Sir, I understand that Singapore currently ranked the sixth best nation in the world for its medical advances and the best in Asia by the World Health Organization. Singapore’s hospitals and medical centers have achieved high marks in clinical indicators that equal and even surpass those in the developed West.
However, it is important for us to strive to maintain the high standards and quality of our medical and healthcare services.
Recently, I received feedback from my constituent that some patients who were admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) was infected by virus in the hospital and died of pneumonia.
I would like to ask the Minister for Health was there an unusual increase in the number of patients at TTSH who died of pneumonia?
Sir, during March 2005 when SGH first identified VRE, it decided to screen all its inpatients with a view to identify the carriers so that they can be properly isolated. In parallel, SGH staff was reminded to step up good infection control practices such as mandatory hand washing in between patients and stricter compliance of the 2-visitor rule in the hospital.
According to statistics, in Year 2007, pneumonia was the 3rd major cause of death after cancer and heart disease.
I would like to know how hospitals monitor whether the wards are affected by infectious virus? Are there routine measures that hospitals undertake to ensure that there is no outbreak of infectious virus in the hospitals?
(Note: this speech was delivered in Parliament on 10 Feb 2009.)
