Show healthcare staff our appreciation: Halimah
President Halimah Yacob has urged Singaporeans to stand behind the country's healthcare workers in the light of reports that some have been poorly treated.
Madam Halimah noted in a Facebook post yesterday that "it is up to us as individuals in our daily interactions with them to show our appreciation, support and empathy".
Her remarks came after Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Wednesday that showing nurses and doctors appreciation could "give them a morale boost to continue the fight".
Madam Halimah wrote: "It is really painful to read and hear about how our front-line healthcare workers are treated... Remember that they too are human beings and worry about their own health and that of their families as they plod on daily to take care of other people's family members."
Some healthcare workers have said that people in public spaces are giving them a wide berth when they are in uniform and that some private-hire drivers have been reluctant to pick them up.
Some even said they are considering changing out of their uniforms after their shifts to put others more at ease.
Madam Halimah added in her post: "Why then do some of us make their lives so difficult at a time when we need them the most? "As I've said before, how we respond to this crisis defines us as a people... Let's do it the Singaporean way."
WELFARE HOME
Earlier in the day, she visited the MWS Christalite Methodist Home in Marsiling Drive and interacted with the welfare home's elderly residents during their therapy sessions.
She also distributed hygiene products including disinfectant liquid and hand sanitisers.
She had said on Wednesday that the President's Challenge, an annual event that mobilises resources to help the less fortunate, will be donating $250,000 to the Courage Fund to further support vulnerable groups to tide over this period.
Meanwhile, people and groups across the island have been rallying behind nurses and other healthcare workers.
Some have penned them handwritten notes, while some Grab drivers said they are keen to join a new service called GrabCare to help medical workers get to and from healthcare facilities.
Donations have also started pouring in towards coronavirus patients, healthcare workers and their families.
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