KUALA LUMPUR – The management of Sg Buloh Hospital have retracted a ban on online food orders for staff and patients on hospital grounds with immediate effect.
In a statement today, the hospital’s director Dr Kuldip Kaur Prem Singh said the decision was made to retract an earlier memo issued on the ban after receiving feedback.
“Please be informed that hospital management has retracted the ban mentioned in the memo dated August 9, 2022, with immediate effect.
“Thank you for all the feedback and views given on the matter. The hospital is always committed towards the welfare and needs of the hospital staff,” said Dr Kuldip in the statement.
Yesterday, The Vibes reported criticism by the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group over the ban.
The medical workers’ rights advocacy group said the hospital management was being insensitive towards staff who would face difficulties obtaining meals on hospital grounds while on duty beyond the standard working hours.
Hartal Doktor Kontrak also tweeted a snapshot of the circular dated August 9.
KKM logic, ban food delivery like #Grab & #Foodpanda for staff and patients. Might as well ban eating so that there will be no waste produced.
— HartalDoktorKontrak (@HKontrak) August 10, 2022
Yg buat keputusan dah lupa kot rasa tengah oncall & rasa lapar, sebab tu buat keputusan mcm ni. pic.twitter.com/rPCICu6p2e
The circular stated that the ban was decided on during a meeting with all heads of department on July 26.
It said the ban on all online food deliveries on hospital grounds was due to numerous complaints lodged over food waste and litter, apart from the presence of pests in hospital wards.
As a compromise, the circular also stated that cafeteria services on the hospital grounds will be improved to meet the demands of staff and the general public. – The Vibes, August 11, 2022