Cabin crew from Singapore Airlines (SIA) have taken on the roles of Care Ambassadors at our local hospitals, starting with 30 of them deployed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital yesterday (Apr. 7).
These cabin crew have been redeployed because they were temporarily grounded due to cancelled flights.
Care Ambassadors are assigned to low-risk wards to support hospital care teams to carry out basic caregiving procedures for patients suffering from chronic diseases, heart diseases, an acute surgical conditions.
Over a week, these Care Ambassadors will be undergoing basic training and learn how to carry out procedures like oral feeding, positioning and turning, and moving a patient from place to place.
They will then be deployed to work nine-hour day and night shifts at the hospital for five days a week.
"An honour for me to participate in this initiative"
One of the Care Ambassadors, Looi Jia Wen, has been flying with SIA for one and a half months.
She feels that it is an honour to participate in the initiative.
"Personally, I feel that it is an honour for me to participate in this initiative. This is a challenging period not just for Singapore, but globally. I volunteered to be a care ambassador because it is a very good opportunity for me to make use of what I have learnt in my role as a cabin crew and contribute back to society. I strongly believe that with everyone's cooperation, we will be able to pull through this crisis together."
Care Ambassadors on their orientation tour around Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Credit: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Another Care Ambassador, Fabien Sieh Ziwei, who has been flying with SIA for 12 years, agrees.
"It is a blessing for me to be able to give back to society during this pandemic. It is always good to be in someone else’s shoes to understand them better, and I now have an opportunity to experience the role of a healthcare worker."
Sieh also hope to learn from other healthcare workers and obtain skills that can benefit others:
"I want to experience working in an environment where people help to save lives. I hope to learn from the healthcare workers and obtain skills that can make a difference to the lives and futures of myself and those around me."
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital staff showing Care Ambassadors around the hospital for their orientation tour. Credit: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Care Ambassadors on their orientation tour around Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Credit: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Rozlizah Binte Saleh, who has been flying with SilkAir for 12 years, believes that working as a Care Ambassador is a noble job:
"When the application of care ambassador was announced, I was very motivated to be a part of it and immediately applied for the position. I’ve always had passion to help others, especially elderly in need. I strongly believe that working as a care ambassador is a noble job and I would love the opportunity to support the community against Covid-19, or at least be of help any way I possibly can."
She hopes that this secondment to KTPH will help her gain knowledge and a better understanding of medical skills that she can put to good use in her career.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Nurse Manager demonstrating how to assist a patient to sit up during meal time. Credit: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Scoot crew-in-charge Siti Musleha Binte Husain hopes that her work as a Care Ambassador will help to lighten the workload on medical professionals on the frontline:
"In such challenging times, although it’s unfortunate that Scoot flights are grounded, we appreciate that the company is extending our knowledge, skills and abilities to other industries in the role of a care ambassador. We hope that our help can lighten the current strain on these frontline professionals so that they can concentrate fully on the fight against Covid-19."
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital staff showing Care Ambassadors around the hospital for their orientation tour. Credit: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Top images courtesy of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.