Dr Ahmad, who is currently based in a Covid-19 quarantine and low-risk treatment centre in Sarawak, said the working hours for all staff had increased from eight to 12 hours daily in the last few weeks.
“The number of patients being admitted has also increased and working extra hours in PPE (personal protective equipment) is quite exhausting, especially since it is still Ramadan,” he told FMT.
Ahmad lamented that Hari Raya leave for all staff had been frozen, making it the second time he is spending the festive season away from his family in Shah Alam.
“As a human being, of course, I feel frustrated with the current situation. I haven’t gone home or seen my wife in six months.
“But with the recent developments in India and the virus mutating as we speak, I don’t think the numbers will come down in the near future.”
On Monday, health minister Dr Adham Baba said his ministry had recorded a steady increase in case numbers for the past five weeks, with an average of 3,049 cases last week.
The country also recorded 4,498 new cases yesterday, the first time the 4,000 mark has been breached since Feb 4.
Another frontliner, Dr Pragash in Johor, expressed disappointment in the rising number of cases as it meant all their efforts since early last year had gone to waste.
“In many ways, we are all trying our best to bring the number of cases down, but when you hear of 2,500 to 3,000 cases again, it means we’re still not going to get any leave, and that we’ll have to keep working extra shifts with longer hours,” he said.
According to Pragash, his department has been conducting at least 150 to 180 swab tests each day since the surge in infections. They previously did around 80 tests daily.
“It’s a daily battle that’s been extremely taxing and we still see no end to it,” he said, adding that all frontliners were expecting the virus situation to get worse.
“It is best for us not to take this lightly until we actually see zero cases for two weeks straight. Only then can we relax a little.”
Meanwhile in Selangor, Dr Vinitha told FMT that she has not taken annual leave since August last year. Her only down time are the occasional weekends or public holidays when she is not on call.
She said that hospital resources in the Klang Valley were now stretched, while frontliners were “low on battery”.
Vinitha also admitted that pandemic fatigue had taken over, not only among hospital staff but the general public as well.
“It is unfortunate that the stricter the rules get, the more rebellious people become instead of complying. It is definitely a team effort. We can’t see a drop in the graph (of infections) if we continue to do what we are doing now,” she said.
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