British Woman Irked By Unhygienic Conditions At MAEPS Serdang COVID-19 Quarantine Centre
"Hundreds of ladies using the same wet [toilet]. Forget hygiene. I dread each visit."
By May Vin Ang — 11 Jan 2021, 07:22 PM
A British national who tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) centre in Selangor has deemed the place unhygienic and unacceptable for her recovery
Wishing to remain anonymous in this story, the teacher, who works at a private college in Cyberjaya, took to Facebook to highlight all the problems that she is facing at the quarantine centre.
Her post has become viral with over 2,100 shares at the time of writing.
The patient tested positive for COVID-19 on 4 January and was initially isolated at home
She said she was recovering well from her mild symptoms with good food, vitamins, and sleep in a quiet and comfortable environment at her own home.
However, for reasons unexplained, an ambulance sent by the Ministry of Health (MOH) picked her up and took her to the Serdang quarantine centre.
"[I was] given zero information about where I was going. Told it was Sungai Buloh Hospital, then Serdang Hospital," she said, adding that they had not told her what to bring for her stay, which left her completely unprepared.
She did not know anything about the quarantine centre and its procedures and had worried about food and drinks, medication, where she would shower and sleep, and exactly when she would be getting out.
The British national shared that she has been having a difficult experience at the quarantine centre
She said the hall's air-conditioning was freezing cold and she was not given a pillow and blanket when she arrived, but was told to take them from a discharged patient's bed after they had left.
The woman has also not been able to receive essential supplies from the outside, including medication, masks, sanitiser, soap, and clothes that have been arranged for her by her family and workplace.
Foreigner patients are also made to sleep on closely-packed camp beds instead of beds with mattresses that are provided to locals. Combined with the cold and the noise, she likened her lack of sleep to torture.
Besides that, she said hygiene has been an issue
"No soap or tissue in toilets. Intermittent water leaks and shortages. Hundreds of ladies using the same wet place. Forget hygiene," she said, adding that she dreads each visit to the bathroom.
She has also been highly concerned about food poisoning as the water dispensers in the halls were filthy and that a doctor actually found a bug in their food once.
"High chance of spread of diseases. No hand sanitiser anywhere, no cleaning of sleeping area, overflowing bins, no face masks given out, and no social distancing. How to get healthy?" she questioned.
As a vegetarian, her food has also been measly
"Food is dry, cold, and revolting. No fruits and little vegetables. Keep getting meat meals brought to me even though I've repeatedly told the nurses I'm vegetarian," she added.
Worse yet, she said some patients have been hiding their symptoms from the staff to not get their quarantine extended
However, trying not to point fingers, she acknowledges that the frontliners at the centre have been doing their best.
"The medical professionals here agree it's not ideal conditions, but their hands are tied and they're doing their best to look after us all. I have a lot of respect for them," she said.
Awaiting the completion of her quarantine on 13 January, the foreigner is still left in uncertainty as one of her daughters, also living in Malaysia, has just tested positive for COVID-19.
