KUALA LUMPUR: A nurse at a government hospital has called on patients to treat frontline workers more humanely and not as "slaves" after some patients claimed that they should receive good treatment as they "contribute" to the nurses' salaries.
Recalling her unpleasant experiences through a series of postings on X, the nurse had questioned comments from patients who claimed that they pay the salaries of the nurses working in government hospitals as they are the ones who had to fork out money to buy certain essentials for the patients.
She said some patients who keep on calling nurses for help should have more common sense and be patient especially when they are bombarded with work.
"I felt so sad when I heard one uncle saying 'I pay your salary to wash my diapers'. Do you think that we are your slaves? We only do it due to courtesy. He should watch what he says especially when he's sick.
"In what way do they pay our salary? We are the ones who have to fork out money to buy wet tissues and diapers for the patients.
"The hospital is a place to treat the sick and not a welfare centre. This does not even include cases of children who do not want to bring their fathers home, instead preferring to let them just die in hospital," she said.
The nurse added that there were also instances where she some patients demanded water immediately, even though she had to attend other pressing matters.
"Please have common sense as a human. If you see that we are busy, please be patient," she said.
Her series of postings had also received positive reactions from netizens who said the duty to attend to patients in hospitals are on family members.
User @syamim_zulkifly said the duty to change patient diapers actually falls on the family members.
"Malaysians should be given the awareness that the duty to change patient's diapers and to bathe warded patients is not a nurses' job. The nurses will only help when there are no family members around.
"But no, the family members keep on complaining about a lot of things but they don't want to help or learn. When the nurses come to change their diapers, they run away," she said.
Another user, @wizzana, said children need to take care of their sick parents and not solely rely on nurses.
"There are a lot of incidents in hospitals but it is saddening when the children are around but when it comes to changing the diapers of their parents, they'd rather call the nurses.
"They should be the ones doing it and the nurses help when it is needed but not all children are like that. There were also instances that the mother did not allow (them to change their diapers)," she said.