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.”
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“As of September 2020, there are 5041 psychologists registered with the Singapore Psychological Society. This translates to 8.9 psychologists per 100k population. Within the public healthcare sector, the number of psychologists increased by 7% in the last three years from 2017 to 2019. Although the Ministry of Health (MOH) does not have the specific numbers of counsellors practising in Singapore as many healthcare professionals and social workers provide counselling as part of their work, there were 9402 registered counsellors with the Singapore Association for Counselling in April 2020. The care of persons with mental health conditions would benefit from management by a multidisciplinary team (which includes psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychologists and occupational therapists etc). MOH will continue to work with public hospitals and community service providers, including schools, social service agencies and family service centres, to ensure timely access and support for persons with mental healthcare needs. At the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), each patient's psychiatric condition and psycho-social needs are assessed holistically by the attending doctor, whereupon medications, psychotherapy and counselling support by psychologists or counsellors might be prescribed. In the community, individuals with mental health needs could tap on community mental health supports such as mental health services in polyclinics where psychologists play a key role in mental health assessments and psycho-social therapeutic interventions. In addition, allied health-led community intervention teams provide an array of allied health services such as counselling and psycho-education for individuals with mental health conditions.”
“MOH started a three-year pilot on Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) in 2017, to test for chromosomal abnormalities in pre-implanted embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The pilot study compares the embryo implantation success rates, pregnancy rates and live birth rates between women who had received PGS, with those who had not received PGS. Thus far, over 350 patients have been enrolled under the study, but only 104 have been tested for PGS, as some of the patients changed their minds after enrolment and proceeded with embryo transfer directly without performing PGS, or decided to freeze their embryos instead. There has also been delayed recruitment due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Of the 104 patients who underwent PGS so far, 60 completed their embryo transfers. This has led to 31 pregnancies with 15 live births, and 8 pregnancies is still ongoing. There is a need to recruit further number of patients into the PGS pilot programme to enable a robust evaluation of the clinical efficacy of PGS. The review will also take into consideration available international evidence concerning PGS testing, the ethical issues associated with PGS and the regulatory framework that needs to be established for governing PGS, before it can be made a routine clinical service. PGS will remain accessible to eligible patients until the full evaluation is complete.”
“Even whilst the local COVID-19 situation improves, the safe resumption of social and economic activities, including office-based work, continues to be premised on close adherence to the safe management measures in place, among other public health interventions. Safe management measures like the wearing of masks, practising good personal hygiene, and observing safe distancing help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within workplaces, as well as the community at large. Individuals who are unwell should also avoid going to work and seek medical attention promptly. These guidelines have been incorporated into the Ministry of Manpower’s requirements on ensuring safe workplaces. In addition, the Ministry of Manpower's workplace requirements has also highlighted that companies should pay special attention to employees who are more vulnerable to poorer clinical outcomes in the event of a COVID-19 infection (i.e. persons aged 60 and above, and patients who are immunocompromised or have concurrent medical conditions). Where feasible, companies should enable vulnerable employees to work from home, or temporarily redeploy them to another role within the company which would allow them to work from home.”
“Over 90% of the claims processed by Integrated Shield Plans (IPs) insurers in 2019 were approved. The remaining rejected claims were mostly for treatments or medication not covered by the IPs, such as for pre-existing medical conditions excluded by the IP or for medication not approved by the Health Science Authority. We do not have data on the medical necessity of IPs' rejected claims. As MediShield Life (MSHL) is an integral component of IPs, all IP claims will be processed by the Central Provident Fund Board for claims under the MSHL component regardless of the IP's decision on the claims.”
“Our clusters also provide counselling services and helplines, supported by various psychological services and community providers, to support our staff and strengthen their mental and emotional resilience. We thank the community for sending welfare packs and gifts of appreciation to cheer on and encourage our staff. As the situation has since improved and remains stable for now, institutions have allowed staff to apply for local annual leave to take short breaks as needed. Our healthcare workers and frontline staff played an important role in our battle against COVID-19. At the Budget Round-Up Speech 2020, DPM Heng announced that frontline public officers who are directly battling the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic would be awarded a special bonus. This is intended to recognise the significant risks that they have shouldered in combatting COVID-19 throughout this year. We are deeply appreciative of the efforts and hard work of all public officers, healthcare workers, and various other partners who have contributed to our collective COVID-19 fight. The Government will seek to recognise and appreciate their contributions through a range of monetary and non-monetary mechanisms, including the special bonus, at an appropriate time.”
“MOH had implemented a multi-pronged approach to mobilise resources to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we utilised existing surge capacity, especially in NCID, to support the increase in COVID-19 cases, and converted designated spaces in our public sector hospitals for isolation and ICU use. Second, during the Circuit Breaker period, non-essential services were deferred to reduce transmission risks and to allow hospitals to release bed capacity and manpower to cater to the surge in COVID-19 patients. Third, through collaborating with the private sector hospitals, and setting up Community Care Facilities (CCFs) and Community Recovery Facilities (CRFs) in partnership with various private sector providers, we were able to quickly expand our capacity to appropriately care for patients at various stages of their illness according to their care needs. Lastly, to further supplement our manpower, we hired and trained additional temporary staff, including locums and volunteers through the SG Healthcare Corps. Our healthcare institutions are also ramping up hiring as well as partnering with the aviation sector to take on temporary redeployments into suitable care support and operational roles. While we have stood down some of these measures with the situation under control, we have put in place measures to allow us to re-activate these plans to bolster our ability to respond swiftly and effectively to a second wave of infections, when it occurs. Our public healthcare clusters have put in place various measures to reduce staff burnout, such as conducting regular reviews of the duty rosters to provide staff with sufficient rest breaks and rotating staff to different duties as needed.”
“As a precautionary measure, MOH will classify them initially as positive cases and commence public health measures such as contact tracing and placing close contacts under quarantine while investigations are ongoing for such cases. Collectively, these measures will help to reduce the incidents of errors in testing results while allowing public health actions to be taken early to prevent further transmission of infection.”
“Of the 41 cases that were classified initially as confirmed COVID-19 cases, most were due to administrative errors such as wrongly recorded or duplicated entries by laboratories. Eight were subsequently reclassified as non-cases following laboratory investigations and clinicians’ assessment. Corrective action had been taken early in the management of all these cases to ensure that they were isolated appropriately from other COVID-19 patients. Following the re-classifications, the Ministry of Health (MOH) had also rescinded any active quarantine orders of their close contacts. All clinical laboratories approved to provide COVID-19 testing are licensed and subject to compliance with the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics (PHMC) Act. Licensees are required to ensure that they have the relevant resources, competencies and processes to conduct these tests in an accurate, safe and timely manner. Where the administrative errors arise from laboratory processes, the licensees are required to put in place corrective actions, which include additional counterchecks, re-training of staff and IT integration, to ensure that similar errors will not recur. Testing errors may also arise due to technical limitations inherent in the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests1. Some results may be affected by other infections present in the person. MOH works closely with laboratory and clinical experts to review cases with borderline results and conduct thorough investigations, including repeat testing and review of the relevant clinical history and epidemiology. Such cases may subsequently be re-classified as non-cases.”
“Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease that has a wide range of clinical manifestations that can affect virtually any organ. Spondyloarthritis is the term for a group of diseases that causes inflammation in the spine and joints. Data on the number of Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOC) visits, bill sizes, and out-of-pocket expenses per SOC visit in the past five years, collected from the public health institutions (PHIs), is presented in the table below:”
“Pharmacy staff also remind patients to pay attention to any changes to brands and/or strengths of products.”
“The public health institutions (PHIs) and Agency for Logistics and Procurement Services (ALPS) are mindful of the risk of medication errors when medications that have similar appearing containers or packaging are dispensed or administered. Look-alike medications may lead to different drugs or different doses of drugs being administered to patients, with potentially severe consequences. Special care is taken when there are changes to the brands or strengths and these may occur when new drugs (or new generic drugs) become available, or when alternative drugs are needed due to manufacturing or supply-chain disruptions. A multi-pronged approach is adopted to mitigate medication errors and this starts with the procurement process whereby similar appearing containers or packaging of medications are evaluated and suppliers are approached when improvements are required for better differentiation from other products. PHIs educate pharmacy staff, doctors and nurses dealing with such medications on the changes in appearance or dosage, and how to mitigate the risk for errors. Distinguishing symbols, colours or fonts are used when labelling the medications and the storage areas to highlight the differences in description of the medications. When the medications are stored in the pharmacies and wards, different drugs with similar appearances are stored separately in different locations to reduce the risk of selecting the wrong drug. In the wards, a process of counter-checks has been introduced to verify that the correct medication has been selected during the preparation of the medications and during administration. Finally, when dispensing the medications to patients, PHIs affix "packaging or dose change" stickers in various languages on the dispensing packs.”
“Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to chime in. Just to elaborate on Minister Ong's explanation, for travellers who come in that require SHN or SHN Plus, the reason they require SHN or SHN Plus is because of the incubation period. When they come in, they may have been infected and if we test them on the spot on arrival, it may not be detected. Because there is an incubation period. That is why we put them within the SHN or SHN Plus for the whole duration of the incubation period and we test them at the end. And if they are still negative, that means they are past the incubation period and they are still negative, we can then allow them to go into the community. If we test them on the first day, the test is not going to be effective because he may still be within his incubation period. And you, nonetheless, have to test them again at the end of 14 days. And that is why instead of repeated testing, we decided that for those that require SHN because of whatever risk profile that we have decided on, they should be tested at the end of their SHN period.”
“Since 3 October 2020, we have increased the cap for marriage solemnisations to 100 persons, and allowed wedding receptions to increase up to the same cap. Organisers and venue operators are required to put in place the necessary safe management measures, including having no more than 50 persons in each zone or time slot. From next month, we will also be launching a pilot for wedding receptions to be held in common areas of Housing Development Board estates. The risk of transmission at weddings is high because of the tendency of attendees to socialise while celebrating a joyous occasion together with relatives and close friends. Attendees are also likely to be unmasked as they enjoy the meal and/or take photos together, further increasing the risk of transmission. We are therefore taking a cautious approach to the expansion of caps for weddings and other similar social gatherings, and will continue to monitor the situation before considering further expansion in attendee caps.”
“The screening rate for breast cancer is 38.7% in 2019, up from 30.9% in 2017. This improvement is seen for all socio-economic groups when we take educational levels as a proxy (as household income will vary across time). However, while the breast cancer screening rate is around 50% for women with tertiary level of education, it is 28% for women with primary level of education. The rate of late stage breast cancer diagnosis at Stages III and IV amongst Singapore women has remained relatively consistent at 28.6% between the five-year interval of 2009 to 2013 and 26.9% between 2014 to 2018. We will continue to encourage women to go for regular screening. Misconceptions and fears are common barriers – some examples include thinking that screening isn’t necessary when one feels healthy, that 'it's better not to know', and that mammograms are painful. To counter these misconceptions, HPB and its partners will continue to conduct annual breast cancer awareness campaigns and on-the-ground activities, as well as reach out to women via social media.”
“Singaporeans can claim up to $1,000 monthly from MediShield Life and withdraw up to $450 monthly from their own MediSave accounts for their renal dialysis treatment. From 2015 to 2019, fewer than 1 in 5 patients reached the $450 monthly withdrawal for renal dialysis treatment. This proportion has remained stable year on year. Singaporeans can claim up to $3,000 monthly from MediShield Life and withdraw up to $1,200 monthly from MediSave for their chemotherapy treatment. From 2015 to 2019, approximately 1 in 10 patients reached the $1,200 monthly withdrawal limit for their chemotherapy treatment. This proportion has remained stable year on year. We will continue to review the MediShield Life and MediSave withdrawal limits regularly, to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans. Those who cannot afford their treatment after subsidies, MediShield Life and MediSave can approach the medical social workers for MediFund and other financial assistance.”
“The annual MediSave withdrawal limit for the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) was raised from $400 to $500 per year in June 2018. In 2019, less than 15% of patients reached the $500 withdrawal limit, most of whom had complex conditions. To better support patients with complex chronic conditions, we have further increased the withdrawal limit to $700 for those receiving treatments for two or more conditions under the CDMP from 1 January 2021 onwards. The age limit for Flexi-MediSave was lowered from 65 to 60 in June 2018. Patients aged 60 and above can withdraw up to a combined total of $200 per year from their own or their spouse’s MediSave accounts under the Flexi-MediSave scheme, for treatments at public Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs), polyclinics, and GP clinics under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). This may be used for standalone outpatient expenses, or in conjunction with other outpatient MediSave schemes, such as MediSave for CDMP mentioned above. In 2019, fewer than 2 in 10 of those eligible to use Flexi-MediSave reached the annual $200 limit. We will continue to review the MediSave withdrawal limits regularly, to strike a balance between helping Singaporeans pay for their current healthcare services and retaining sufficient savings for their longer-term needs. Those who cannot afford their treatment after subsidies and MediSave can approach the medical social workers for MediFund and other financial assistance.”
“Patients who face financial difficulties for the management of their chronic conditions, regardless of whether such conditions are included in the CDMP, can tap on financial assistance, including MediFund, at public healthcare institutions.”
“The number of patients treated in polyclinics for chronic conditions not under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) from 2014 to 2018 are shown in Table 1. Allergic rhinitis and soft tissue disorders were some examples of non-CDMP chronic conditions seen. MOH does not have comprehensive data on patients with non-CDMP chronic conditions who are treated at Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) GP clinics, as we do not collect data for patient visits where CDMP/CHAS subsidies are not claimed. CDMP was introduced to help patients manage their chronic conditions well and reduce out-of-pocket costs through the use of Medisave. MOH regularly reviews the list of conditions covered under CDMP to meet the needs of Singaporeans, while ensuring that Medisave balances are not prematurely depleted. We have increased the coverage of chronic conditions under CDMP and by extension, CHAS coverage, from 15 conditions in 2014 to 19 conditions in 2015, and then to 20 conditions in 2018. Conditions for CDMP are selected in consultation with clinical experts in a CDMP Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC), based on various considerations, such as disease prevalence, effectiveness of early intervention to reduce complications and availability of clear guidelines to support their coverage under CDMP. MOH will continue to work with the CDMP CAC to review the conditions to be covered under CDMP. Patients with chronic conditions not covered under CDMP can still tap on the usual subsidies at polyclinics as well as CHAS Acute subsidies at CHAS GPs for the management of their conditions.”
“Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease that has a wide range of clinical manifestations that can affect virtually any organ. Spondyloarthritis is the term for a group of diseases that causes inflammation in the spine and joints. Available data on the total number of unique patients with SLE and spondyloarthritis seeking outpatient care at Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOC) in public health institutions (PHIs) over the past five years is presented in the table below:”
“MOH is thus exploring other measures to expand capacity within our existing facilities, and to reduce the demand on our public healthcare institutions, for example through the promotion of telemedicine and community-based care options.”
“Singapore’s construction industry has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to disruptions to international supply chains and construction manpower availability, and the implementation of the Circuit Breaker from April to June this year, which led to the suspension of most construction activities during that period. While construction works at our healthcare development sites have gradually resumed since the Circuit Breaker measures were lifted in June, they have not reached the pre-COVID pace as the resumption of work needs to be done in a safe and controlled manner and in phases to minimise the risk of new COVID-19 outbreaks. Based on our current assessment, these disruptions may result in delays by up to a year or so for many of our healthcare infrastructure projects. This includes Woodlands Health Campus (WHC), which was originally scheduled to progressively open from 2022. It is now scheduled to open from 2023 instead. Similarly, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Integrated Care Hub and the Singapore General Hospital Emergency Medicine Building are now expected to open one year later in 2023 and 2024 respectively. The new polyclinics in Eunos, Kallang and Bukit Panjang, which were originally planned to open by end-2020, are now expected to open by end-2021. As the COVID-19 situation is evolving and construction works are still ramping up progressively, we can expect further changes in the timelines for the completion of our healthcare facilities. These delays in the completion of our public healthcare infrastructure projects may have an impact on overall healthcare capacity in the short term.”
“Public healthcare institutions have been providing medication delivery services since 2003, and uptake has increased tenfold during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public healthcare institutions are promoting public awareness of the service over different mediums (videos, pamphlets, posters and signages) at patient waiting areas as well as the websites and mobile apps of the healthcare institutions. A summary of available services is also available on MOH’s HealthHub one stop-portal and mobile app and the website of the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore. In addition, staff at public healthcare institutions actively inform eligible patients about medication delivery options through their clinics, pharmacies, call centers and other patient touch points. In some instances, patients who meet the criteria for the service might be automatically enrolled. Besides medicine delivery services, selected polyclinics also offer the option of medicine collection from Pilbox lockers, selected parcel deposit lockers or certain retail pharmacy outlets. These services are advertised through notices at the pharmacy and on the polyclinic website. Patients may approach the pharmacy staff at the public healthcare institutions for more information and to arrange for medication delivery or collection.”
“As part of the campaign, Singaporeans can access information on how to care for themselves as well as others around them through the "Brave the New" website. Access to subsidised mental health services in the public healthcare institutions, polyclinics, and the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioners is available to those who require more support for their mental health needs.”
“The National CARE Hotline (NCH) has managed over 30,000 calls since it commenced on 10 April 2020. Of these, over 12,000 calls required mental health support, and were handled by Duty CARE Officers (DCOs). The DCOs are trained to provide mental health first aid and make the appropriate referrals either to public healthcare institutions or community service providers to follow up if necessary. The remaining calls were regarding other needs such as finance and employment issues and were directed to the appropriate hotlines. As individuals’ mobile numbers are not tracked, the NCH does not have information on the number of repeat callers. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated increased stresses for individuals in Singapore. To help individuals build resilience to cope with this crisis, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) created "Stay Well to Stay Strong", a one-stop resource hub at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This resource hub provides individuals of all ages with useful tips and ideas on how they can maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay mentally well. In addition to exercise videos and healthier meal recipes, the portal also provides articles, infographics and tools to help individuals manage their stress and emotions, as well as maintain a positive outlook. Since its launch in February, the resource hub has reached out to over 450,000 users and has garnered over 700,000 page visits, as of 21 September 2020. HPB and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth have also recently launched the "Brave the New" campaign in August. The campaign seeks to build psychological resilience among Singaporeans, by equipping them with skills to cope with challenging situations, and encouraging those who need additional support to seek help.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) currently deploys Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing using nasopharyngeal samples as the main mode of testing and sampling. As new testing technologies become available, MOH actively evaluates these alternative tests and sampling methods to ensure that they can be deployed in a safe and effective manner. The key evaluation considerations include: the combined clinical performance of the test and sampling method, ease of administration, throughput, total turnaround time when using the test, and cost. Some of the rapid COVID-19 test kits under evaluation are showing promising results. Increased testing facilitated by such rapid test kits, coupled with strengthened containment efforts including contact tracing, and adherence to appropriate safe management measures, have potential to allow us to resume more activities, including travel related industries and larger scale events. We hope to be able to deploy some of these alternative tests in the months ahead, as we work out practical ways to incorporate such rapid testing into our national COVID-19 response. While testing can help to reduce transmission risks, it is not foolproof. A negative test does not mean that an individual is free from COVID-19. For example, an individual who may be incubating the virus might not be picked up at the point of test. We therefore need to combine testing with contact tracing and other public health measures. The public must also continue to adhere to safe management measures such as the wearing of masks, practising good personal hygiene, and observing safe distancing, to keep everyone safe.”
“The Ministry has observed a recent increase in the number of public and private healthcare providers offering telemedicine services. MOH does not track the number of persons seeking telemedicine services. The telemedicine Regulatory Sandbox was launched by MOH in 2018 to work with providers and gain a better understand of emerging telemedicine services. We understand that patients use telemedicine services mainly for greater convenience. Specifically, telemedicine enables easy access to care for those who are less mobile or otherwise unable to present themselves for an in-person consultation, saves time for those with conditions suitable for telemedicine (such as those with stable chronic conditions), and provides added convenience when combined with medication delivery. Providers should communicate clearly to patients the limitations of the service, as well as the appropriate and safe use of telemedicine. For instance, telemedicine is not suitable for conditions requiring immediate medical attention or a physical examination, and that the telemedicine consultation should allow for privacy of the patient. These insights have been collated into the MOH Telemedicine e-Training programme launched in March 2020 to guide healthcare professionals on designing and delivering telemedicine services that prioritise patient safety and welfare. To-date, over 5,000 healthcare professionals and administrators have completed this online training. With increasing use of telemedicine, MOH will also be improving patients' understanding of the safe and appropriate use of telemedicine through additional consumer education efforts planned in the coming months.”
“Beyond online delivery, we have also worked with our stakeholders to make learning content accessible through traditional media platforms such as TV and radio which some seniors may be more familiar with. For instance, AIC and HPB worked with MediaCorp to air dedicated programmes for seniors aimed at improving their psycho-social wellbeing, especially during the circuit breaker period. These were broadcast in Chinese, Malay and Tamil, and reached around 445,000 seniors. Bite-sized health messages were also shared through the radio in all four languages to supplement the TV broadcast. With the resumption of small group activities for seniors since early September, many course providers have since moved towards a hybrid approach where courses can be offered both virtually and in-person. This improves both access and convenience for seniors. The Ministry of Health will continue to work with our stakeholders to explore novel ways of delivery, to ensure that learning opportunities for seniors continue to be effective, accessible and safe under the COVID-19 new normal.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to how people work, live and learn. However, the accelerated push towards digital delivery and services also presents new opportunities. The Government has worked closely with our stakeholders to ensure that learning opportunities for seniors continues to be accessible, effective and safe against the backdrop of COVID-19. Since March 2020, many face-to-face courses and activities have moved online, so seniors can continue to participate safely within their homes. For example, the Council for Third Age (C3A), Health Promotion Board (HPB), People’s Association (PA) and SportSG now make use of online platforms such as Facebook, ZOOM and YouTube to host their activities and talks. As many seniors are new to virtual classes, course providers put in extra effort to help them make the transition successfully. For example, they provide technical assistance before and during class, and adjust the course content based on real-time feedback so that seniors can keep pace with the class. To help seniors who are less digitally savvy access online content, the SG Digital Office (SDO) under the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has mobilised 1,000 Digital Ambassadors to provide one-to-one coaching to seniors on useful day-to-day digital skills such as making video calls and use of smartphone apps. To date, Digital Ambassadors have engaged more than 21,500 seniors at 34 SG Digital Community Hubs in Community Centres/Clubs (CCs). In addition, IMDA is also partnering the Agency for Integrated Care's (AIC) Silver Generation Office (SGO) to reach more seniors in the heartlands through the digital clinics at the SGO Satellite Offices.”
“Seniors residing in nursing homes are typically frail and more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 infection. To safeguard their health, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has implemented a suite of precautionary measures in nursing homes from the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, including the suspension of face-to-face visitations on 2 April 2020. The limitations on face-to-face visitations has been important in keeping the risk of infections in nursing homes low. However, recognizing that prolonged suspension of visitations will have an adverse impact on the well-being of seniors and their loved ones, MOH has allowed nursing homes to cautiously resume face-to-face visitations in Phase Two from 19 June 2020. Visits were subject to strict safe management measures, including capping the number of designated visitors at two, allowing only one designated visitor at any one time, as well as limiting the duration of the visit. From 31 July 2020, nursing homes were allowed to make further adjustments to the visitation guidelines, in view that community numbers were low and stable. One of the adjustments was to allow four designated visitors per resident, up from two previously, while maintaining the limit of one designated visitor at any one time. Nursing homes also have the discretion to allow a resident to have more than four designated visitors for exceptional circumstances, such as compassionate reasons, or to allow more members of large families the opportunity to spend time with a loved one. We will continue to monitor the well-being of our seniors in nursing homes and review the restrictions on visitations as the COVID-19 situation evolves.”
“Between 2017 and 2019, average inpatient bill sizes in private healthcare settings grew by around 7% on a compounded annual growth rate basis. This was about twice the growth rate of 3.4% for average inpatient bills of unsubsidised patients in "A" wards in public healthcare institutions (PHI). Over the same period, average day surgery bills in the private setting grew by 4.3%, compared to 0.6% for unsubsidised PHI patients. As Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can enjoy government subsidies of up to 80% by opting for affordable care in the PHI setting, it would not be meaningful to compare their charges with those in the private healthcare setting. Some insurance products, such as Integrated Plan (IP) riders with full coverage, which cover the entire co-payment under the IP plan, have contributed to the higher growth rate for private sector bills. While such products are popular because no co-payment is required, the absence of co-payment can inadvertently lead to over-utilisation and rising healthcare costs, and ultimately, higher insurance premiums for all. This is why the Ministry had worked with insurers to introduce a minimum level of co-payment for new IP riders in 2018. This was an important move to preserve the principle of co-payment in our healthcare financing system. This measure will take time to bear fruit. All stakeholders, including patients and medical practitioners, must continue to exercise responsibility when choosing and recommending appropriate and necessary care.”
“No Singaporean will be denied necessary treatment due to an inability to pay.”
“Through Government subsidies, MediShield Life, MediSave and MediFund, we ensure that healthcare services remain affordable to Singaporeans. MediSave withdrawal limits are sized to adequately cover the co-payment for the majority of patients in subsidised settings. In recent years, we have enhanced the MediSave withdrawal limits to provide greater flexibility for our seniors in managing age-related medical treatment. We announced earlier this year that the annual limit for patients with complex chronic conditions in the outpatient setting will be raised from $500 to $700 from 1 January 2021. This will help them better meet their needs, as the prevalence and severity of chronic diseases typically increases with age. To better support seniors’ long-term care needs, we have just launched the MediSave Care scheme on 1 October 2020, which allows cash withdrawals of up to $200 per month for severely disabled patients aged 30 and above. We have lowered the age threshold for Flexi-MediSave from 65 to 60, allowing younger and more seniors to benefit from this scheme for their treatments and screenings at polyclinics, Specialist Outpatient Clinics, and GP clinics on the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). We will continue to review the MediSave withdrawal limits regularly, to strike a balance between helping Singaporeans pay for their healthcare services and retaining sufficient savings for their longer-term needs. Elderly patients who still face difficulty in paying their healthcare bill after subsidies and MediShield Life can apply for further assistance from MediFund/MediFund Silver. For those who are unable to tap on these schemes, the Ministry of Health will consider appeals to use MediSave beyond the prevailing withdrawal limits on a case-by-case basis.”
“From 2016 to 2018, 4,673 babies were born through the use of assisted reproduction technology (ART). International scientific literature shows that the success rates for fresh and frozen eggs are largely comparable. MOH has recently enhanced support for couples in meeting their parenthood aspirations. Earlier this year, we removed the age limit of 45 years old for women to undergo ART treatments, and removed the cap on the number of ART cycles for all women. Government co-funding for up to six ART cycles and three cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedure is also available to defray the out-of-pocket costs for eligible couples at public AR centres. In addition, couples can use MediSave to pay for assisted conception procedures, which include both ART and IUI, at all AR centres.”
“COVID-19 testing is a key enabler in the Government’s overall efforts to fight COVID-19. In September 2020, we tested an average of 27,200 individuals per day for COVID-19 using diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. This is approximately 4,700 individuals PCR tested per million total population each day. PCR testing is done using a combination of standard and pooled testing as the circumstances allow. We are on track to have a testing capacity of 40,000 tests a day by November 2020. To provide regular updates on the number of individuals tested, MOH already publishes information on the total number of swabs conducted and total number of unique persons swabbed on MOH's website every Tuesday.”
“Dengvaxia, which is currently the only licensed dengue vaccine, has been approved by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for the prevention of dengue in individuals age 12 to 45 years living in endemic areas. The vaccine is not suitable for those who have not been previously infected. The World Health Organization recommends that countries considering vaccination as part of a dengue control programme undertake pre-vaccination screening, to avoid vaccinating those who are unsuited. If screening is not feasible, vaccination can be considered in areas with a prevalence of at least 80% by nine years of age. Singapore has a low dengue prevalence at 7% for individuals below 18 years of age. Among adults age 18 to 74 years, the prevalence is 45%, still below the threshold for population vaccination without screening. In view of this, the Ministry of Health's Expert Committee on Immunisation (ECI) has advised that Dengvaxia is not an effective means to control dengue at the population level. Individuals who wish to be vaccinated should first consult their doctor on whether Dengvaxia is appropriate for them. As such, it has not been included in the national immunisation schedules and is not eligible for government subsidy. MOH will continue to monitor the development of the dengue vaccines and review regularly whether they should be included in the schedules. Given the limitations of the available vaccine, vector control remains the most effective way to prevent the spread of dengue. We advise Singaporeans to continue with the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout to remove breeding sites at home and protect themselves from mosquito bites through the use of preventive measures such as the use of insect repellents and mosquito coils.”
“At this moment, particularly, we have to be very mindful that while the number of cases in Singapore is low, the cases around us, in other parts of the world, are still rising. Therefore, we cannot let our guards down. I will continue to maintain DORSCON Orange for the time being until we are quite confident that the global situation is under control. As I had mentioned in my reply, we will be opening up our borders. We will need to continue to encourage more travels because Singapore is a hub city. So, we need to ensure that our travel hub and business hub status do not get undermined. I should not go into too much detail on this because Minister Ong Ye Kung is all ready to speak on this. I will leave it to him to elaborate. Suffice to say that until the world is safe, we will not be safe. Therefore, we have to continue to maintain the DORSCON level and to keep our guards up, so that we can continue to keep the number of cases low, especially in the community.”
“I thank the Member. This is a very important question. So, I thank him for the opportunity to explain and elaborate. For employment practices, we are working very closely with MOM and MTI to engage the various stakeholders. Because different sectors will have different challenges and we are working through these challenges with them. You would have noticed that for some of the announcements, the notice period is very short, basically because there is really no need to meet any deadline. For example, when you allow workers to go back to work – you can start on Monday, you can start next week, you can start next month. It is not a requirement that you must get them to go back to work and therefore, there is really no need for a lead time to prepare. You can take as long as you need to prepare yourselves, to discuss with your employees how to introduce this flexible arrangement. So, it is an on-going process. In fact, many of the measures, you would notice, we do not accumulate them into a big package and then announce them at once, so that there are many changes at one go. We work with the sector leads to discuss how to help them, how to solve some of the challenges. As and when these issues are addressed and solved, we move ahead. Some of them may not even require a specific public announcement because it may be very sector-specific and so we would just discuss with the sector. When we come to some common understanding to make sure that safe management measures can be put in place, and we proceed with it. So, these are differentiated approaches that we have adopted. With regard to the DORSCON level, we have to always bear in mind that, as I have mentioned before, DORSCON level is not just determined by the number of cases alone.”
“Through this period of COVID-19, we have found that working from home has a lot of advantages, like Mr Louis Ng has mentioned. You can spend more time with your family and fathers can also play a bigger role in the family setting. But this is a separate issue on family matters, which is probably more appropriate for the Member to file a separate Parliamentary Question (PQ) addressed to MSF, rather than for MOH to respond specifically. But generally, we will continue to encourage working from home and we will continue to provide flexibility to allow flexible work arrangements between the employer and the employees.”
“I thank the Member. Let me answer the first question. Working from home will continue to be default, but we do accept and acknowledge that there are challenges both from the employers as well as from the employees' perspective. Some employees' homes may not be conducive for working from home. Therefore, we made some arrangements and provided flexibility to allow the employers and the employees to work out better, more flexible arrangements, but subject to the criteria that I have just mentioned – no more than 50% of all employees who are working from home today, can go back to the office; and for those who are working from home today, not more than half of their time should be spent in the workplace; and they should still continue to work from home if they can. It is a flexible arrangement; we want to provide some flexibility for the workers and the employers. We also recognise that some employers do need to consult their employees, they still need to have face-to-face interactions and meetings. This is also part of the process of team bonding and is critical among the employees. We cannot totally do away with the face-to-face, physical meetings and interactions amongst employees and employers. So, we provide some flexibility but we still encourage employers and employees to work out the arrangements and to allow employees to stay at home, work from home, as much as possible. This will help to reduce overcrowding in the workplaces and at the same time, also reduce the congestion on the roads and on public transport. These are important. As I had mentioned in my reply, even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, whenever that happens, we will continue to encourage this flexible working arrangement.”
“We have begun pilots of events and activities with a larger number of attendees, such as trade exhibitions, conferences and religious worship to assess whether we can maintain effective precautions and safe distancing measures. If these pilots are successful, we will be able to use the lessons learnt to allow more large-scale events to proceed. We will also continue to facilitate further opening up for overseas travel in a safe and calibrated manner, which Minister Ong Ye Kung will talk about later in greater detail later. The low number of community cases currently is not accidental but has come about due to our collective hard work and sacrifices. Even as we move towards Phase Three, the new normal will be different from what we were used to in the pre-COVID days. The MTF is working on a road map towards Phase Three and we will share more details when we are ready in the coming weeks. As overseas travel restrictions are progressively eased and more activities resume, it has become even more critical that each of us plays our part to exercise social responsibility and adhere to the safe management measures, in order to keep our family and friends safe as we progress towards Phase Three.”
“We have also taken steps to support the resumption of a few very targeted and specific areas. We recognise the importance of key life events such as weddings and the importance of religious activities and worship to our spiritual needs. Therefore, we have allowed greater numbers of up to 100 persons to attend each of these events, in multiple zones or time slots of at most 50 persons each to limit potential risk exposure. Earlier, we had also allowed the resumption of physical exercise classes in common community spaces, and allowed an increase in capacity for cinemas and leisure attractions such as the Zoo and Bird Park. Museums and libraries have also reopened. We are piloting live performances to prepare us to eventually be able to resume such activities safely. Ms Jessica Tan has asked what can be expected on further easing of measures going forward and when this can be done; and I understand Ms Foo Mee Har1 would like to know whether the social and dining group size limit of five persons will be reviewed. All these are very important questions that we ask ourselves constantly. Sir, if all of us continue to work together and keep our guard up even as more activities resume, we will be able to keep the pandemic under control and progress towards further opening up our economy and society steadily. For instance, we could allow for general group sizes larger than five, so that larger families or groups of friends could meet and have meals together. We are particularly concerned about dining as we need to remove our masks so as to eat and drink, but we tend to also talk at the same time. The risk is considerably higher than activities which we can keep our masks on and maintain a safe distance.”
“Thank you. Sir, when Singapore exited the circuit breaker period in June 2020, the Multi-Ministry Task Force or MTF set out a Three-phase Plan to resume economic and social activities. Since then, we have progressed from Phase One to Phase Two. We have learned important lessons from other countries in easing precautionary measures for COVID-19. For example, when restrictions are lifted prematurely, or too hastily, a resurgence of cases may occur, resulting in the need to partially reimpose these restrictions. On the other hand, it is not sustainable to maintain tight restrictions for a prolonged period which will severely impact not only our economy, but also our lives. Therefore, we have taken a carefully calibrated approach in opening up our society and economy as we work towards Phase Three. This is complemented by close monitoring, extensive testing and comprehensive contact tracing to keep the situation under control, as we balance the protection of lives and livelihoods. We have made significant moves towards restoring economic and social activities. From 28 September 2020, we allowed more employees who have been working from home to return to their workplaces, which Mr Louis Chua had asked about. However, we need to continue to keep our workplaces safe and minimise crowding. Therefore, such employees should still continue to work from home for at least half their working time and there should be no more than 50% of such employees at the workplace at any point in time. Work-related events, including conferences, seminars and meetings, have also been allowed to resume, albeit within a 50-person cap for these activities to reduce the risk of transmission. Other safe management measures should continue to be observed at workplaces.”
“Mr Speaker, may I take Question Nos 2 and 3 together?”
“For the five months between 1 April 2020 to 31 August 2020, Singapore has seen a total of 292 imported COVID-19 cases who are non-Singaporeans. Of these, there were 56 Permanent Residents, 110 Work Pass holders, 99 Long-Term Visit and 27 Short-Term Visit Pass holders. Their top three countries of last embarkation were India with 183 imported cases; the Philippines with 46 imported cases; and Indonesia with 15 imported cases.”
“This will take into consideration the characteristics of the vaccine, suitability for different population subgroups, and availability of the supply and other factors. Our priority is to protect individuals who are most vulnerable or at high risk from the disease, as well as those who may be more likely exposed to infection, while working progressively towards a high level of vaccination in the population. We will need to refine and adapt our vaccination strategy as more clinical data from the various vaccine candidates become available in the coming months.”
“The Government is closely monitoring the global progress in the development of COVID-19 vaccines, and taking active steps to ensure that Singapore has timely access to an effective and safe vaccine when this becomes available. Duke-NUS Medical School is collaborating with a United States biotechnology company, Arcturus Therapeutics, to co-develop a COVID-19 vaccine. The school supported the pre-clinical studies by conducting rapid screening of potential vaccine candidates for effectiveness and safety, and by conducting animal trials. Phase 1 human clinical trials for this vaccine started in early August at the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit (IMU). Singapore is also participating in the discussions led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the multi-country Solidarity Vaccine Trials. Singapore is actively pursuing the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines with a number of pharmaceutical companies, while keeping abreast of the progress of the various vaccine candidates under development. These discussions are covered by confidentiality obligations and we will not be able to provide more information at this point in time. We are also actively engaged in international discussions, such as with the WHO, CEPI and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), as well as like-minded countries to look into early, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility. MOH is working on plans for the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine when it is assessed to be safe and effective for use, and has received the appropriate approvals by the Health Sciences Authority.”
“For the five months since 27 March 2020, 303 foreign patients on short-term visitor pass and 260 accompanying caregivers have been approved to enter Singapore for medical treatment. Of these, 183 foreign patients had entered Singapore and 147 brought along a caregiver. These are mostly existing patients cared for by medical specialists in Singapore who need active follow up, such as cancer patients on chemotherapy and patients with renal diseases who require continuing care. Approved patients can bring along one accompanying caregiver if required. Foreign patients and accompanying caregivers need to test negative for COVID-19 in their home countries before departure. They will be tested again on arrival in Singapore and are subjected to the prevailing Stay-Home-Notice requirements. The majority of foreign patients are from Indonesia, followed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh and the Philippines.”
“Public healthcare institutions have been providing medication delivery services since 2003 to bring greater convenience to patients. The Agency for Logistics Procurement and Supply (ALPS) set up by the Ministry of Health, has partnered public healthcare institutions and worked with various providers to enhance the service quality and affordability of medication delivery services. With the ongoing COVID-19 situation, delivery capacity has increased tenfold from 320 deliveries per day before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to an average of 3,200 deliveries each day. There were over 400,000 medication deliveries made from 1 February to 25 August 2020. In addition to medicine delivery services, selected polyclinics also provide the option for patients to collect their medicine at their convenience from Pilbox lockers, selected parcel deposit lockers or certain retail pharmacy outlets. Patients may approach the pharmacy staff at the public healthcare institutions to arrange for medication delivery or collection.”
“The Seniors' Mobility & Enabling Fund (SMF) supports seniors to age in place by providing eligible Singaporeans aged 60 years and above with means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of home healthcare items and assistive devices, including motorised wheelchairs/scooters (MWs). SMF-subsidised MWs can typically be used for around up to five years or more with proper maintenance. We recognise that there may be exceptional circumstances where seniors may need a replacement device but have no financial means. In such cases, AIC will approve a replacement on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the senior's circumstances.”
“Primary care providers, community partners, ground agencies and members of the public can refer persons with/suspected to have mental health condition(s) to AIC, who will then work with relevant stakeholders to support clients with the appropriate medical and social services.”