Unvaccinated hospital cleaner dies of Covid-19, union demands compensation

 

An unvaccinated cleaner at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, died of Covid-19 last month.

Hospital sources told Malaysiakini the Indonesian woman was unvaccinated, and that she had only recently started working at the hospital, which treats Covid-19 patients.

"The hospital administration and the private support services contractor Radicare allowed this poor woman into the hospital full of Covid-19 patients during this Covid-19 surge, without vaccination.

"It does not matter to other frontliners whether she is Indonesian or Malaysian. We need to protect all frontliners, their families, and the wider community," one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Checks with the National Union of Workers in Hospital Support and Allied Services confirmed the woman's death.

Demanding that her family be compensated, the union said the deceased started work at HTAR in June and was admitted for Covid-19 on July 12.

She was ventilated on July 22 and died the same day, said the union which also demanded the Health Ministry investigate the issue.

"We learnt that other cleaners at HTAR were vaccinated in May, and this person was unvaccinated because she started working there in June; she was made to work until she was infected with Covid-19.

"The big question now is, why are cleaners who are key frontliners not vaccinated and why did the Health Ministry, the main contractor Radicare and subcontractor Harta Maintenance Sdn Bhd not take this matter seriously and ensure all cleaners are vaccinated before being deployed to HTAR, which is treating Covid-19 patients?" the union asked in a statement.

When contacted, hospital director Dr Zulkarnain Mohd Rawi said all questions about cleaners should be directed to Radicare, the company contracted to provide the service to the hospital.

In an email reply to Malaysiakini, Radicare said it cannot provide information on the matter.

Tip of the iceberg

The union said the death is likely just the tip of the iceberg as many hospital workers have complained of dangerous work conditions in this pandemic.

Among others, they complained of insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), being made to work beyond their job scope and not being briefed on safety protocols when working in areas where Covid-19 patients are treated.

As such, the union demands that family members of cleaners who died after contracting Covid-19 at work be compensated and assisted.

It also demanded that the ministry ensure all frontliners, including cleaners and security guards, are fully vaccinated and provide sufficient PPE.

Critical allowance extended to medical frontliners working to treat Covid-19 patients be extended to other staff who work in Covid-19 affected areas, regardless of their nationality, it said.

"(The ministry should) acknowledge the contributions of cleaners as key frontliners in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic," it said. - Mkini