It used to be when we felt a little peckish, we would have to go through the trouble of having to drive out of our own homes to the nearest restaurant and bungkus a snack or meal to satiate any cravings we may have. But of course, that’s no longer the case as with the advent of food delivery platforms, all of our favourite meals can be obtained by means of just a few taps over our smartphone screens.
Hospital Sg Buloh bans food delivery services among patients and staff
With that being said however, a circular issued by a local hospital has been making the rounds over social media, which allegedly claims that both patients and hospital staff will be banned from using food delivery apps to have meals sent to hospital premises. The issue was initially raised by junior doctor rights movement Hartal Doktor Kontrak through their official Twitter page on Wednesday (August 10th 2022).
The hospital in question is none other than Hospital Sungai Buloh, a public healthcare facility that was most well-known for serving as Malaysia’s main COVID-19 hospital throughout the pandemic.
Issued by the hospital director, the circular states that the ban was enforced after food waste and rubbish was said to have ‘compromised cleanliness’ in hospital wards. This is in addition to reports that were allegedly lodged over pests and rodents that were found on hospital grounds as a consequence.
In order to help compensate for the lack of food delivery services at the hospital, the in-house cafeteria has been instructed to further improve and enhance their services to meet increased demand.
Ban met with criticism from all quarters
The circular was met with criticism by members behind Hartal Doktor Kontrak, who have pointed out how dismissive and insensitive the ban was towards the needs of hospital staff who eat at irregular hours due to strenuous work schedules, as well as hospital patients who may feel hungry at odd hours.
Similarly, netizens have panned the hospital’s decision to ban food delivery services outright, calling it nonsensical.
“Stupid or what? So who do we call if we’re hungry and on-call at night? The director?”
“Hospital kitchens don’t cater to all staff after office hours, only doctors. For the rest, find your own means!”
“Improve the waste and pest management system X
Banned food delivery ✓”
In light of the backlash, the hospital has since reversed their decision on the ban in a follow-up circular that was issued today (August 11th 2022).
UPDATE : Sudah terhantuk baru tengadah pic.twitter.com/gfcAFgCV3z
— HartalDoktorKontrak (@HKontrak) August 11, 2022
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