Woman concerned to see pooping pigeon on bed left outside hospital: 'I don't think it's very hygienic'
It's common to see hospital beds parked outside Accident and Emergency (A&E) units at local hospitals, but after witnessing pigeons lounging on those beds, one TikToker is asking whether the practice is truly hygienic.
In a video posted on Dec 20, lawyer turned yoga instructor Lalitha – who is behind the TikTok and Instagram accounts @fairyfitmama – recounted what she witnessed after visiting her uncle in a hospital.
Her TikTok video has already been viewed at least 67,200 times and has garnered at least 1,719 reactions.
Lalitha's video showed pigeons surrounding the hospital beds that were parked near the carpark by the A&E unit, with some sitting on the bed railings.
One pigeon even appeared to poop while it was perched on the railing of one of the hospital beds, though Lalitha noticed that droppings had fallen in the gap between two hospital beds.
Lalitha highlighted that she felt this practice is "unsanitary", as pigeons can transmit diseases via dried droppings that carry numerous bacteria and parasites. This can put the health of immunocompromised individuals at further risk.
She also shared some best practices for hospital hygiene, which she had found through desktop research. This includes storing equipment, especially anything that might come into contact with patients, in dedicated indoor storage spaces that are clean and dry.
In response to a Stomp query, Lalitha, who wanted to be known only by her first name, told Stomp that she had witnessed this on Dec 1, right before noon.
She initially wanted to express her concerns to hospital staff after the pigeon sighting, but she had to send her aunt home as the older woman was tired after being up all night at the hospital.
"I couldn't make her wait for me to talk to someone so I decided to just email them later," Lalitha clarified.
The yoga instructor said she emailed the hospital on Dec 13 and Dec 14, but has only received automated replies without "substantive responses" yet.
'Not to finger-point and blame'
She also emphasised: "I understand that our hospitals are trying their best to work with what limited space and resources they have."
Lalitha added that she does not want to name the hospital publicly as her motive is not to "finger point and blame", but to allow the hospital and relevant authorities to find "viable solutions" to the problem of pigeon dirtying hospital beds.
"Maybe this could encourage the relevant ministry departments to look into giving our hospitals more space and/or resources etc," said Lalitha.
Some netizens pointed out that it is customary for hospital staff to disinfect all beds thoroughly before any patient gets on them.
TikTok user @Dr Yogamathi Ulaganathan, who claimed to be a doctor, urged Lalitha and her followers not to worry. She said that beds placed outside the hospital are usually "extra beds", and that "hospitals follow strict rules in maintaining patient distance and bedside hygiene".
Dr Yogamathi Ulaganathan further advised Lalitha to file an "incident report" if she was concerned, so that hospital staff could better explain the situation to her.
Stomp has reached out to the hospital for comment.
