Mr Christopher Ong, senior radiographer at National Healthcare Group Diagnostics, was the radiography team leader for Mobile X-ray operations at the Community Care Facility at Singapore Expo in 2020.
His team was deployed to perform on-site X-ray examinations for patients aboard the Mobile X-ray trailer.
He recalls his experience: "There were many uncertainties and anxieties initially as it was the first time we were stationed at a facility that housed COVID-19 patients.
"I remember when migrant workers came for X-rays, they opened up to us about the difficult times when they were isolated from the outside world. Because they were confined to the Expo, sometimes X-rays were the only opportunities they had to interact with others.
“We did our best by offering words of encouragement and asking them simple questions like, ‘How are you feeling today?’
“I could feel they appreciated how we took time to talk to them and learn how they were feeling.
“After spending half a year there, it was a bittersweet feeling to leave our deployment. Seeing the migrant workers finally back in their dormitories, we were grateful that the pandemic was getting under control.
“This also re-ignited the spark of passion we had when we decided to join the field of healthcare — to serve and care for the public and for Singapore to tide through difficult times."
