Netizens Outraged After Govt Hospital Bans Food Delivery For Staff & Patients
Hartal Doktor Kontrak slammed the hospital for being insensitive towards its staff who enjoy the convenience.
By May Vin Ang — 11 Aug 2022, 11:07 AM
Sungai Buloh Hospital is under fire on social media for purportedly banning all online food deliveries for staff and patients at the hospital
The issue was made known on Twitter yesterday, 10 August, by junior doctor rights movement Hartal Doktor Kontrak, which shared a photo of a circular from the hospital about the ban.
The circular, dated 9 August and reportedly issued by the hospital director, stated that the decision was reached during a meeting with all hospital department heads on 26 July.
The document said the ban on online food deliveries was due to food waste that has "compromised the cleanliness of hospital wards"
It said the hospital has been receiving numerous complaints of increasing food waste and litter, as well as pests on hospital grounds.
The circular then stated that the hospital cafeteria has been reminded to improve its services and preparation of food to meet the demands of staff and the general public.
The move was slammed by Hartal Doktor Kontrak for being insensitive towards hospital staff who enjoy the convenience because they work around the clock, as well as patients who may want to eat at odd hours
"This is Ministry of Health's (MOH) logic, ban food delivery like Grab and foodpanda for staff and patients. Might as well ban eating so that there will be no waste produced," the group criticised.
"Those who made this decision have forgotten what it felt like to be hungry while on call, that's why they have decided as such."
As of writing, the tweet has garnered over 2,000 retweets and hundreds of replies from netizens expressing concern and criticism over the new hospital ruling
"Are they stupid or what? When doctors become hungry during on-call at night, who are they going to call? The director?" replied a Twitter user sarcastically.
Meanwhile, another netizen pointed out that the solution to the problem highlighted in the circular did not make sense.
"The director's solution: 'Oh, there are pests. Let's ban food delivery.' LOL. Improve the rubbish and pest control lah," they said.
Another Twitter user also questioned the hospital's management of its cafeteria and waste disposal instead, saying, "This shows failure of the hospital administration to handle the support service to maintain the hospital rubbish disposal and cleaning."
"Does the hospital’s kitchen meet the standards in food safety, nutrition, and taste? Will the kitchen be able to cope with the increased demands to cater for all staff?"
SAYS has reached out to Sungai Buloh Hospital for a response on the matter.
