By Yun Samean
the cambodia daily
At least 200 workers from the Tommy Textile Factory were sent to two Phnom Penh private hospitals after an apparent outbreak of food poisoning at the factory’s cafeteria, union officials said.
Staff at the hospitals said the number of workers was closer to 70.
Workers complained of vomiting and diarrhea they suspect was the result of a bad batch of raw shrimp and tamarind served at the factory on Monday. The workers were sent to Chuen Min and Chantreavuth hospitals.
Soth Chan Thou of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia claimed that more than 1,000 of the 2,000 workers at the factory were sickened, but not all required hospitalization. Some workers were treated at their homes, and others who were only slightly ill stayed at the factory and took medicine, she said.
The crush of patients at Chuen Min hospital overwhelmed the medical staff, causing problems when some patients went without beds and at least four others required oxygen.
The workers said they didn’t favor the free food provided by the factory, but ate it anyway because they were hungry after working long shifts.
“I didn’t want to eat [raw shrimp with tamarind], but I was very hungry; that’s why I decided to eat,” said Nuon Tha, 21.
So Ny Vanarath, 28, said he cannot afford to bring his own food to work. “The senior workers never eat the factory’s food. They eat only rice and they buy food from outside,” he said.
Peach Sao of Chuen Min hospital said Tuesday evening only 70 patients were sent to the hospital and all of them had gone home.
“The patients are getting better and they went back to their homes already,” said Pech Sao. “All of the patients weren’t seriously sick. Some got slightly sick and were sent to the hospital by the factory.”
