Gan Kim Yong
Singapore
“Consumer complaints relating to the secondary resale market for tickets to major events and concerts have generally remained low. Nonetheless, to protect the public from scams on secondary ticket resale platforms, the Police have imposed Code of Practice requirements under the Online Criminal Harms Act to require designated online service…”
“Singapore does not condone the use of forced labour. We criminalise forced labour in Singapore under various laws. Relevant Government Ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force, play their part in investigating complaints of suspected breaches in domestic laws that relat…”
“The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) discontinued the PayNow nickname feature as scammers had been exploiting the use of nicknames to impersonate legitimate entities and trusted individuals.”
“As of end-2025, around 6,900 private residential buildings have registered their solar installations with SP Group for the export of excess solar-generated electricity to the grid. The installed solar capacity of these residential buildings is 115.3 megawatt-peak (MWp), or around 5.5% of all current installed solar capacity in Singapore.”
“The one-year pilot extension of liquor trading hours has seen strong interest from businesses. As of 31 May 2026, the Police have approved 88 applications for the extension of liquor trading hours from public entertainment outlets in these areas.”
“The Government does not make projections of domestic or regional demand for renewable diesel or sustainable aviation fuel. Demand depends on commercial considerations, evolving market conditions and regulatory developments across different jurisdictions.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,841 lines we hold for Gan Kim Yong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 24 of 77.
“7 million participants across five seasons and the participation has grown from 129,000 in 2015 to 913,000 in 2020. Regular users have also grown more active over time, recording an improvement of 35 minutes per week of physical activity from 2018 to 2020. This correlates with the earlier observations of the increase in total physical activity over the years. HPB’s increased efforts targeted at various settings, such as schools, workplaces, community, have improved the population’s accessibility to the various health promoting programmes. For example, our Healthy Workplace Ecosystems increased from 16 in 2015 to 68 in 2020 to bring programmes to over 406,000 workers in 2020. Customised programmes, such as health coaching, are offered to workers in sectors with a greater proportion of older workers, including transport and logistics, security sectors and more. These programmes have also shown good improvements in the health behaviours of their participants. For example, among those who participate in our Healthy Workplace Ecosystem programmes, seven in 10 participants surveyed reported an increase in active time, and one in three reported to be consuming healthier meals. We will continue to monitor the progress of these programmes. The resources the Government has committed to its preventive health enterprise is evidence of its sustained commitment to move "beyond healthcare to health". MOH will continue to champion the importance of health promotion to keep Singaporeans of all ages in good health.”
“From 2010 to 2018, Singaporeans were, generally, eating healthier with more wholegrains, less saturated fat while maintaining their daily levels of energy intake. Singaporeans were also moving about more as the prevalence of sufficient Total Physical Activity (TPA), defined as at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or equivalent activities per week, has increased among adult Singaporeans aged 18 to 74 from 73.1% in 2013 to 80.1% in 2019. Smoking prevalence has also decreased from 13.9 % to 10.6% and, with the raising of the legal smoking age to 21 on 1 January 2021, we hope to push smoking rates even lower. However, there remain challenges, such as the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, and we will need to sustain our efforts to address these. Thirdly, at the short-term programmatic level, we monitor the impact of different interventions based on desired outcomes, such as improved market share of healthier food choices, improved participation rates and access to health promotion activities, or improved health behaviours. For example, efforts, such as the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) programme and the Healthier Dining Programme (HDP), expanded healthier food choices for Singaporeans. The market share of HCS products has risen from 25% in 2010 to 29% in 2019, and the HDP attracted more than 2,600 food and beverage operators, hawker centres and coffeeshops, across 11,500 touchpoints as of December 2020. We will also be implementing mandatory labels and advertising regulations on sugar-sweetened beverages, to further encourage healthier choices. We have programmes that encourage physical activity, such as Sundays At the Park, Sunrise In the City and the National Steps ChallengeTM (NSC). NSC had 1.”
“In 2020, about 5% of MOH’s non-COVID-19 related budget, or $590 million, was spent on preventive healthcare. For 2021, a similar 5% of MOH’s non-COVID-19 related budget, or $720 million, is earmarked for preventive healthcare efforts, including $330 million to fund the work of the Health Promotion Board. These preventive healthcare efforts include public education campaigns, healthy lifestyle activities in schools, workplaces and community settings, engaging industry to spur reformulation of staple food products, subsidies for health screening and recommended vaccinations, and regulations to protect our health. The direct impact of preventive health interventions on overall population health can be challenging to quantify specifically as the overall health and well-being depends on many factors, including the individual’s lifestyle choices as well as other medical and social interventions. The impact of preventive health measures will also take time to manifest. However, the effect of these programmes can be monitored at three levels. Firstly, we monitor disease prevalence rates and disease burden, measured in the form of Disability Adjusted Life Years, or DALYs. Singapore’s age-standardised DALYs rate in 2019 was 15,045 per 100,000 population, a decrease from 25,491 DALYs per 100,000 population in 1990, which means that our population now, on average, experiences less potential life years lost due to ill-health and premature death. Singapore also ranked first globally for our health-adjusted life expectancy in 2019, which means that, compared to other countries, we live a longer life in good health. Secondly, in the short- to mid-term, the prevalence of modifiable lifestyle risk factors, such as physical inactivity, diet and smoking, are monitored.”
“My Ministry would like to remind the public that the importation, sale, distribution, purchase, use and possession of e-vaporisers and its accessories are prohibited under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. We will continue to work with our partner agencies to control access to, as well as educate the public on the negative health effects of these emerging products.”
“MOH and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) had observed an increase in the number of seized electronic vaporisers (e-vaporisers) in 2019 compared to the previous two years. This upward trend continued in 2020. Similarly, the number of cases involving the sales of e-vaporisers or individuals caught for possession of these products has seen an increase over the same period. HSA works closely with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to interdict e-vaporisers and related items smuggled through the checkpoints and parcels coming in via online orders. In addition, as part of enforcement efforts to prevent the illegal online sales of these products, HSA carries out active online surveillance and takes enforcement actions against those who buy or sell such products online. To complement our enforcement operations, HSA has also collaborated with online purchasing platforms, including Instagram, Carousell, Facebook and related e-commerce sites, to remove postings on the illegal sale of such products. In 2020, more than 2,000 postings were removed. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) works closely with MOE and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to raise awareness among youths about the benefits of leading a tobacco-free lifestyle and encourage them to stay vape-free. This involves organising online learning activities on the harms of vaping, through gamification methods, for example, virtual escape rooms, to educate the youths. HPB also provides resources for self-directed learning and trains educators so that they are equipped to discuss the harms of vaping with their students. Information on the negative effects of vaping is also available on HealthHub.”
“Sir, the answer to both questions is yes. We will try to make our report as easy to understand as possible. Maybe we will rely on "Mr Phua Chu Kang" to help us convey some of these messages. I believe some of you have seen the recent video that we have put out, which has been very effective in communicating some of these messages. We will see how we can make it simpler, easier to understand and to also avoid misunderstandings and rumours. Secondly, on the visitation to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, I think the Member would understand why we need to tighten our visitation rules because we do want to prevent any infection that is in the hospital from spreading to the community and also to prevent visitors bringing in new infection to the hospital that will complicate the management process at the moment. But we do understand that there are family members who want to visit their elderly, their frail loved ones, particularly those who are terminally ill. They want to spend time with them and the hospital will make exceptions. And if you do come across any of these cases, you can either appeal to the hospital or to me. We will make adjustments and we will make allowance for them to visit as much as possible, but to also take into account the various precautionary measures that have to be put in place. 1.44 pm”
“I bring along my grassroots leaders to see whether we can persuade the individuals, the seniors at home, to sign up and we help them sign up on the spot because many of them are waiting for their children, and their children will be very busy and unable to help them. So, we tried our best to reach out to them and make it easy for them to sign up. We also organise activities on the ground; to invite the seniors to come down, explain to them why vaccination is important and to also help set up a station to help them sign up on the spot. I think there are quite a few things that we can do and we can have our own way of reaching out to the seniors, to see how we can further promote vaccination among them. Again, it is also important to stamp out false information, misinformation and rumours that may stop them or discourage them from getting vaccinated. So, I would encourage all of us to verify our message that we have received before we virtually just forward them to all our friends. Please verify them. If they are not true, please do not forward them.”
“Sir, as I have mentioned in my speech, HSA is now evaluating the use of Pfizer-BioNTech for the younger population. And I believe the results should be out quite soon. Once the results are out and if it is, in fact, deemed effective and safe for deployment to the younger population, we will roll out the programme to vaccinate the younger population, also shortly. So, be patient with us, we are doing the assessment. I have to also explain that the assessment differs from country to country. While WHO and some countries may have approved the use, we still need to assess the efficacy and safety of this vaccine in our own context. So, it will take some time and I believe the results should be out shortly. Mr Perera also asked about whether we have learnt the lessons from other countries on the promotion of vaccination. Yes, indeed, we watched what the other countries do and we try to learn as much as we can from them, whether it is through promotion, through messaging and even through family members to encourage them. I think all of us will understand that every country is different, the culture is different, the context is different and beliefs are different. Therefore, we also have to evolve our own system of outreach to encourage people to sign up for vaccination. I must say that I am encouraged by the take-up rate so far. But I think it is always the last 20% to 25% that is most difficult to reach. Therefore, I would encourage all of us, Members of Parliament, as well as grassroots leaders, to do what we can to reach out, especially the harder to reach, the older population, to help to explain to them the importance of vaccination. I do house visits myself, before the recent tightening of the measures.”
“Thank you. Let me just clarify that 75 have been evaluated; 45 were rejected, 30 were approved. That is the number; not 75 are rejected. Among those that were rejected, some of them, the panel will have to assess whether it is more likely to be associated with vaccination or not. There is also a balance of probability that they have to assess. And some cases did not qualify because the severity did not meet the mark of a severe reaction. Some of it may be rashes, maybe some swelling, but does not require extensive medical care and, therefore, may not qualify for the application. So, there are a variety of reasons. But suffice to say that they are all assessed thoroughly by an independent panel before they were approved or rejected.”
“It is something that we are studying but it is not easy to swab all patients because some of them would already have symptoms and some of them may already have pre-existing conditions. Some of them, even after swabbing, could be negative. They could also be infected by visitors and they could also be within the incubation period and they can become positive thereafter. So, it is important for us to put in place safe distancing, safe management measures even within the hospital to ensure that precautions are taken. The staff, healthcare workers must wear the necessary protective wear, whether it is PPE, depending on the setting; even in the inpatient wards or outpatient areas, precautions have to be adopted. We cannot assume that after swabbing, everyone would be safe. But we are looking at to what extent we can extend the testing for visitors and for patients that are admitted into hospitals.”
“Sometimes, some may say it is better not to know. But, as far as I am concerned, I think it is better to know than not to know. At least, if we know that there are cases, we can deal with it, we can implement contingency plans to manage the patients and to also help the healthcare workers in these hospitals. So, I would urge Singaporeans to also refrain from going to emergency departments. If it is not an emergency case, not an urgent case, then go to our primary care clinics and get your issues attended to. If it is an emergency, if you are having a stroke or have a heart attack, if you have problems, do go to the emergency departments and we will take care of you.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I agree with Mr Giam that we need to be very careful in calibrating the criteria for exclusion from the vaccination because we do want as many Singaporeans as possible to be vaccinated. But I must say that I am not a doctor. So, I cannot give the Member a medical advice here. My suggestion is that if you go down to the vaccination centres, there are medical professionals there, they will make an assessment and it will have to be on a case-by-case basis. Generally, if you have anaphylaxis, you will be excluded from the vaccination. But different forms of allergic reaction will have to be assessed by the medical professionals. But generally, if the allergic reaction is mild, you should be able to continue to receive vaccinations. But we have to be careful because we do want to minimise adverse reactions, particularly those which are more severe. So, it is a calibration and we will have to leave it to the medical professionals to make an assessment on the ground. Mr Giam also asked about our contingency plan for hospitals if there are cases where clusters are found. They all have a contingency plan and they will continue to see their patients. What we want to do with Tan Tock Seng Hospital is because the clusters are big and we need time for us to ascertain that there are no other underlying transmission of infection within the hospital before we reopen the hospital for new patients. So, this is something that we are working on. But it is again important for us to test all our workers at this point in time because we are concerned that similar situations might happen in other hospitals. If we do not detect the clusters and cases fast enough, it will become a widespread transmission within the other hospitals and this will be an even bigger problem.”
“Because of the variants, because of the different virus and bacteria that we are confronting, so we need to continue to have booster jabs for our flu vaccines. Similarly, for COVID-19, it may come a day that we have to continue to have regular booster jabs. And we are putting in place plans to operationalise that. In terms of the cost of vaccination, it varies from vaccine to vaccine. Actually, a significant part of the cost is not in the vaccine Itself but in the logistics of it. The cost in organising the vaccination centres, mobilising the healthcare professionals, providing support for vaccine recipients; and all these are costly. But if you compare it with the cost of the impact on lives, on livelihoods, I think it is a small price to pay and we need to continue to prepare ourselves and to focus on the vaccination programme. Roughly, it may cost about – and this is off the top of my head and I need to verify that – off the top of my head, roughly, it costs about $100 per vaccine per regimen and that it will include some of these peripheral costs and so it is not cheap. But it is important for us to continue to press on with the vaccination programme to minimise the cost on the economy and the cost of lives.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Seah for the clarification. First, on the vaccine supply. Indeed, the vaccines continue to be limited in supply. Also, partly because there is still a resurgence of new cases every day in many other countries and, therefore, the global supply of vaccines is limited and not just the quantity but the logistics are also challenging. Therefore, we need to do what we can to diversify our sources and to ensure that our supplies that we have contracted arrive on schedule. And when we roll them out, we encourage Singaporeans to get vaccinated as soon as possible. As to what other vaccines are being studied, we have a diversified portfolio beyond Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sinovac. We have several other alternatives with which we have entered into advance purchasing agreements. But I am not at liberty to share the details because many of these agreements contain confidentiality clauses that limit us and our ability to share details. But as and when these contracts materialise, as and when we are able to supply and to deploy these vaccines, we will share more details with fellow Singaporeans. Mr Seah also asked about booster jabs. As I have mentioned, let us focus on the current vaccine roll-out. I understand that some Singaporeans are anxious and want to know, should the booster jab be required, what we need to do about it. Let me share that we have put in place a planning team to look at how we can deploy booster shots, starting probably next year, towards the end of the year or beginning of next year. So, the operational plans are being drawn up and we will be able to deliver booster jabs, if it becomes necessary. At the end of the day, it may turn out to be similar to the flu jabs that we get every year.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Tan for raising this issue. Indeed, this is a very worrisome trend. As I have mentioned my speech, we have observed a minority of our resident Singaporeans taking steps to protect themselves at the expense of our healthcare workers' well-being. Some of them have been asked to move out of their homes by their landlords. Some of their co-workers are shunning them. I think these are wrong. We are struggling because, on one hand, we know this is wrong and we should not condone such actions. But on the other hand, we are concerned about the well-being of the healthcare workers and we do need to find ways to help them and support them. So, MOH and the Multi-Ministry Task Force have been working together with the hospitals – TTSH as well as the other hospitals – to provide support for the affected workers. In fact, we have moved in to arrange with hotels for accommodation, to provide alternatives to these healthcare workers who have been affected. Let me say that this should not be an excuse for the landlords to kick them out on the basis that there is now alternative accommodation and say why not just move over to the hotels rather than staying on in the flat? So, I think it is still our preference to encourage our landlords to understand the situation, to play their part to support our healthcare workers in the work that they do. I also want to urge Singaporeans to show their support to these healthcare workers. Because they are putting themselves in harm's way in order to protect us. So, let us work together to protect them.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the task force for their support, which has allowed us to mount a whole-of-Government response to the pandemic. I want to particularly thank the healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, allied health – both in the public and private sectors for their support in our public health and medical aspects of our COVID-19 response. Finally, I want to thank all Singaporeans for your support and your patience. Sometimes, we had to move very quickly and adjust our measures in quick succession, which we know can be very disruptive. I am glad that Singaporeans could come together as a nation, make personal sacrifices to adapt to the new normal and all of us can stand shoulder to shoulder in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This ability for all of us to strive together is the most critical element in our response to COVID-19 that will make all the difference in the eventual outcome. Let us continue to work as one and I am sure we will emerge stronger together from this crisis. [Applause.]”
“All of us have a role to play in stemming the spread of misinformation. Once again, I urge everyone to check that the information they receive comes from reliable sources and make the effort to verify before sharing them. Sir, we have hit a bump on our path to recovery and the coming few days and weeks are critical as we seek to uncover and break all chains of transmission. This came at an unfortunate time as I know many Singaporeans are looking forward to the upcoming Hari Raya and Vesak Day celebrations. However, the recent community cases show that there remain risks of COVID-19 outbreaks locally and we need to remain vigilant to avoid an uncontrolled resurgence of community cases. I want to thank Singaporeans for your understanding and appeal to everyone to follow the safe distancing measures to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and keep Singapore safe even during these festive seasons. The past year has been a tumultuous year. One of the biggest challenges was striking a right balance between saving lives while preserving livelihoods. Our response has not always been perfect. But we have built many new capabilities to meet the new challenges as they emerge. We will continue to learn, improve, be nimble in our response and adapt as the situation evolves. COVID-19 is a global crisis. Our recovery is contingent on the world's ability to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic still raging in many parts of the world, our fight against COVID-19 will continue for a while yet. I will be handing over MOH to Minister Ong Ye Kung shortly but I will continue to co-chair the Multi-Ministry Task Force together with Minister Lawrence Wong and Minister Ong.”
“We will release details once arrangements are finalised. A few Members have asked about the progress of the evaluation of Sinovac and other vaccine candidates. As part of our efforts to secure a diversified vaccine portfolio to improve our chances of securing a suitable vaccine that is safe and effective for our population, we entered into what we call advance purchase agreements (APAs) with several pharmaceutical companies, such as Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac, last year, even before these vaccines completed their clinical trial. This was how we managed to start our vaccination drive with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines early. Based on the schedules that had been planned for and committed under the advance purchase agreement with Sinovac, Singapore has taken delivery of a shipment of the vaccine. HSA is currently carefully evaluating Sinovac and a few other vaccines for use in Singapore and we will update the public when we have made progress. While there has been a concerted effort to encourage the take-up of COVID-19 vaccinations, such as educating the public on why vaccinations are needed, we are aware of vaccination misinformation too. Mr Pritam Singh asked what we are doing about this and how we can address this. Overall, public education remains a cornerstone of our vaccination programme. Government agencies have been using multiple platforms, including print and broadcast media, social media, direct messaging platforms and Gov.sg, to communicate essential information about COVID-19, including its vaccines, to all segments of society. When the situation calls for it, we will also not hesitate to use legislative levers, such as POFMA Correction Directions, to stop individuals from spreading misinformation and fear-mongering.”
“We have also not seen any local cases of unusual blood clots associated with low platelets that have been reported with other vaccines used overseas. HSA has released the details of reported adverse events on 6 May 2021, which will continue to be published on a routine basis. HSA continues to actively monitor and review the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. In addition to monitoring reports from international regulatory counterparts, HSA also reviews reports from local healthcare practitioners on adverse events following vaccination regardless of whether causality can be established. HSA has appointed three expert panels to review neurological, cardiac and hypersensitivity adverse events, such as anaphylaxis, which occur following vaccination. This will allow for prompt and appropriate actions to safeguard public health and advance vaccination safety. Ms Sylvia Lim asked for an update on the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme, or VIFAP for short. As of 3 May, 104 applications have been received. Of the 75 applications reviewed so far, 45 applications have been rejected and 30 applications were assessed by the independent clinical panel to have met the qualifying criteria. These include 21 cases of hypersensitivity allergic reactions, four neurology-related cases, three cardiology-related cases and one haematology- and dermatology-related case each. All of them have since been discharged from hospitals. The remaining 29 applications are pending. Miss Cheng Li Hui asked if we will recognise overseas vaccinations that are not approved by HSA. As Members are aware, the Minister for Transport, Mr Ong Ye Kung, has shared that we are in discussion with several regions on the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates for purposes of travelling.”
“We understand that individuals who cannot be vaccinated or cannot complete the vaccination may be concerned that they are not protected from COVID-19. These people are kept in our records and we will inform them when there is a suitable vaccine for them or when new evidence that shows that current vaccines can be administered to them is available. At the same time, as more of us are vaccinated, we also protect them indirectly. As for booster shots, data on the need for it is still emerging from both international and local studies. We will share more when we know more. Meanwhile, get the two shots first. HSA and the Expert Committee for COVID-19 Vaccinations will continue to monitor on-going studies in areas, such as the extent to which vaccines can prevent onward transmission, the durability of protection provided by vaccines and the effectiveness of vaccines against emerging variants of concern, and will provide updates when available. Members have asked about adverse effects following vaccinations. As of 18 April 2021, HSA has received 2,796 suspected adverse events reports associated with the use of COVID-19 vaccines. This represents 0.13% of doses administered but the majority are non-serious adverse events. Only 0.004% of our doses administered had reported serious adverse events. In general, the observed trend of adverse events within Singapore is consistent with those reported overseas. The most commonly reported adverse events are not serious. This includes dizziness, fever, muscle ache, pain at the injection site, headache and allergic reactions. These symptoms generally resolve within a few days. Most of the patients here have recovered or are recovering from these adverse events.”
“The current global consensus is that COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved can provide protection against these variants because these vaccines elicit a broad immune response involving a range of antibodies and cells. We will continue to monitor development in this area and assess whether our vaccine programme needs to be adjusted. Members have also asked about vaccination for children below 16 years old, people with mild allergic reactions and the need for a third booster shot. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are currently only approved for use in persons aged 16 and 18 years old and above, respectively. The initial data provided by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna at the time of the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) interim authorisation did not include data regarding their use in younger populations. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has been examining the supplemental data that has since been submitted for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to assess if the vaccine meets safety and efficacy requirements for authorisation under PSAR for use in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. HSA will also do so for the Moderna vaccine when data is submitted to them. We will share more details when the studies are completed. As for children below 12 years of age, clinical trials are still on-going and may take more time before enough data is available. Mr Gerald Giam asked if patients who experience mild allergic reactions from the first dose can take their second dose. Persons who have been assessed by a doctor to be allergic to the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination are currently contra-indicated from the vaccine and should not continue with the second dose.”
“Sir, I spoke about vaccine effectiveness earlier. We knew from the start that vaccine breakthroughs are possible. But vaccination would still significantly reduce the chances of infection. For example, based on a study published in Lancet, Pfizer vaccines can reduce risk of asymptomatic infection by 91%. Vaccination also prevents severe reactions to the infections and is likely to reduce onward transmission. Locally, as of 10 May 2021, 30 local fully vaccinated cases tested positive for COVID-19. There were another 24 imported cases that were already vaccinated. Most of our local cases of infected vaccinated individuals were asymptomatic. None had severe COVID-19 disease requiring more intensive care. This is consistent with the international experience and emerging evidence that vaccines are highly efficacious in protecting against severe COVID-19 disease and likely to reduce the risk of transmission. There is also a question on re-infected cases, which are known to be possible from overseas and local experiences. As of 10 May 2021, 26 cases have been assessed to be re-infections. We are still investigating whether these are due to the general waning immunity over time or the lack of cross-protection against specific variants of COVID-19 that the individual is naïve to. We will provide an update when we know more. Overall, the benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the known risks and we must continue to encourage Singaporeans to be vaccinated. One area of concern is the emergence of new COVID-19 variants from time to time. There is intense on-going global scientific evaluation for these variants, which our experts are also participating in.”
“Despite the stressful situation caused by the outbreak, you continue to do your best to care for our patients. I believe I speak for the great majority of Singaporeans, all of us in MOH and everyone in this Chamber, that we are all solidly behind you. [Applause.] Sir, while we are in the midst of what appears to be a re-emergence of cases in our community, we are in a stronger position today compared to a year before. We know more about the virus. We have strengthened our healthcare system, built community care facilities, expanded our testing capacity, enhanced our contact tracing capability, introduced safe-distancing measures and embarked on vaccinating our population, which I will touch on next. We started COVID-19 vaccinations in Singapore at end 2020 and we continue to make steady progress with our vaccination programme. As of 9 May, about 1.8 million individuals have received at least one dose of the vaccine and of which about 1.2 million individuals have received their second dose and completed the full vaccination regimen. Take-up has been encouraging. About two-thirds of eligible persons aged 45 and above have received the COVID-19 vaccination or booked their vaccination appointments. However, we need to continue to encourage more to be vaccinated especially among the seniors, given their age, they are the most vulnerable. I urge all of us to encourage our elderly family members too. We will be inviting subsequent age bands to receive vaccinations from the latter half of May. However, as vaccine supplies continue to be limited, vaccinations will be progressively extended in smaller age-bands. We thank everyone for your patience. If vaccine supplies arrive as scheduled, we will complete the vaccination programme by the end of this year.”
“I, therefore, urge everyone to get vaccinated when it is offered to you and continue to comply with safe management measures even if you have been vaccinated. This will help to keep all of us safe. TTSH has implemented a series of measures to prevent further spread within the hospital. Besides locking down the affected wards, TTSH has also stopped all new admissions to the hospital, restricted visitors and reinforced infection control, hand hygiene and PPE compliance for all staff. Even while we were dealing with the cluster, work was also on-going to understand the source and cause of the infection. Investigation is still on-going and more will be shared when it is ready. We have also learnt several important lessons. (a) This particular B1.617.2 strain appears very infectious and there will be other variants just like this. (b) Without vaccination, infection among healthcare workers would have been much worse. (c) While vaccine breakthroughs are possible, vaccines can help to prevent severe illnesses. (d) Vaccines can also reduce risk of further transmission, although the extent of which this is true is still being investigated. (e) It is clear that vaccination is most effective when it is part of a whole suite of precautionary measures, such as mask-wearing, safe-distancing, accurate testing, thorough contact tracing, and timely isolation. I will talk more about vaccines later. Since the TTSH cluster happened, there have been reports of healthcare workers there being shunned in public or refused services. I know this comes from a small minority of Singaporeans. The great majority are thankful for the sacrifices and contributions of our healthcare workers, including those from TTSH. We know you have been working tirelessly in difficult and uncertain conditions.”
“We then threw a larger ring around TTSH, inviting discharged patients and visitors who were in the hospital during the affected period to also be tested. They are not close contacts and, hence, have a lower risk of infection, but we offered to test them out of an abundance of caution and to give them peace of mind. For every case detected, a large ring was drawn around them for testing and isolation, and we locked down all wards that had exposure to the infectious cases. In total, as of 10 May 2021, close to 2,500 individuals had been quarantined; 12,500 individuals had been tested as part of the special testing operations. This is in addition to 12,000 staff, 1,000 patients as well as those who have been quarantined. A total of 43 cases were confirmed, comprising 10 staff, 26 patients and seven visitors or household members. We will continue to monitor these individuals who have been exposed and retest them where necessary, as some of them may be incubating the infection. Of the 43 COVID-19 cases in the TTSH cluster, seven staff and two patients had received full doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. They were all either asymptomatic or only exhibited mild symptoms and none of them required oxygen support. Of the 34 individuals who were not fully vaccinated, six required oxygen, two are in intensive care and one has, sadly, passed away from COVID-19 complications. While the numbers are too small to draw firm conclusions, the findings do indicate that vaccination provides critical protection even against COVID-19 variants. We know that while vaccination does not eliminate the risks of infection totally, it does provide significant protection against infections and help to reduce the severity of the disease. It is also likely to reduce onward transmission.”
“The first case of the TTSH cluster was confirmed on 28 April. It was a staff nurse who developed acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms that day. She dutifully reported her symptoms. She was immediately tested and, despite the fact that she had completed her vaccination earlier in the year, she was confirmed to be COVID-19 positive. I should point out that this does not mean that she is the first infected case and had brought COVID-19 into the wards. Investigation is still on-going. But her responsible act enabled us to pick up the cluster at TTSH. Our immediate priority in such situations has been to contain and isolate the infections so that they do not spread to the larger community. Hence, we immediately threw a containment ring around this first detected case, quarantining close contacts and testing everyone who could have been in contact with the individual. This included all staff and patients of the affected Ward 9D. By the next day on 29 April, we had identified three staff and six patients of Ward 9D who were infected. One of these patients had started to display COVID-19-type pneumonia symptoms at this time too. As he had entered Ward 9D earlier on 20 April, testing and quarantine were, hence, further extended to all staff who worked in Ward 9D from 20 April, as well as discharged and current inpatients and visitors to Ward 9D from 20 April. Testing was also expanded to include all in-patients and all staff working in the main ward block. After this first round of testing was completed, all other TTSH staff were also screened. For additional precaution, patients and staff from the main ward block were also retested a second time.”
“Such variations in viral strains are not unexpected. It is in the nature of viruses to mutate. Therefore, we must expect to see new variants emerge from time to time. However, some variants are of greater concern because of their increased transmissibility, severity of illness caused or ability to break through vaccines. It is also not surprising to discover variant strains in Singapore. We cannot completely shut out our borders, close down the causeways, our seaport and airport because Singapore is not self-sufficient in many things and we need to maintain our supply lines and global connections to survive. The virus will then find ways to infiltrate us. Sequencing results indicate that the recent clusters at TTSH, ICA and Tuas South CCF were driven by the B.1.617.2 variant that was first detected in India. Three of the recent cases at our airport terminals also tested preliminarily positive for B.1.617. While the definitive characteristics of this variant remain unknown, the large clusters and rapid transmission we see locally are concerning as they suggest that infections of this strain can spread quickly and widely. This is similar to the overseas situation where resurgence of cases is likely driven also by new variants. The emergence of several clusters, new variants as well as the rising number of unlinked cases mean the risk of community transmission has gone up. Therefore, we must stay vigilant and tighten our safe distancing measures in the community to slow down and prevent transmission of the virus, even as we make progress in our vaccination programme. We have also tightened our border measures to reduce the risk of importing cases. Minister Lawrence Wong will elaborate on these shifts in his Statement later. Let me give an update on the cluster at TTSH.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to update Members on the COVID-19 situation. Minister Lawrence Wong and I will address Oral Question Nos 1 to 19 and Written Questions 19 to 23 from yesterday's Order Paper, and Question Nos 1 and 2 from today’s Order Paper, as well as a question filed by Mr Seah Kian Peng1 for a future Sitting. Sir, it has been 16 months since our fight against COVID-19 started. I last updated the House in January this year when we rolled out the national vaccination programme. To date, we have confirmed a total of 61,378 cases of COVID-19 infections, and 31 of them have passed on. The COVID-19 situation remains fluid. Globally, we are seeing surges in daily new cases in several countries. Locally, after half a year of low community cases, we have seen several clusters of infections over the last two weeks – a cluster involving an ICA officer and his family members, one at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), another at Tuas South Community Care Facility (CCF), a cluster at Pasir Panjang Terminal and, most recently, a cluster at our airport terminals. We have also detected several unlinked cases, 10 in the last week. This suggests that there are unknown cases in our community that caused these infections, which is a cause for concern because, for each unlinked case, there is an unknown source. That is why it is called "unlinked". For as long as we cannot identify the source, there is a risk that they may be spreading the infection. New COVID-19 variants have also emerged that challenge our knowledge on the virulence and transmissibility of COVID-19. To date, we have detected 10 different COVID-19 variants among local and imported cases. A detailed breakdown was shared in MOH’s press release on 4 May.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 1 and 2 in my Ministerial Statement later today?”
“The Allied Health Professions Act provides for the registration of prescribed allied health professionals. One of the key objectives of the Act is to ensure patient safety and wellbeing by regulating allied health practices which may cause adverse outcomes if inadequately trained persons are allowed to practice. Art therapy by its nature does not pose significant risk of harm to patients. There are presently 381 art therapists who are registered as members of the Art Therapists’ Association of Singapore (ATAS). MOH currently has no plans to regulate art therapy under the AHPA.”
“There are currently 640 A class, 910 B1 class, 3,513 B2/B2+1 class and 4,345 C class beds in the 10 public acute hospitals2 and the Institute of Mental Health. Of these 9,408 beds, 84% are B2/B2+/C class beds, 9% are B1 class beds, and 7% are A class beds. The distribution of beds across different ward classes is largely in line with the principles set out in the 1993 White Paper on Affordable Health Care, where at least 65% of the hospital beds are B2 or C class beds, and no more than 13% of the hospital beds are A class beds. The distribution of beds for the various ward classes may fluctuate from time to time due to ward renovations and differs across hospitals to cater to different demand patterns. MOH closely monitors the bed demand and supply for the different ward classes on an on-going basis.”
“Most medical waste are biohazardous waste such as used syringes and Personal Protective Equipment, that require careful disposal. From 2016 to 2020, the amount of biohazardous waste generated and disposed of increased from 4,400 to 5,700 tonnes, about 5% per annum1. The increase may be attributed to several factors, including an increase in the number of patients seen in our hospitals; an increase in the treatments and procedures performed for these patients, particularly if they older and are more ill; and additional infection control and biosafety measures, especially during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Biohazardous waste must be collected and disposed of safely to prevent cross-contamination risks and safeguard public health. Healthcare workers are trained to segregate biohazardous wastes safely, which are collected by toxic industrial waste collectors licensed by NEA for proper disposal. For patient safety and care, it is not always feasible to avoid, reduce or reuse consumables which are necessary in treatment processes. However, hospitals and clinics have been mindful in reducing and recycling non-biohazardous waste, including general waste such as office administrative waste, food waste and packaging material, where possible. For example, plastic packaging materials of sterile equipment, fluids, and glove wrappings would be collected as recyclable waste.”
“The Ministry of Health has a range of professional services that provide care-giving help. These include day care services including dementia day care, Integrated Home and Day Care (IHDC)1, Home Personal Care (HPC)2, Home Palliative Care, Day Hospice, and short-term respite care3 such as nursing home respite and centre-based weekend respite services. Formal healthcare workers are deployed in these services to care for seniors. There has been an upward trend in utilisation of these services, from 17,000 in 2018 to close to 19,000 in 2019. However, there was a decline in utilisation to an average of 12,000 across Q1 to Q3 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MOH continually reviews our schemes and services to ensure that they meet care needs of our seniors. This includes the Home Caregiving Grant which was introduced in 2019 and provides a $200 monthly payout to eligible individuals with permanent moderate disability living in the community. Families who need further help with care-giving services and support can approach the Agency for Integrated Care for further assistance.”
“The work group overseeing health promotion efforts for the ethnic minorities intends to examine the underlying causes for poor health in the Indian and Malay communities, including social determinants of health, drawing on data from national surveys and qualitative studies. This will allow the work group to develop culturally appropriate interventions with the overall aim of improving health and well-being.”
“The questions will be addressed via the Ministerial Statement on 11 May 2021.”
“In addition, mothers who face challenges with finances, family support and caretaking will be referred to the Medical Social Workers, occupational therapists and/or nurses for the relevant assistance. The outcomes in this support system have been positive. We had earlier announced this year, the plan to develop a Child and Maternal Health and Well-being Strategy. Under this effort, MOH will review how we could better support the mental well-being of new and expectant mothers arising from the latest research and pilots aimed at improving the health outcomes for both the mother and child.”
“A mother’s mental well-being during and after pregnancy has an impact on her pregnancy health and her child’s development. Most new and expectant mothers are managed by the obstetricians during their pregnancy, who play a major role in identifying mental health concerns such as antenatal and postnatal depression symptoms, both in the private and public sectors. In this regard, our public healthcare institutions run mental health support services for pregnant mothers as part of routine obstetrics care. Since 2007, the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and National University Hospital (NUH) have been providing screening and early intervention for perinatal mental health conditions. Under the NUH Women’s Emotional Health Service (WEHS), women are screened for depression and severe anxiety during pregnancy. The NUH WEHS and KKH’s Postnatal Depression Intervention Programme (PNDIP) also provide depression and/or severe anxiety screening at two to eight weeks postpartum, during outpatient postnatal reviews at the specialist clinics. As at December 2020, more than 165,000 women have benefited from the WEHS and PNDIP programmes. In addition, the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has a psychiatry clinic located within the obstetric-gynaecology specialist outpatient clinic and obstetricians who pick up women with antenatal and postnatal depression symptoms can refer them to the psychiatry clinic. Women who are screened positive for depression will be managed by a multi-disciplinary team comprising a psychiatrist, case manager, occupational therapist and psychologist. The women and their family members will also be given useful contacts and information on managing their emotional health.”
“Masks and hand sanitisers were distributed at vaccination centres as a gesture of goodwill to encourage people to observe safe management measures and practise good personal hygiene. This was an initiative undertaken by MTI and supported by People’s Association in partnership with the medical service providers at the vaccination centres. The medical service providers at the vaccination centres are given the discretion to provide additional complimentary items to members of public who receive their vaccination, if they are assessed to be appropriate and safe.”
“To raise the profile of the nursing profession and to ensure lifelong employability, we have also enhanced career progression, training and development opportunities, and recognition for nurses.”
“Nurses form the largest professional group in our healthcare workforce. They have been at the forefront in our battle against the spread of COVID-19, and together with all our healthcare workers, have gone above and beyond their call of duty to keep us safe. MOH is committed to grow and develop our nursing workforce. We have progressively increased the intakes of diploma and degree-level nursing programmes by about 45% between 2014 and 2020, from around 1,500 to 2,200 per year. We also facilitate mid-career entry into nursing via the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) for Enrolled and Registered Nurses, and complement this with publicity and outreach efforts such as career talks and exhibitions. We have enhanced and expanded the nursing PCPs over the years. In the last three years from 2018 to 2020, enrolment into nursing PCPs was about double the enrolment between 2015 and 2017. Starting 2021, Ngee Ann Polytechnic will also offer the diploma-level nursing PCP, alongside Nanyang Polytechnic. The PCPs for Registered Nurses are about two years in duration, which is already shorter than the regular three-year diploma programme, and three- to four-year degree programmes. The two-year training runway is necessary for PCP trainees to acquire the necessary competencies and skills to deliver safe and effective care to patients. Apart from these enhancements to our training pipelines, we regularly review the salaries of healthcare staff, including nurses, to maintain market competitiveness. Starting this year, nurses will see an increase of 5% to 14% in their monthly base salaries, phased over the next two years.”
“Steps are being taken to improve communications and hand-over procedures between doctors to improve patient care. SGH will also be implementing pre-operative site marking for this procedure moving forward. Doctors have been instructed to document and communicate the concerns and the associated risks to the patient, as well as communicate specific instructions to the covering surgeon.”
“SGH has conducted an internal review on the incident and has apologised to the patient. Preliminary investigations by SGH revealed that the patient’s preference for the placement of the catheter on the right side of the abdomen had been discussed with the original surgeon but it was not made known to the surgeon who took over the procedure, due to a lapse in the communication process. On the day of the surgery, the original surgeon was unavailable as surgery for a preceding case of his was unexpectedly prolonged. Another surgeon then performed the procedure so that the patient would not have her surgery delayed further. This resulted in the catheter being placed on the left side of the abdomen which is routinely done. When a patient requests to see the attending doctor, the attending doctor will attend to the patient as soon as he is available. However, if a particular doctor is unavailable, a member of his medical team will attend to the patient on his behalf as part of team-based care. In this case, the patient was seen daily by the surgical team and subsequently by the consultant-in-charge at the outpatient clinic. SGH acknowledged that the patient’s request to see the surgeon who performed the procedure for her during her inpatient stay was not conveyed to the surgeon and had issued an official letter of apology to the patient. The original surgeon had also met the patient and explained the situation to her. SGH has also reassured the patient that as the position of the catheter inside the abdomen remains the same, the siting of the exit site will not affect the proper functioning of the access tube. SGH will continue to engage the patient. SGH regrets that this incident has occurred.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, may I have your permission to address Oral Question Nos 1 to 19, as well as Written Question Nos 19 to 23 in today's Order Paper through the Ministerial Statements which will be delivered at tomorrow's Sitting, Sir.”
“All Singaporeans are eligible for means-tested government subsidies of up to 80% at Class C wards and up to 65% at Class B2 wards in our public healthcare institutions (PHIs). In 2019, the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentile values for the daily post-subsidy bill sizes for Singaporeans staying in Class B2 and C wards were $200, $270, $400, $660 and $1,300 respectively before MediShield Life and MediSave. After MediShield Life claims and MediSave coverage, the patient's out-of-pocket payment would be significantly lower. Please note that a patient's inpatient bill at the PHIs depends not only on the length of stay, but also other components such as procedures undergone, drugs prescribed, and diagnostics tests and implants required. MOH's priorities include going "Beyond Hospital to Community" to centre care in the community. This includes anchoring care in the primary care setting and enabling individuals to receive long-term care at home or in the community where appropriate. This also helps patients to receive care in an environment which they are familiar with, and allows them to avoid expensive hospital care when it is not required. Services that provide medication administration and phlebotomy at home are currently available to less mobile patients as part of home nursing visits. Together with home medication delivery, which benefits a wider range of patients, they are part of the suite of services that support care of patients in the community.”
“Similarly, if the situation in a country/region improves, we will consider relaxing our border health measures to facilitate travel. We encourage everyone to check the SafeTravel website (https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg) regularly for the latest updates.”
“The Multi-Ministry Taskforce takes a risk-based approach to our border controls, based on the assessed risk of importation and onward transmission in the community. The aim is to re-open our borders safely and facilitate travel while minimising the impact on public health. Different countries and regions have different incidence rates of COVID-19 cases, varying testing capacities and policies, and varying measures to control community spread of COVID-19. These factors affect the risk of importation. All travellers and returning Singaporeans are required to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival. Generally, travellers and returning Singaporeans from higher-risk countries and regions are subject to more stringent measures, including a 14-day Stay-Home-Notice (SHN) at dedicated SHN facilities, with a COVID-19 test administered on arrival and before their exit from SHN. These measures allow us to minimise the risk of the virus spreading to the community from imported cases. Travellers and returning Singaporeans from lower risk countries and regions may have to serve a 7-day SHN at their place of residence with a COVID-19 test administered at the end of their SHN. As these countries have lower incidences of COVID-19 and measures in place to detect and keep community spread at bay, travellers returning from these regions are assessed to have lower risks of spreading COVID-19 to Singapore. Singapore's border measures are not static and will evolve as the global situation changes. If the situation in a country or region deteriorates, more stringent measures will be put in place to limit the risks of importation and community transmission from imported cases.”
“Mental health practitioners comprise of psychiatrists registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) and various mental health professionals such as psychologists, psychotherapists and counselors. The list of registered psychiatrists is available on the SMC's website. While other mental health professionals are not formally regulated by any legislation, they may choose to voluntarily register with their respective professional associations. The public can refer to the websites of these associations, such as the Singapore Psychological Society (SPS) and Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC) for a listing of mental health professionals registered with them. MOH did not receive any complaints against mental health professionals in unregulated fields in the past five years. Licensed healthcare institutions and clinics providing mental health services have systems in place to ensure that mental health professionals providing mental health services are adequately trained. They also need to have mechanisms to monitor the quality of services provided and address any complaints. The public may lodge a complaint with MOH if they have concerns about the clinical services provided by mental health professionals. Complaints may also be directed to the SMC concerning psychiatrists, or the relevant professional associations for psychologists and other mental health professionals.”
“Individuals may select their preferred vaccination centre regardless of their constituency when making their appointment via the booking system, subject to availability of appointment slots.”
“In line with the recommendations of the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination (EC19V), we have prioritised vaccination of groups that are at higher risk of infection, as well as those in jobs or settings where the risk of a rapid transmission and large outbreak is high. Registered nurses who are not part of the Public Healthcare Institutions (PHIs) have been given priority to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. This includes nurses engaged by independently operated private nursing agencies, as well as nurses who have been given approval by the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB) to practise independently. Many of them have played a key role in our battle against the pandemic. Singaporean construction workers who work in close contact with foreign construction workers will also be given priority for COVID-19 vaccination.”
“HPB also works closely with the Ministry of Education and Institutes of Higher Learning to raise awareness among youths about the benefits of leading a tobacco-free lifestyle and encourage them to stay vape-free. This involves organising online learning activities on the harms of vaping, through gamification methods (e.g. virtual escape rooms) to educate the youths. HPB also provides resources for self-directed learning, and trains educators so that they are equipped to discuss the harms of vaping with their students. HPB's smoking cessation programmes for youth smokers adopt a strengths-based approach to build confidence for behaviour change. The Ministry of Health would like to remind the public that the importation, sale, distribution, purchase, use and possession of e-vaporisers and its accessories are prohibited under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. We will continue to work with our partner agencies to control access to, as well as educate the public on the negative health effects of these emerging products. Additionally, we will also need the support of the public to remain vigilant and alert authorities, should they be aware of any illicit ENDS-related commercial activities. Members of the public who have information on the illegal import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of prohibited tobacco products can submit an online form at go.gov.sg/reporttobaccooffences. Alternatively, they can contact HSA's Tobacco Regulation Branch at Tel: 6684 2036 or 6684 2037 during office hours.”