Provisions Made in Public and Private Hospitals to Detect and Deal With Transmission of Infectious Airborne Diseases

Ms Joan Pereira asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health whether the Government has information on (a) the provisions made in public and private hospitals to (i) detect the transmission of infectious airborne diseases within the hospital and (ii) ensure that infected patients are warded separately; and (b) the sufficiency of beds to account for sudden spikes in contagious diseases, especially among the elderly.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Public and private hospitals in Singapore maintain infection prevention and control (IPC) systems to detect and manage infectious diseases, in accordance with the National Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines and Standards. Patients are triaged for presence of respiratory symptoms and relevant risk factors at admission points. Hospitals monitor for airborne infectious diseases as part of routine clinical care and conduct testing based on clinical assessment.

Patients suspected or confirmed to have airborne infectious diseases are isolated in single or cohort rooms as appropriate. Public hospitals have contingency plans to respond to surges in infectious diseases, and transitional care facilities can be adapted as isolation facilities to augment capacity, where required.

Notifiable infectious diseases and clusters of hospital-acquired infections are reported to the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA). The CDA works closely with hospitals to ensure timely implementation of response measures.

Members of the public can also play their part in protecting patients by avoiding visits to healthcare facilities when unwell, and by practising good hand hygiene and wearing masks when visiting.