Janil Puthucheary
Singapore
“Sir, I thank Ms Lee for her two supplementary questions, which address what are our targets and what is it that we measure. Indeed, the issue of how we should think about recycling and waste disposal will be at the heart of our review of our Zero Waste Masterplan.”
“Another strategy that we are embarking on is the strengthening of the reuse of waste residue and treated toxic industrial waste before and after they are landfilled.”
“Sir, about half of our recycling material is exported. It is processed overseas. There are business arrangements between businesses here in Singapore and businesses in the region or overseas, to be able to handle the recycling of waste and recycling of material, whether domestic or non-domestic, already today.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Poh for her questions. Indeed, we do have to shift behaviours. The incentives and disincentives around recycling and waste disposal are an important part of it. We will consider her suggestion on looking at the fees.”
“The heat advisory that goes out is clearly defined. In my original answer, I explained what a heat wave was. There are clear definitions that we have been using in Singapore since 2016, if I recall. It was then last revised in 2023.”
“Sir, in the planning of schools, the Ministry of Education ensures that our students can access a primary school near their homes. Except for a small number, 15 of Special Assistance Plan schools, all primary schools offer the three official mother tongue languages.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,326 lines we hold for Janil Puthucheary, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 11 of 27.
“Patients experienced longer wait times ranging up to one hour at the affected institutions. Some had their outpatient appointments rescheduled. There were delays in dispensing medications to patients. Fortunately, there was no compromise to urgent care services across the institutions during the IT disruptions. Nobody was turned away from the emergency departments or denied urgent care. I would like to express my thanks to all the teams, the nurses, the admin staff and the clinicians for keeping the services running for our public healthcare system and for keeping our patients safe. We are investigating the incidents with the manufacturer of the IT hardware to rectify any weaknesses in the system. This is what we have found out so far. The main cause of the outages were failures of hardware devices in our data centres. Public healthcare IT infrastructure is housed in more than one data centre for resilience and redundancy. At each data centre, there are a few firewall zones. Each firewall zone consists of multiple nodes, these are hardware devices which operate in tandem, so if one fails, the load of data traffic is managed by the other nodes in the cluster, so that service operation is uninterrupted. This system had generally been working well until the recent outages. On 25 August, two days before the incident that we are describing here, on 25 August, a node failed and the system resilience features kicked in and services were maintained. The same thing happened on the 26 August, when another node failed and the systems and services continued functioning.”
“Sir, Members have asked about the cause and impact of the IT system's outage at public healthcare institutions on 27 August 2022. There was a related outage that occurred in the morning of 5 September 2022, which I will also address. From 7.00 am on 27 August 2022, the public healthcare monitoring systems detected IT network connectivity failures. The faults were rectified and the systems were restored by 10.45 am on the same day. In total, 26 IT applications were affected, including the electronic medical records, appointment, pharmacy and laboratory systems. Seventeen public healthcare institutions, including the acute hospitals, community hospitals and specialist outpatient clinics and all the polyclinics, were also affected. On 5 September, at 10.00 am, another fault occurred in the IT infrastructure. Some functionality was restored from 1.00 pm on the same day and full functionality was restored by 6.00 pm the next day. This outage affected eight public healthcare institutions and two out of three polyclinic groups. Due to the nature of this outage, the time to recovery of the system was longer. Hence, operations and services were switched to their back-up infrastructure. Both incidents caused a significant impact on operations. On both 27 August and 5 September, our affected public healthcare institutions activated their downtime procedures and business continuity plans to keep operations running using alternative systems and, in some cases, manual documentation. These business continuity plans are exercised regularly and staff were able to switch processes to sustain operations during the outage. But they had to work doubly hard to keep healthcare operations running smoothly.”
“Mr Speaker, may I please address Question Nos 30 through to 33 together?”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his question. I think I have answered the issue of the current status of monkeypox in my original answer. Notwithstanding the declaration by WHO and the status in New York, the public health response measures adopted Singapore prior to these declarations and the status in New York remain relevant and they are in line with WHO's recommendations after the declaration. Early detection and isolation of cases, prompt contact tracing, quarantining of close contacts – all of these are important strategies and all of these were in place prior to the declaration.”
“In line with WHO's recommendations, MOH has also provided appropriate advice and precautionary measures to the public, including the at-risk population, to raise awareness and reduce the risk of onward transmission. MOH will continue to monitor the monkeypox situation closely and further calibrate our preparedness and response measures, including vaccination strategies, as needed.”
“Sir, as of 31 July 2022, Singapore has had a total of 11 monkeypox cases reported in 2022. None of these cases are linked to each other. All the cases have had mild symptoms and are clinically stable; they were promptly isolated until non-infectious; contact tracing was initiated and 45 close contacts were identified. All close contacts who remained in Singapore are well and 11 of them have completed their quarantine. Thus far, none of the local contacts had developed symptoms compatible with monkeypox nor tested positive for monkeypox. There is, therefore, no evidence of further spread in the community from the reported cases. Close contacts were offered the smallpox vaccine as post-exposure prophylaxis, which is reported to be 85% effective at preventing monkeypox infection. To date, 11 close contacts have taken up the smallpox vaccine. However, and as recommended by WHO, mass population-wide vaccination with the smallpox vaccine is currently not recommended as a preventive strategy for monkeypox as the benefits do not outweigh the risk. Individuals who are at higher risk of infection due to exposure to confirmed cases or their specimens, including healthcare and laboratory personnel, may be offered the smallpox vaccines to protect them from getting infected. There is an adequate supply of smallpox vaccines. Based on international data, the current monkeypox outbreak generally causes a mild and self-limiting illness. With globally three deaths out of more than 20,900 cases reported outside of Africa, the case fatality rate currently stands around 0.01%, or approximately one in 10,000. As we learn more about the disease, MOH will continuously review and calibrate our response measures to be commensurate with the public health risk.”
“We ask everyone to take the necessary precautions and remain socially responsible by self-testing if unwell, getting vaccinated and boosted, and avoiding social interactions if you have a fever or respiratory symptoms. Lastly, Sir, to address Mr Louis Chua's question on foreign patients, the number of foreign patients who come to Singapore to specifically seek inpatient treatment or day surgery at our hospitals has, historically, been small. Between 2017 and 2019, our public and private hospitals saw about 32,000 foreign patients annually, or about 3% of all inpatients and day surgery patients. These numbers have since fallen by 80%, compared to pre-COVID-19 levels. In 2021, there were just 6,000 episodes, comprising less than 1% of total cases seen in hospitals.”
“Currently, children under the age of five remain more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and have higher rates of severe outcomes, as compared to older children. This is similar to other respiratory diseases. However, the overall incidence of severe outcomes from COVID-19 infection remains much lower amongst children, compared to adults and the elderly. Children needing medical attention should be seen by a general practitioner (GP) or polyclinic if unwell and the clinical team, the doctors there, will test children with acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms using an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) by default or a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, if indicated. Children under three months of age are admitted to hospital by default, whereas older children are treated under the Home Recovery Programme (HRP) and reviewed by doctors via telemedicine. This service is available round the clock. Our hospitals continue to prioritise care for children with urgent medical conditions and those who require further observation and treatment will be admitted. MOH regularly reviews and updates the screening and review criteria with inputs from a panel of specialists. Oral antivirals are licensed for use under HSA’s Pandemic Special Access Route for patients aged 18 and above only. For children aged between 12 and 18, local and overseas treatment guidelines indicate that Paxlovid may be considered on a case-to-case basis. We will continue to review the evidence for the use of oral antivirals for children under 18 years of age. We will continue to monitor the incidence of severe illness and deaths due to COVID-19 closely and adjust our processes to protect our healthcare system and patients.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, there were several PQs on our treatment and vaccination plans for children. I was saddened by the recent deaths of two young children from COVID-19 and offer my deepest condolences to their families. Based on local and international data, the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants have not been observed to affect children more severely than past variants and severe COVID-19 infection continues to be rare in children, especially amongst those who are vaccinated. For children aged five to 11, a third mRNA dose may be necessary at some point to keep protection levels high and MOH is making the necessary preparations to roll out vaccination booster doses for this age group in about two months’ time. At present, the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine remains the only vaccine authorised for use in children aged five to 17 in Singapore. Children who are not medically eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine may receive the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine under a dedicated public health programme, while Moderna’s vaccine for this age group remains under evaluation. Children under the age of five are, currently, the last group not yet protected by vaccination. MOH is preparing to start vaccination for those under five towards the fourth quarter of this year. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is currently reviewing the data submitted by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna on their COVID-19 vaccines for this age group. We will provide an update when an assessment of the quality, effectiveness and safety of the vaccines has been completed. Members asked what could be done to detect, diagnose and treat COVID-19 in children.”
“Madam, I thank the Member for the questions. The issue of dealing with an elderly patient who has a mental health condition and who then has a caregiver requiring assistance to deal with that situation, there is not a single solution – just as there is not a single archetype or a single set of challenges. Indeed, the helpline is there for advice as well as to coordinate onward referral. Indeed, the family, the caregiver, can bring the senior to IMH if that is where they think the mental health condition is best dealt with and they can bring them to the restructured hospitals which are also equipped to deal with vulnerable persons, persons who are entirely dependent and people with acute mental health conditions deteriorating. The restructured hospitals and their emergency departments are equipped. At the beginning, the Member talked about IMH being the first port of call. One of the things that we are looking at within the task force is to perhaps shift that perception that IMH has to both be the first port of call as well as the only port of call. I hope that is not what she was characterising the situation as. We really do need a wider surface area, a wider spread of nodes, networks, the community organisations, the healthcare community as well as the social care community to participate in that response to support the mental health needs of our seniors. That is part of what the task force is going to try and do.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, yes, we do want to increase the awareness of the need for mental health screening among the healthcare professionals and social care professionals that are working in this space, as well as to provide them with tools to do the screening and then, the onward referral. So, that is very much part of our strategy.”
“The third point is that some of the efforts that we are making around the larger strategy of mental health will directly improve access to, and services for, the elderly, for example, the extent to which we are looking at the community care providers to bring some of these services closer to home, including, for example, eldercare centres.”
“I thank the Member for her questions. Mdm Deputy Speaker, if I may address the second one first. The task force is not planning only on raising literacy and providing education. We are looking at the entire strategy and the way in which we approach the deployment of resources, training of professionals, referral of clients across the ecosystem as well as the relationship between the healthcare and social care parts of our mental health infrastructure. Within that space, there will be a need to look at the allocation of resources and the deployment of personnel. But I think we have to start at getting the strategy and systems in place first. Then, the task force will move on to other subtasks following on from that. Indeed, it is important to consider the needs of and support for the elderly who have mental health illnesses and those of their caregivers. I would make three broad points. The first is that for the seniors' mental health, we need to look at it a little bit differently partly because they often have concomitant, associated chronic health conditions. Both need to be dealt with together, holistically. So, it is a combined mental and health approach. That is what the professionals have been doing already. Which is the second point, that is, that there are resources that are available, there are professionals working in this space. I mentioned the psycho-geriatricians and the other teams in my earlier answer. Another example would be the "Live Well, Age Well" programme, which is funded by MOH and jointly implemented by HPB and the People's Association, to augment existing seniors' programmes with a focus on mental well-being. More than 13,000 unique seniors participated in the programme in 2021.”
“Caregivers of elderly care recipients, in particular, those who exhibit self-harm or aggressive behaviours, can call the Institute of Mental Health (IMH)'s 24-hour Mental Health Helpline at 6389 2222 to seek help in managing crisis situations. Where necessary, IMH will also make home visits to provide crisis interventions. When the acute psychiatric condition is stabilised, the elderly care recipients may be referred for follow-up at the outpatient clinics at the restructured hospitals where their care would be overseen by healthcare professionals trained in mental health, including psycho-geriatricians. In the community, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has worked with social service agencies to set up community intervention teams which can provide further support for these elderly care recipients through psychosocial therapeutic intervention and counselling.”
“For our youths, we want to promote the positive use of technology and social media and propose to develop a parents' toolbox to enable parents to better support their children's socioemotional well-being. At the workplace, we propose to improve mental well-being support systems and work-life harmony strategies and equip employers with knowledge on supporting persons with mental health needs. In addition, there is a need to improve access to vocational training and increase job opportunities for persons with mental health conditions. To promote mental health awareness and literacy in the population, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) launched the national campaign in October 2021 titled "It’s OKAY to Reach Out". The campaign aims to normalise discussions about and increase understanding of mental health issues. The campaign encourages us to reach out for help and, where possible, reach out to provide help. The campaign includes community dialogue sessions, activity-based workshops and educational webinars where participants learn more about mental well-being and equip themselves with practical coping tips as well as how to reach out to seek support and support others. To complement this national campaign, HPB also rolled out MindSG, an online portal featuring resources curated by mental health experts to provide Singaporeans with credible, reliable and convenient access to important relevant content. HPB will be launching the second instalment of the "It’s OKAY to Reach Out" national campaign in the coming months. There are existing mental health services to cater to the needs of persons with mental health conditions and their caregivers.”
“Madam, the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being has conducted a review of existing mental health and well-being programmes and developed preliminary recommendations to support the mental health needs of all members of society, including youths and seniors. The task force's recommendations are aimed at creating a caring and inclusive society, where all can seek help and be supported to achieve mental health and well-being, and can participate meaningfully in our society. The task force is currently embarking on a consultation exercise from 30 May 2022 to 7 August 2022 to seek the views of the public on its preliminary recommendations. The findings from the public consultation will enable the task force to refine the recommendations and develop a national strategy on mental health and well-being. Following this, indicators will be developed to measure the implementation progress and effectiveness of the strategy. The task force has proposed 12 preliminary recommendations in three focus areas. The first focus area is improving accessibility, coordination and quality of mental health services. The second is strengthening of services and support for youths' mental well-being. And the third is improving workplace well-being measures and employment support. Some of the recommendations include designating first-stop touchpoints for easier wayfinding of mental health services, standardising process and systems between social and healthcare providers for better coordination of care and equipping frontline service providers with the relevant mental health knowledge and competencies to support their clients.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, may I have your permission to address Question Nos 15 to 17 in the Order Paper and written Parliamentary Questions (PQs) filed by Mr Christopher de Souza1,2 for the Sitting on or after 6 July please?”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. There is no current evidence to suggest that the disease is sexually transmitted. And as I have mentioned earlier, it is prolonged and extensive physical contact. So, while the reported population does appear to be disproportionately men, and men who self-identify as men having sex with men, there is no specific advice for that community over and above the general advice around not coming into contact with persons who are demonstrating the signs of infection, taking appropriate steps yourself if you have signs of the infection and seeking medical care, isolating yourself to prevent further spread, and then participating in the contact tracing process. As with all similar diseases, the personal responsibility around hygiene and your own state of health continues to apply and is extraordinarily important in preventing further spread of this disease.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank the Member for the questions. With respect to what is now the main factor for the spread, I would point out that it is spreading very slowly. This is not COVID-19. There was a total of 3,411 cases, I think, the last time WHO reported on this around the world in 49 countries. We only had one case here in Singapore. The main reason for why it spreads to certain individuals is a combination of age as well as prolonged and extensive physical contact. Would it mutate like any virus? The Member would be aware that there is always a possibility for mutation. These are not things that can be predicted ahead of time. How are we preparing for this? The surveillance around emerging infectious diseases within our healthcare system applies to a variety of diseases and would apply to monkeypox as well. Smallpox vaccination is available in Singapore and can be used, for example, for healthcare workers who are at high risk or laboratory personnel who are handling such pathogens.”
“Madam, as explained in the answer yesterday, hygiene measures, contact tracing of close contacts – all of which rest upon early detection and diagnosis – are the key measures to prevent the spread of monkeypox, which is a self-limiting illness, where patients recover and it largely does not cause serious illness. Also, the issue of the smallpox vaccine was addressed in the answer yesterday. It is up to 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, but has significant side effects. And for the general population, the risks of complications outweigh the benefits because the general population is at low risk of being infected. So, we would reinforce personal responsibility to avoid high-risk activities, especially when symptomatic, and practising good personal hygiene, all of which remain very effective at reducing the risk of transmission in the general population.”
“Madam, the issues raised in these four Parliamentary Questions (PQs) were answered in the combined answer that was provided yesterday which has been circulated to Members. But I am happy to take any supplementary questions that Members have today.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 11 to 14, please?”
“Sir, as we have explained several times in this House, indeed, we are moving towards a posture of social responsibility as the key intervention in the fight against COVID-19. The use of TraceTogether and Safe Entry as a platform is, currently, largely driven by the need for vaccine-differentiated measures. Certainly, if we need to step up contact tracing again in the face of an increasing public health risk, the way in which we do that using TraceTogether, SafeEntry, automatic warnings, targeted warnings will be informed by the characteristics of the variant or the wave of the epidemic at that time.”
“Sir, Minister Ong Ye Kung shared the comprehensive reply yesterday to address all of these matters and questions. I would refer the Members to the answers from the Sitting on 4 April 2022.”
“Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 10, 11 and 12 in today's Order Paper together, please?”
“Sir, I thank Dr Wan Rizal for the question. Adverse incidents will happen in these complex, high-risk and high-intensity situations. And when they do, everybody feels bad, it is a tragic outcome from an emotive empathy point of view. Anybody hearing about it feels lost, feels sympathy. If you are potentially the healthcare worker involved, you worry about the care that you delivered, whether you have made an error, whether your team has allowed something to happen, when the allegation is made. However, all of these allegations and comments do need to be investigated. I think we should not take the view that somehow, we should not look into them. We should look into them. We must investigate the process because that is our duty to the patients and the families that we care for. And the best protection then for healthcare workers is quick and thorough establishing of the facts that are involved and to do so in a way that involves the healthcare worker, systematically and professionally. The processes to investigate and follow up on incidents, such as these, are well-known to our healthcare system and healthcare staff. Nevertheless, it can be taxing and draining on the healthcare workers who are involved, and we have services that are available for counselling and psychological support for the healthcare workers that are within the system and are working in these situations. At root, however, it would be helpful if, when allegations and incidents are raised, that these are based on facts rather than speculation.”
“Sir, the questions filed by Ms Ng Ling Ling, Mr Edward Chia and Dr Wan Rizal have been scheduled for subsequent Sittings.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Edward Chia for the question. Notwithstanding the findings that the clinical care processes were appropriate and not contributing to the outcome, the NUH team did, indeed, look through how they performed their communication, how they provided the information that was available to reassure and inform the couple. And, indeed, there were ways in which they could improve that, they recognised this and they have already instituted changes to the processes to make sure that information is provided in a timely manner and done so in a way that is more acceptable to the patients and their families. And this process review was done in consultation with MOH and the Director of Medical Services. The lessons will be learnt and shared across our healthcare system.”
“No patient will be denied care. I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all healthcare workers for their professionalism and dedication in caring for all their patients.”
“Mr Speaker, my answer will address Question No 5 from Ms Hazel Poa from today's Order Paper and also similar related questions raised by Ms Ng Ling Ling1, Mr Edward Chia2 and Dr Wan Rizal3,4. It was with a heavy heart that I read about the unfortunate incident that happened at National University Hospital (NUH) two weeks ago. I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the family for their tragic loss. The couple has had discussions with the NUH team and the matter has since been closed between the two parties. The family had put up a social media post recently acknowledging this and further acknowledged that the mother had not been left unattended for two hours. Indeed, she received attention and care from the NUH Emergency Department (ED) team from the time that she arrived. They further noted that the sad and unfortunate outcome of the pregnancy was not the result of her experience at the hospital. Out of respect for the couple's request for privacy and confidentiality reasons, I will not go into details of the case. NUH has investigated the matter thoroughly and reviewed their processes, in consultation with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Director of Medical Services. Their clinical care processes are appropriate, but there were some areas for improved communications and the coordination for transfers between the ED and the Delivery Suite. NUH has implemented these improvements. COVID-19 has resulted in the public hospitals' EDs facing very high demands and our healthcare workers have been working continuously to attend to all patients with COVID-19 and those with non-COVID-19 conditions. All patients will be triaged based on presenting history, symptoms and clinical parameters so that those with life-threatening conditions are prioritised.”
“Sir, SSIR was set up to protect organisations that wish to register their SMS Sender IDs to prevent spoofing. With the pricing model, we hope that it is affordable, especially for SMEs. Specifically, organisations would pay a one-time set-up fee of $500 and $1,000 for every 10 Sender IDs. This makes it more affordable for smaller companies and organisations, such as SMEs, which would have fewer Sender IDs to register. Having said that, so far, as of 30 March, there are more than 1,000 protected SMS Sender IDs in the registry already. So, IMDA will monitor the landscape to study if the registration of SMS Sender IDs should be mandatory or if there should be another framework in place.”
“Madam, yes, there is. There have been for many years and those plans have been activated a number of times, including in the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, based on MOH's modelling, the annual average public hospital Bed Occupancy Rate (BOR) over the next five years would be around 80%. A sustained BOR of less than 85% in the hospitals is, generally, recommended by academic communities and the healthcare authorities, overseas and here, to ensure patient safety. Sustained BORs above the 85% threshold may increase the risk of poor clinical outcomes due to the reduced access to hospital care. Based on our experience, operating with a BOR of less than 85% has allowed for hospitals to have sufficient bed capacity to respond to sudden increases in bed demands, for example, during mass casualty situations and pandemics. While there may be temporary increases over the recommended annual average BOR of 85%, our public healthcare institutions (PHIs) have mitigated the risks by managing patient flows, introducing measures, such as the use of telehealth technologies, to reduce the need for in-person consultations and right-siting care into the community and ambulatory settings.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Lim Wee Kiak for his questions. He asked about whether there would be further hospitals, further healthcare capacity. We watch the issue of healthcare capacity quite closely and, as Minister Ong Ye Kung has laid out, the key thing that we want to achieve going forward is better utilisation of the healthcare capacity that we have, integration into the community facilities that we have and where care can be sited outside of the hospital, if possible. Studies have demonstrated quite clearly that this is going to be better if we can go upstream and better integrate recovering patients into the community. So, we will watch the need for healthcare capacity quite closely, but we are hoping that the solution to the healthcare capacity issue is not just more and more acute care hospitals. We are hoping to be able to reduce the need for them. For the point on medical schools, indeed, medical manpower is important and a lot of people who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, we need healthcare workers from many, many degrees and many, many domains and many, many disciplines, and we would encourage people who are interested in a career in healthcare to explore a wider variety of possibilities.”
“Practical guides and resources will be developed for parents to help them develop healthy screen time habits in their children. We need to encourage healthy lifestyle habits from as early as possible. The Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being comprises members from over 30 organisations and we met regularly to review the population’s mental health needs, discuss identified gaps and develop some preliminary recommendations. The focus of these efforts are challenges that cut across the responsibilities of several agencies.”
“And this PSAR route requires significantly fewer clinical samples than the full registration route as MOH will continue to monitor the performance of these kits as they are deployed. There have been instances where local manufacturers could not meet the quality standards, but this should not be misrepresented as an unclear process. They have been told what else they need to do to meet the quality standards. Lower-income households can already apply through Social Service Offices and Family Service Centres for free kits supplied by MOH. MOH also provides free kits for individuals on mandatory Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) at the workplace. Those on Protocols 1, 2, 3 also have access to free ART kits via the ART vending machines located island-wide. Sir, the pandemic has posed a challenge to both the physical and mental health of our people. We will be doing more to support the mental well-being of our citizens. Our local study "Growing up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes" (GUSTO) found that the mental well-being of the mother during pregnancy can affect the brain development of the foetus, resulting in vulnerability to mood or anxiety disorders later in life. So, KKH and NUH will increase their antenatal and postnatal mental health screening for more mothers. This will allow pregnant women with depressive symptoms to be identified earlier and allows treatment during both pregnancy and motherhood to occur earlier. Studies have shown that screen time during early childhood could have a negative association with later cognition. We agree with Ms Ng Ling Ling that more can be done to support parents in calibrating the exposure of their children to screen time.”
“So, you can see that the infection-related complications are at least 10 times more frequent than any side effects from the vaccine; and most of the side effects of the vaccine are short-term, temporary and do not have any long-term consequences. These infection-related complications are much more frequent, potentially more severe as compared to vaccine-related adverse events. And the odds are clear, every case of MIS-C and myocarditis is one too many. I think Mr Leong needs to weigh up both sides of the risk. At the other end, if you are admitted to hospital, vaccinated individuals who have received their booster doses are 33 times less likely to die from COVID-19, as compared to individuals who are not fully vaccinated. So, to Mr Leong – it is not appropriate to lift the measures at this stage. Once the Omicron wave has subsided, we will be in a better position to ease our safe management measures further. I understand that Ms Sylvia Lim is interested about the access to and approval for ART test kits. The key considerations when approving ART kits for public health use in Singapore are to ensure that the kits, when used as a self-test, are sufficiently sensitive in detecting COVID-19 infection, easy to use and affordable. The process for approving locally-produced ART kits to meet quality standards is quite clear. It is not more stringent than for foreign-produced kits and is made known to all interested manufacturers and importers who have enquired about ART kits. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has made available the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) for expedited registration of ART kits to be used for public health use as directed by MOH. Only ART kits that meet the quality standards of MOH are invited by HSA to apply for PSAR.”
“Mr Chairman, our hospitals, healthcare workers and GP clinics continue to work under pressure as a result of the Omicron wave. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated are more likely to be hospitalised, to require oxygen supplementation, be admitted into ICU care and die. Three percent of our adult population who are not fully vaccinated accounted for 25% of our ICU cases and deaths. As the unvaccinated are at a higher risk of infection and becoming seriously ill, Vaccination-differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS) have been put in place to protect this group of individuals while allowing the fully vaccinated to resume more social and economic activities. Mr Leong Mun Wai, I feel, has cherry-picked the data. He is advocating on behalf of individuals who have not been vaccinated; that is quite reasonable. I think he should have a proper understanding of the effectiveness of vaccinations as the most effective intervention that we have in our COVID-19 fight. Let me share a few points of data for him to consider and see if he may change his mind about how he would like to represent the effectiveness of vaccines in our fight. For individuals below the age of 12, there are about 40 per million severe adverse reactions reported after vaccination and most of these will recover quite quickly with no effects, no long-term effects. When an individual under 12 is infected by COVID-19, the risk is that about 320 individuals per million will develop Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) and about 450 per million will develop myocarditis. And each of these may require admission to ICU, certainly, admission to hospital and have the potential to be fatal.”
“And, together, we will build a vibrant and secure digital future. [Applause.]”
“Thank you, Sir. Singapore has also made strong efforts to develop the interconnected data and AI ecosystems, striking a balance between data protection, data security and data innovation. We took the lead to develop the ASEAN Model Contractual Clauses for Cross Border Data Flows (MCCs) to enable enterprises to transfer personal data for business transactions across borders with regulatory certainty. We are pushing to expand the recognition of these clauses in jurisdictions outside of ASEAN. In parallel, we are working to advance responsible AI deployment globally. Building on Singapore's Model AI Governance Framework, we are partnering countries, such as the US and the UK to learn from international best practices and align AI governance principles. We are also working with ASEAN member states to coordinate the development of an ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics. This will provide practical and implementable guidance to deploy AI responsibly and foster consumer confidence to use AI-enabled services in the region more widely. Sir, I would like to conclude by emphasising the Government's commitment to building a digital future for Singapore that is economically vibrant, socially stable, safe and secure. Harnessing opportunities in the digital space while managing the risks will be critical to our success and our survival. The Government and, through our partnerships, is putting in place various building blocks, with stakeholders, including digital capabilities, infrastructure, regulations, security and investments, for the future. At the heart of our efforts lies our people, their potential and well-being. We have to aim for all Singaporeans to be empowered and to find fulfilment through their participation in the digital domain.”
“Since December 2021, Singapore has assumed the chairmanship of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This is the main international platform charged with international cybersecurity policy discussions. We are facilitating discussions to achieve consensus on norms, rules and principles to advance a secure and interoperable cyberspace and encourage responsible state behaviour. Such efforts are all the more crucial, given the circumstances around the world. Sir, I beg your indulgence as I move towards the close of my speech.”
“We need to build an international consensus on rules, norms and standards, so that the digital ecosystem is sustainable, interoperable and protected against both accidental and intended harms. Members would be familiar with our Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs) that exemplify this approach. Singapore has signed DEAs with four countries, most recently, with the UK last month. We have also substantially concluded a DEA with the Republic of Korea in December 2021. Mr Seah Kian Peng will be glad to know that Singapore's work with international stakeholders has been impactful and builds our global brand to be a trusted digital hub. Internationally, we have made significant contributions to the cybersecurity community as well. We have been able to do so by drawing on our operational capabilities, technical expertise and innovation in cybersecurity and bringing these together with balanced policy and regulatory perspectives. Critical to these efforts are the skilled and experienced cybersecurity personnel that represent us at many international discussions. Cybersecurity standards are one area where we are pushing ahead. CSA launched the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) for consumer IoT devices in October 2020, the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific at that time. It has garnered interest amongst international partners, leading to an MOU with Finland for mutual recognition of cybersecurity labels. CSA and the Singapore Standards Council have also launched the first national standard, the Technical Reference (TR) 91, on Cybersecurity Labelling for consumer IoT. This can be adopted across the board by manufacturers, developers, testing bodies and suppliers of consumer IoT devices.”
“Other than investing in research, we are also strengthening the translation of research, so that companies and citizens can reap tangible benefits from these technologies today. The Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation by the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore (CSA) enables companies to solve cybersecurity problem statements with innovative solutions. Under this call, a local cybersecurity company, Flexxon, developed X-PHY in 2021. It is the world's first solid state drive (SSD) enabled with an AI cybersecurity defence. The drive is powered by an AI co-processor and a special firmware that provides real-time data protection against software-based attacks, such as malware, ransomware and viruses, and physical attacks, such as unauthorised cloning. The X-PHY SSD continuously monitors itself without reading the stored files. When the drive detects tampering, it locks itself and alerts the owner. This user-friendly solution does not require complex configuration or constant updating. Lenovo has already teamed up with Flexxon to use these SSDs in some of its laptops. Sir, I have elaborated on Singapore's investment in future-ready digital infrastructure and how we are breaking new ground with innovation. Let me turn now to how we are building on these efforts, together with international partners, for a secure and vibrant digital economy connected to the world. Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Alex Yam were interested in the new global opportunities as well as challenges and risks in the digital domain. Issues such as cybersecurity, data protection and AI ethics, are complex issues that transcend geographical borders. We cannot solve these problems alone.”
“One of the spin-offs from CQT, SpeQtral, is commercialising a satellite that will allow for secure communication based on QKD technology, with support from EDB. When the satellite is launched and deployed into orbit, SpeQtral will be one of the first companies in the world to demonstrate a full commercial-scale solution. I met the CEO, Lum Chune Yang, and his team last month and was very impressed by how they have followed through from their pioneering research and experiments, and together with the many commercial partners they have already lined up, such as Toshiba, to then bring this to life and come up with a commercially deployable solution. 3.15 pm Quantum technology is just one area of future communications which we are developing. IMDA and the National Research Foundation are investing $70 million in our first national Future Communications Research and Development Programme (FCP). This programme will accelerate the next bound of communications and connectivity research, such as in 6G. The international research community recognises Singapore's strong innovation capabilities. As part of FCP, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 6G Flagship in July last year. This is the world's first and leading 6G research and development programme funded by the Academy of Finland. Through this, parties will deepen research and development collaboration on 6G, such as through organising workshops, and conducting joint research and educational projects between the researchers of both institutes. And just two months ago, we signed another MOU with the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences in the Republic of Korea.”
“Today's encryption methods are mathematics-based. Hackers leverage sophisticated techniques and powerful computing hardware to "crack the code". As quantum computers mature, we can expect that adversaries will eventually be able to decrypt data and penetrate systems secured with today's technology simply by applying more and more computing power. Quantum communication is secured by physics-based methods, such as quantum key distribution (QKD). Potentially, this could help future-proof the security of our databases, critical systems and communications. This technique allows the creation of paired secret cryptographic keys, which are only held by the sender and the authorised receiver, anyone trying to intercept or copy the keys in between would introduce a detectable anomaly and this signals that the keys have been tampered with and then knowing that we can retransmit a new secure key in real time. If effective, this technique means that no amount of computational power would be able to break quantum-secured communications. It sounds a bit like science fiction, but quantum technologies have been developed in Singapore for over a decade. Since the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) was established at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2007, its researchers have contributed to 5,000 scientific papers, participated in projects supported by about $100 million in external grants and established several startups here. The Government continues to work closely with CQT to deploy quantum technologies in real-world applications. Two weeks ago, the National Quantum-Safe Network was announced. It is a public-private consortium that will deploy QKD-enabled wireless networks across Singapore.”
“Another digital utility is the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex). Today, data is fragmented across the global supply chain ecosystem. With SGTraDex, supply chain ecosystem partners, such as shippers and logistics providers, are able to share trade data in a seamless and secure manner. Ms Jessica Tan asked about SGTraDex's progress. It has been good with many companies across various sectors coming on board. The Government and the Alliance for Action (AfA) for supply chain digitalisation are working with these companies on a Minimum Viable Product to allow more extensive data sharing and alive business environment, which will be launched later this year. Our advanced infrastructure and highly used digital utilities can be vulnerable to attacks or risks of failure. I agree wholeheartedly with Ms Jessica Tan that we should ensure that our infrastructure is secure and resilient to address evolving threats and risks. Minister Josephine Teo had earlier shared on MCI's efforts to secure important digital infrastructure and services through our Cybersecurity Act. MCI also adopts design principles to embed security features and operational practices within the system architecture, rather than to add these at a later stage. Sir, Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about the Government's investments in new digital technologies. As part of the $25 billion Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan, our plans for the Smart Nation and Digital Economy (SNDE) domain build on past investments to drive research in digital technologies with transformative potential. One such technology is quantum communication, which promises to revolutionise the security of our information and infrastructure.”
“For example, Singapore-based maritime company, BW Group, plans to develop a new submarine cable pathway connecting Singapore to the US via Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. The third category of infrastructure are data centres. These are vital nodes in the flow of digital traffic. Data centres power many applications and services for businesses and everyday life, from complex data management to e-commerce transactions. However, the data centres are intensive users of water and electricity. Given our resource constraints, we need to manage the development of data centres sustainably. IMDA and the Economic Development Board (EDB) will pilot a Call for Application to facilitate the calibrated growth of data centres that possess the best-in-class techniques, technologies and practices for energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Singapore is committed to fulfilling our environmental obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Greener data centres will allow us to do so while, at the same time, supporting the growing needs of our digital economy. This Call for Application will be launched by the second quarter of 2022. This comprehensive digital infrastructure, the various components that I have described, makes possible the provision of digital utilities. These are the services that ride atop the connectivity layers that have become essential and commonplace, allowing people and businesses to use digital services and transact seamlessly and safely. Minister of State Tan Kiat How shared examples earlier, such as PayNow and InvoiceNow. Other examples include the National Digital Identity, Singpass and TradeTrust. We will continue to invest in other essential digital tools and services and develop them as digital utilities.”
“This 5G-enabled solution mitigates this. It overlays images and text onto physical objects, allowing inspectors to identify defects in real time, augmented by this technological solution. It also allows the operator to take photos and use deep learning algorithms that identify images to quickly detect factory defects. Apart from these wireless networks, we will also upgrade our wired networks. Already, today, according to Internet metrics company Ookla, Singapore has one of the fastest broadband speeds in the world and we can look forward to more. As mentioned by Minister Lawrence Wong in the Budget speech, we will invest in developing infrastructure to deliver broadband speeds around 10 times faster, compared to today, unlocking new possibilities for digital experiences and tools. The second category of infrastructure connects us to the world. This includes satellites and subsea cables. These provide critical connectivity with international partners and allow us to be part of international data flows and digital trade. Singapore is already a digital connectivity hub and a preferred landing site for global submarine cable operators, due to our stable governance and advanced economy. This connectivity enables the development of many different products and services and supports many businesses that choose to locate important operations here in Singapore. It also allows our thriving research community to access computing resources from around the world and for our data centres and supercomputers to serve international partners. We will continue to secure new landings to strengthen our international connectivity.”
“How will we upgrade our digital infrastructure for a data age, so that it is fit-for-purpose and continues to support our needs? To begin with, we must pay attention to our domestic telecommunications infrastructure. These form our connectivity backbone. Wireless and wired network components, such as base stations and fibre optic cables, allow Internet traffic to flow seamlessly in large volumes, providing a high-speed service to every corner of Singapore. We have continued to upgrade our local telecommunications capability, for example, through the shift to 5G. 5G technology enables unprecedented speeds and reduces the latency. So, more data can be transferred at higher speeds. 5G networks are also more responsive and better able to cope with surges in data traffic. Here in Singapore, we continue to be at the forefront of 5G deployment. Our telcos have stated that they have achieved 50% nationwide outdoor coverage at the start of 2022, ahead of their end-2022 target. And we are on track for nationwide 5G coverage in Singapore by 2025. The characteristics and advantages of 5G allow for new use cases, such as in advanced manufacturing. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has been partnering IBM, Samsung and M1 in Singapore's first 5G Industry 4.0 trial. The trial developed a 5G-enabled augmented reality (AR) solution in the form of AI-powered "Smart Glasses". These "Smart Glasses" assist factory operators in assembly and inspection, and also improve training efficiency for new hires by 50%. They will be deployed across IBM's global manufacturing sites from the second half of this year. Traditionally, the factory operators manually detect defects. This is a time-consuming process. It relies on the human eye and it is subject to fatigue.”
“Sir, I thank the various Members for their cuts and questions and hope to address several of them in my response. My colleagues have shared different facets of MCI's efforts to ready our ecosystems, businesses and people for a digital future. Minister Josephine Teo spoke about how MCI will enhance digital regulations for digital safety, security and resilience; and deepen engagement with Singaporeans to strengthen social cohesion. Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam shared about our continuing work to build a digitally-ready and inclusive society, such as through NLB's Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025, which is showcased at the main lobby of Parliament. Minister of State Tan Kiat How spoke about our efforts to equip our workforce and enterprises with capabilities to seize opportunities in a digital and post-COVID-19 economy. I will focus on three areas where we are investing for the future, to mark Singapore's place in the digital world. First, building digital infrastructure to meet our future needs. Second, pushing technological boundaries with leading edge innovation and research. And third, fostering international partnerships to advance the digital economy and strengthen digital security beyond our shores. Mr Shawn Huang and Ms Tin Pei Ling asked about MCI's plans to ready our infrastructure for the next wave of digitalisation. The volume and complexity of digital traffic continue to grow very, very quickly. We will increasingly rely on data and data-powered services, especially as cloud services and the Internet of Things (IoT) become more commonplace. By 2025, the estimated amount of data generated globally is about 463 exabytes. That means 463 billion gigabytes, which is equivalent roughly 60 hours of Netflix movies per person per day.”