EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICES

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EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICES: **

(Rationale for outsourcing to private sector): **

4.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs what is the rationale for outsourcing emergency ambulance services to the private sector and what are the risks to Singaporeans of such a move.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Outsourcing of Government functions is not new. In 2003, the public sector embarked on a best sourcing exercise to incrementally market test functions provided by Government departments and statutory boards. The objective is to derive the best value without compromising service delivery to the public.

In the case of the Emergency Ambulance Services (EAS), the number of calls has been escalating over the years. In 2004, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) EAS responded to 82,870 calls. By 2007, the total number of EAS escalated to 109,459, an increase of more than 30%. The elderly, aged 65 and above, accounted for 30% of all EAS calls. MHA expects the demand for EAS to continue to increase in the coming years with the ageing population. There is, hence, a need to increase the supply of EAS services to meet the specific needs of the users.

SCDF emergency ambulances and crew are costly and highly geared resources designed to handle not only EAS cases but also extreme crises, including biological and chemical terrorist incidents. For 2007, almost 60% of all EAS calls were non-critical medical cases, which do not require the high competency level of SCDF’s EAS. The outsourcing of such cases to competent private providers is, hence, a viable option without compromising service delivery. These private providers will be managed by SCDF and augment its current fleet to meet the rapid rise in demand for ambulance services. By providing a calibrated service, they will help keep costs manageable.

Interested operators will be put through a rigorous and stringent selection process. Private providers selected to augment SCDF’s fleet will also be required to retrofit ambulances and hire crew according to almost similar specifications as per SCDF ambulances and crew. The standards required to be met by private ambulance operators are currently being reviewed jointly by MOH and SCDF, and the revised guidelines will ensure that all ambulances and crew will be equipped to handle medical emergencies for which they are despatched.

Selected private operators will also be required to meet the same performance standard of reaching the incident site within 11 minutes, 80% of the time. Their ambulances and crew would also be subjected to regular stringent audits as is practised today for SCDF.

To help ensure a steady pool of proficient fresh hires, SCDF collaborated with the Institute of Education (ITE) in 2007 on a 3-year dual certification programme in Nursing as

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well as Paramedic and Emergency Care. The first cohort is expected to graduate in 2009. The Civil Defence Academy will also provide training to operators to ensure that they are able to meet the required standards.