Coronavirus: First foreign worker patient to be moved to rehabilitative care

Singapore's first foreign worker to be struck down by Covid-19 has, after more than three months in hospital, recovered sufficiently to be moved to a community hospital that focuses on rehabilitative care to recuperate.

Mr Raju Sarker, 39, who spent almost two months of his hos-pital stay in intensive care, was brimming with joy and gratitude in a video posted on Facebook by the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) yesterday.

"I want to thank the Singapore Government and those who prayed for me. I also want to thank my company and the MWC for supporting my family," he said in Bengali.

Mr Raju, who was Case 42, also thanked the doctors and nurses who "worked tirelessly" to help him recover as well as the Government for footing the bill for his treatment.

While in hospital, his wife in Bangladesh gave birth to their firstborn, a son, on March 30.

Mr Raju's journey to the brink and back began in early February, when he was warded in the intensive care unit of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

He was sedated and needed the help of a ventilator to breathe.

In March, he was cleared of the virus but continued in intensive care until the middle of last month, when he was moved to a general ward in Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

In the video, Mr Raju advised his fellow "migrant brothers" to observe the regulations set out by the Government to help stem the spread of Covid-19 in Singapore.

"If you fall sick, the Government will help you, just like when I fell sick, the Government stood by me. If you abide by the regulations don't be afraid, the Government will help and stand by you," he said.

Migrant workers living in dormitories make up most of the nearly 30,000 Covid-19 cases here.

Mr Raju also asked that people continue praying for him so that he could live a "healthy and happy life" with his family.

Sharing the video on Facebook, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said Mr Raju will soon be moved to the community hospital.

"Raju's recovery journey is nothing short of amazing, and I believe this will encourage our healthcare and front-line workers to continue doing their best for Singapore."

Mr Ng also reassured migrant workers that Singapore will continue to take care of them, adding: "As we progressively reopen workplaces, we must continue to work together to put safe management practices in place so that we can make Singapore safe for everyone."