Christmas won’t be the same on the labour ward of the Rotunda Hospital this year, now that midwife Yap Siew Hong is not around.
After working through Christmas for every one of the last 20 years, Yap, as she is known to her colleagues and friends, has finally retired at the age of 67.
Over a lifetime in midwifery, she has delivered at least 6,000 babies, she estimates, while working in Ireland, Saudi Arabia and the UK.
Four out of every 10 nurses and midwives registered here were trained outside Ireland. But even this figure hides the massive dependence of the system on overseas nurses such as Yap to fill antisocial shifts such as over Christmas.
In 21 years working at the Rotunda, Yap became a legendary, omnipresent figure, colleagues say, ever willing to take up the slack for others.
“I worked every Christmas because I have no family here,” she says. “People with families need the days off. What am I going to do, stay in my flat on my own?”
“It’s a very nice place to work over Christmas. Everyone is so happy when their baby is born, the place is decorated, you get free breakfast and lunch, so at least I’m fed as well. Where would I get a Christmas dinner if I didn’t work?”
From Johor in Malaysia, Yap left home at the age of 20 in 1976 to train as a nurse and then a midwife in London. There were 13 Irish girls on the same training course and so she came here to visit regularly.
“They wanted me to visit but I thought there were bombs falling left, right and centre. When I came it was to a farm in Skibbereen, and I have been visiting the same family from then to now.”
Saudi Arabia
After England, work took her to Saudi Arabia for 15 years. She returned home for a while but didn’t settle. She visited Australia but didn’t like it “because I grew up in the same part of the world”.
She arrived at the Rotunda in April 2001 and stayed. “This is a very nice hospital because it’s small. You know most people and most people know you.
“We have our ups and downs, you can’t expect to be here 21 years without stepping on someone’s toes. But at the end of the day it is a really nice family hospital.”
Over the years, she has kept in regular touch with about 20 of her patients, starting with a mother whose Rotunda baby is now 21.
At the end of the day, I love the Western world. I love Ireland. I love the people. I love the scenery. I’m so upset because I love my job and I love my hospital
— Yap Siew Hong, midwife
“Every Christmas I text them and ask them to send pictures. This girl’s mother wanted to call her Yap, but I said, ‘Don’t, you’ll give her nightmares.’”
Her experience of dealing with patients is overwhelmingly positive. “Most people treat me with respect. Even if they’re angry, they’ll come up afterwards and say, ‘I’m so sorry, that wasn’t me, I was distressed.’ Just a few people have said they didn’t want to be treated by me.”
As for the problems of the Irish health service, she points out that “everywhere is short-staffed, even Saudi”.
In January, she plans to return to Malaysia, where her 89-year-old mother and siblings live. Her hand has been forced by visa issues.
‘Very expensive’
“I didn’t take up Irish citizenship, because Malaysia doesn’t allow you take up two citizenships. My stamp only allows me to stay here when I’m working. If I want to retire here, I’d have to apply for a different stamp, but then I would be required to take out private health insurance, which is very expensive.”
Leaving Ireland will be a wrench: “At the end of the day, I love the Western world. I love Ireland. I love the people. I love the scenery. I’m so upset because I love my job and I love my hospital.”
