $trillion reserves ? Why aren’t we using our reserves to fund more nurses in Singapore , build more hospital beds, etc? give better benefits, rewards and recognition to nurses , doctors, cleaners, etc working in the hospitals? Also we need to take care of foreign nurses too who make sacrifices for Singaporeans, I am not sure about foreign doctors (no comments). What do you think?
Thank you CB !!!