TTSH Allowed Possible Human Contagion without Quarantine
by MIKOspace
A Radiographer
nursing staff [Facebook nickname “Edz Ello”] of Singapore’s Tan Tock Seng
Hospital (TTSH) posted inflammatory threats to
“kick out Singaporeans” and “prayed (wished) for Singaporean deaths” on his
Facebook has been placed
on administrative duties, pending police investigations. The Hospital decision apparently ignored a
pattern of similar derogatory anti-Singapore remarks on his Facebook.
Pending the outcome of a purported
Police investigations, the Standard HRM practice is to
suspend the staff and bar his presence from the Hospital for up to 7 days (as
allowed by labour laws) while convening a separate Internal Inquiry which would
carry out a forensic analysis of his work station, including official and
personal computers, personal papers, case files, as well as conduct interviews
of co-workers and friends. Any past incidents should be flagged eg. Mails,
posts, graffiti and quarrels involving Singaporean patients, co-workers, visitors
and vendors should be re-examined. Should
he be deem a flight risk, the Police should detain him under protective custody
and/or retain his passport.
While on
suspension, the Staff could prepare and collect whatever evidence to support
his purported defense [“Someone hacked his Facebook account”]. Given the pattern
of similar derogatory anti-Singapore remarks on his Facebook, his defense
seemed incredulous. Nonetheless, the Staff
is entitled to due process in Singapore where we apply the Rule of Law even for
the more hardened social and criminal offender.
It is a Major Mistake to allow the Staff
to return to the workplace amidst the negative publicity against him, and to
provide him opportunities for the possible tampering or removal of evidence against
him and/or threaten co-workers and other persons against incriminating him.
Furthermore, the
words specifically used on his Facebook, and previous postings, [“pray(ing) for “disastors” to strike
Singapore and wants to see more Singaporeans die”], if indeed attributed to him, would
clearly make him a
potential danger to hundreds of Singaporean TTSH staff, Singaporean patients as
well as thousands of Singaporean visitors to TTSH daily.
It is a monumental lapse of leadership judgment to allow the Staff to be in the Hospital,
to continue dealing with Singaporeans whom his words [if attributable] had so
murderously directed at, before the final determination of the threat
assessment that he posed to public safety and security, especially to the
Hospital patients, staff and visitors.
As Singapore’s Top
Communicable Disease Center, TTSH should know that a contagion MUST be quarantined
and contained. Suspending and Barring
the Staff from the Hospital where he could pose a danger to others, and also
for his own safety, would not violate any of his civil and due process rights.
This is straight-forward
human resource and national
security problem.
At worst, we have
discovered a
potential serial killer who harbours murderous thoughts for the deaths of
all Singaporeans. At best, the Staff was
merely suffering from a mental defect or disease resulting
from prolonged working in Singapore far from home. If the former, the Police would deal with him
accordingly.
Should the Staff be diagnosed with a mental defect or illness
against Singaporeans and all things Singapore, just remove him like a virus from
the environment that “caused” or “feed” his affliction – Singapore. The obvious solution then is to deport the
Staff and bar him from entering Singapore for his own mental health recovery.
TTSH as
a highly respectable public healthcare institution should have managed the case
in a more professional and serious manner instead of merely transferring the
Staff to administrative duties (seriously?) and allowing him to walk freely around
the Hospital as a potential danger to patients, staff and the public who are
Singaporeans.
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