The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

06 2020 • 04 eature L ately, many have been circulating messages urging others to stay at home. Allow me to share my experience of having been forced to stay within the confines of my home. I was quarantined. My heart sank when I received news that the patient I had treated the previous week had been tested positive for Covid-19. What if I had been infected with the disease? What if I had unknowingly spread the infection to my colleagues and family? On March 22, I was assigned to my shift at the “red zone” of the emergency ward as usual. A 64-year-old male patient, accompanied by his son, entered the ward in a wheelchair, gasping for air and struggling to catch his breath. The patient and his son had been referred to the emergency ward instead of the quarantine ward, as both of them denied coming into contact with any Covid-19 patients. They also reported to have steered clear of mass gatherings. We proceeded to attend to the patient in our scrubs and N95 face masks, but we were not equipped with surgical gloves, protective clothing and face shields. Generally, doctors only wear surgical gloves when extracting blood samples from patients, conducting oral checkups or performing other procedures that require direct contact with the patient. The patient’s medical history revealed a track record of optimal health, free from any common afflictions or lung complications. We were perplexed by the worrying condition of his lungs; an X-ray of his lungs showed a blur of white spots, raising suspicions of a probable Covid-19 diagnosis. After seeking clarification from the patient’s wife and daughter, we discovered that the family had thrown a wedding banquet for the son earlier in March, which was attended by some 1,000 guests. The wife started experiencing shortness of breath – although her symptoms were not as severe as her husband’s – and was subsequently admitted to hospital. On March 23, the patient had tested positive for Covid-19. Seven medical personnel who had been in contact with the patient – myself included – received orders to undergo quarantine for 14 days. The emergency ward was suddenly deprived of seven medical staff due to a patient’s oversight – imagine the additional burden our colleagues had to bear in our absence. The hospital authorities arranged for the seven of us to undergo Covid-19 testing. An implement was inserted through my respiratory tract into my throat. The discomfort caused by the procedure brought tears to my eyes, but I endured as obtaining respiratory samples ensures Confessions of a frontline doctor Narrated by Dr. Chong Xin Yee (Emergency Department, Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital, Seremban) Composed by Yap Chai Hoon Translated by Choo Suet Fun Dr. Chong Xin Yee, who serves in the Emergency Department of Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, recounts her personal experience in quarantine after being exposed to a patient infected with Covid-19 on frontline duty.