Being Sick

Sitting in the tropics with a pack of tissue paper in one hand and a cup of hot tea in the other is not really what comes into your mind when you think of Singapore.
Luckily, in 2 years I've spent here so far, I never had any exotic stuff like Malarya, Dengue Fever or what ever, but I have spend more time in bed being grounded by a bad cold then in my entire life before.


AirCon - The Evil

I consider myself healthy, sporty and full of anti-bodies fighting the daily wave of bacteria and viruses...but still...getting caught in the rain on your way to the cinema and spending the next 2 hours in a freezer like movie theater is enough to knock you out for an entire week.

The main reason for all these sick leaves is the constant hot-cold-hot-cold you are being challenged with every day. The air cond was definately developed in Singapore and it has reached amazing powers by now, powers in terms of freezing you to death within 5 minutes. A typical morning for me looks like this:

Waking up at home (cold) - Walking to Mrt (hot) - 25Minutes Trainride (cold) - Walking to Office (hot) - Working at office (cold) - Getting a coffee(warm) - Back in office (cold) and so on and so on...and by then its only 9.30 and you have lived through more seasons then the average European ever will.. So dont be suprised if one day the AirCons of death will catch you too..


A List Of Quick Help

The good thing however is, that the flues / colds you catch in Singapore are more like One Night Stands, short, hard but not long lasting. So in general you can expect yourselve to be out of office for an average 2-3 days. And to speed up the process there are all kind of nice things to do.

• Get a pack of "Panadol" (Panadol is the one and only medicine against...everything...its like Aspirin in europe..only better. To confuse customers there are Panadols for Cold relieve, Panadols for Fever, Panadols for Headaches and so on...my advice..."Panadol For Cold Relief", 1 pack)
• Get a pack of "Panadol Cold & Flue Hot Remedy", its a Vitamin C rich powder you drink in hot water and it really helps
• Get a stack of "Three Leg Water" (its somehow some "magic" body cooling water, available in every 7-11, i never researched the origins and just took the advice but some local friends, now i drink it in case i have fever, believing is everything :)
• Lots of tea and water
• DONT (although you might loose just 2 litres of liquid due to sweating) turn on the aircon in your home, i know its tempting and not very comfortable to ly in a humid, sticky room, but it will only make things worse

Doctors and Hospitals

Should there be any concern or reason that you have to go to the doctor, there are plenty and they are supposed to be good and their equipment is all up to date. But be prepaired to pay in cash / credit card or nets for the "service". The health care system is different here. You will pay directly for whatever was practised on you and most probably you will file in the receipt to your health insurance which will pay you back the amount. As in every country there a black sheeps who will give you a quick (wrong) diagnosis in order to proceed as many patients as possible...take care and get a second opinion by another doctor if you are not sure about the first one. And dont forget to get a written statement for your medical leave, Singapore companies are very precises about your leaving days and will most probably require such a form from 1 day of sick leave ongoing.
Furthermore, old chinese medicine practicing doctors, like accupuncture etc are most probably not covered. (Read: Singapore Doctors/Hospitals)


Work - Dont feel guilty

In the beginning i was worried about staying home, leaving a bad impression behind, but after i actually never experienced a single day with full staff, meaning no one missing due to sickness...i acceptated my cold and tried to get better in my bed instead of in front of my desk. Locals easily top their anual granted holidays (approx. 15 days) with their sick leave days. Its very common to stay home here and this is not only due to your own health carring, but also in respect of your coworkers health.