President lauds MOH Covid-19 service staff at Istana event

After nearly three decades of service as an air traffic controller with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Ms Josephine Nahammal Vedamuthu was ready to retire in 2020.

But when the 54-year-old saw an e-mail for a job at the Ministry of Health to assist in the Covid-19 pandemic, she put her plans on hold.

"I have handled operations in RSAF, so I thought my experiences are relevant and I can definitely contribute to Singapore's effort (against the Covid-19 pandemic)," Ms Josephine said.

She now leads a team ensuring patients are at the right care facilities and getting the medical treatment that is appropriate for them.

Ms Josephine was one of the 25 Covid-19 service staff from the MOH's Crisis Strategy and Operations Group who attended the #ServingSG appreciation event at the Istana yesterday.

Some of the other staff who were present were from the vaccination operations task group and testing operations task group.

Thanking them for their service, President Halimah Yacob noted that Singapore has just crossed the two-year mark of the pandemic.

"Your contributions position Singapore and Singaporeans to better face the challenges that lie ahead," she said.

Also at the event were staff from the vaccination operations and testing operations task groups.

Madam Halimah said the event could not accommodate more people because of safe distancing measures, but that workers aiding Singapore's Covid-19 fight deserved more appreciation.

"It's not easy. It's extremely difficult because you have to do work which I think a lot of people would rather not do because they're concerned with their own safety, their health, their family, but you are doing your very best," she said.

"I hope on a daily basis, people will remember that and will continue to show their support and appreciate the work that you do."

Madam Halimah also noted that The Straits Times has published a book, In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story, about the nation's fight against the pandemic.

Each MOH attendee was also presented with a token of appreciation and got to meet Madam Halimah. Ms Josephine said: "I felt very honoured and very touched that the President shared how much our efforts meant to her. It makes all the long hours (that I have contributed) worth it."

Also receiving a token of appreciation was Mr Samuel Goh, an executive officer at the epidemiology team in MOH.

The 28-year-old worked as a pharmacist previously, but joined MOH in September last year.

Mr Goh said: "The reason I decided to switch to a career in public health was so that I could achieve a greater impact in terms of positive health outcomes."

Since then, he has been involved in investigating Covid-19 clusters and potential clusters across Singapore. As contact tracing sessions take place every day, Mr Goh, who lives with his grandmother, parents and younger sister, said he often has to sacrifice family time.

"My family has shown a lot of understanding in terms of the change in work hours and the additional risk that they are facing. They have been checking on me regularly, so I am really grateful for their support," he added.