I hardly share what happens at work, but today (Wednesday, 27 May), I am feeling extremely frustrated and drained.
My nurse took this picture at 4am today while we were waiting for a baby to be delivered.
This is me.
I was having a challenging call to begin with as there were few really ill babies keeping my team and I busy all night. We were working continuously from 8am in the morning (the day before).
At 3am, we received this call asking us to 'standby' for a baby who is going to be delivered via C-Section. Standby is when the paediatric team is present at birth to ensure resuscitation is done if required and the baby is okay post-delivery.
When a patient goes in for a C-Sec operation, a minimum of 10 to 15 doctors/staff are needed just to run the operation theater and conduct the procedure smoothly (Personnel include those from the anaesthetic, obstetric and paediatrics team).
Ideally, we don't favour operations being done at 4am as we have fewer doctors and staff working at this time. If there are emergencies that occur then, there is less help available and everything becomes more stressful.
However, if a baby is in distress or the mother is unwell, then yes - it is an indication to proceed for an EMERGENCY C-section regardless of the time.
However, this WASN'T entirely the cause for today's 3am C-Section. Today's operation took place because the mother delivering was a 'probable COVID-19 patient'. Her COVID-19 RTK screening test came back positive.
When we asked her how this was possible, her reply was that she went "visiting/travelling" during Raya. Her relatives were unwell and yet, she 'chose' to visit them. She 'chose' to go to their houses, not wear masks, not maintaining physical distancing and basically, not follow proper SOPs.
It didn't stop there. She came back home and wasn't feeling too well herself. However, she still had relatives/friends come over to her own house for 'visiting'.
It frustrates me that throughout this ordeal, she couldn't spare two minutes to think about how this affects her unborn 'baby'.
Forget about us frontliner strangers, but she didn't realise that if she is COVID-19 positive, it changes her entire delivery experience.
If she is positive, her baby will have to be isolated from her once delivered, undergo a series of tests and swabs just hours after being born.
If her baby tests positive, she didn't think of the possible harm she could've brought to her child. She didn't think of the amount of resources that will be used just to facilitate her one delivery because of her lack of consideration to follow the SOPs.
Zero consideration was given, zero awareness was present.
At this point, it's extremely tiring and demotivating. It is tiring when you feel you have to fight this battle alone and some 'people' (rakyat) are least bothered to think and play their role in this.
They are least bothered to help you fight this and flatten the curve. They rather listen to fake news, disregard SOPs, tell lies to cross borders and as a result, continue spreading the virus.
Today, Malaysia has hit 7,000 cases (highest number ever) and this is why.
It is because there is ZERO awareness and consideration from some. At this point, despite two weeks of MCO, cases are still rising.
We can't do this alone. We will fail if you don't do your part.
To everyone reading this, I beg you - please do your part.