Recently, public healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and healthcare staff at community care organisations and nursing homes, received a special one-time award amounting to $4,000 each for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic (100,000 healthcare workers to get $4,000 award each, Nov 6).

However, I understand house officers were not given the award.

House officers hold a provisional licence for one year. Their normal working day starts around 5am to 6am and ends at about 6pm to 7 pm. Sometimes this can go on to 10pm.

House officers are rotated among different teams in different departments and at different hospitals.

Before senior healthcare workers arrive at the hospital, house officers look through patients' records to see what happened to them overnight. They also look after patients by checking their vital signs and monitoring their condition.

Hospitals rely heavily on house officers as front-line workers ensuring the welfare of patients.

A house officer can be responsible for 30 or more patients at a time depending on the department he is in.

Besides shouldering great responsibility by caring for patients, they also have to deal with the family members of the patient.

Perhaps the Government can reconsider giving the award to house officers, who are at the beginning of their careers and carrying out their work diligently.

S. Retnam

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-consider-cash-award-for-house-officers