MOSQUITO CONTROL AND ERADICATION IN ANSON

Mr P. Govindaswamy asked the Minister for Health what progress has been made in the control and eradication of mosquitoes in the Anson Constituency.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health (Mr Chor Yeok Eng) (for the Minister for Health): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I regret to inform the Member for Anson that so far no steps have been taken to eradicate mosquitoes in Anson Constituency. This is because it is not possible to deal with the mosquito problem of Singapore on a piecemeal basis, as are shown in the results of a field survey without house-to-house checks done on the 24th of November, 1966, in Anson Constituency itself. The results are no less than 107 breeding places, mainly due to mosquitoes breeding in water-bearing receptacles found in scrap dumps of second-hand dealers, water storage tanks in unauthorised dwellings, stagnant water in drains caused by refuse thrown into them by hawkers and residents over a very long time.

A lot of second-hand goods dealers in this area are responsible for the dumping of discarded receptacles which in turn become breeding places for mosquitoes. This is a long-time process and it is difficult to eradicate the mosquito menace within a short time. The view of my Ministry is that the mosquito eradication scheme can only be effective when it goes hand in hand with the proper reorganisation of the Public Cleansing Service which, I believe Members will agree with me, is to be launched shortly, as well as the licensing and control of hawkers, which campaign has already begun. As we all know, Mr Speaker, the control and the registration of such hawkers constitute a very major part of the Ministry of Health and this work is progressing satisfactorily.

Madam Chan Choy Siong (Delta): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, a supplementary question on the answer given. I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether he can implement the scheme as early as possible, because this is the time when the rainy season is around the corner and flooding is coming very soon. I myself have been subjected to the mosquito menace. The breeding of mosquitoes is increasing, and I would like the Minister to implement the scheme as early as possible so that the people of Singapore will be free from the mosquito menace.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, the supplementary question raised requires me to implement the scheme as early as possible. That, of course, will depend on our resources. We certainly wish to implement our scheme as early as possible. As I have already indicated earlier, for certain reasons and because of restrictions, we must do some preparatory work in advance before we can do anything else. The mosquito menace is a big problem arising out of various causes and we must have an overall scheme before we can start. A lot of preparation has to be made, and the moment this is done, we shall launch a campaign to implement the scheme. Whether this can be implemented as early as possible will, of course, depend on the question of staff and other resources.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question. I remember at the last Budget session the Minister concerned replied to my question on this mosquito menace. He did mention that his Ministry was going to set up an Anti-Mosquito Unit. Sir, after a lapse of almost 12 months, I am wondering whether this Unit has, in fact, been set up and whether work has been carried out to eradicate the mosquito menace.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the question of an Anti-Mosquito Unit was first raised by the Ministry of Health and this Unit has been established. But because of the shortage of staff, the work of this Unit cannot be launched on a large scale. As I have already said, the Public Health Division of the Ministry of Health is now preparing various schemes and is in liaison with the various sections. So when all this preparatory work is done, a proper scheme will be launched.

Another question about the Anti-Mosquito Unit is that, at the present moment, this Unit has already carried out work in various areas in Singapore on a regional basis. It is not possible to do the work on an extensive basis because of the reasons I have given. So I would like to appeal to Members in this House, as they are very concerned with the mosquito menace, that the best thing for them to do at the present moment is to start a cleansing campaign in their own constituencies, or an anti-mosquito campaign in their own constituencies. That is more effective at the present moment.

Madam Chan Choy Siong: (In Mandarin): Another supplementary question, Mr Speaker. From the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary, I would like to ask him a further question on this point. If his scheme cannot be implemented within a year, then do not tell me that the people of Singapore have to be tolerant about mosquito bites for some more time. I appeal to him, as he has already indicated that this problem is actually dependent on the question of staff. Because of the shortage of staff, he says he cannot carry out his work as scheduled. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to consider employing temporary staff to eradicate the mosquito menace, because if it gets out of hand, then there will be epidemics all over Singapore.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, this question of the mosquito menace is getting more and more interesting. But it is a question which requires a long time to solve. I can assure Members that at the present moment it is not just the question of staff that is bothering us. As one can read from the local newspapers, the labour problem is coming to the forefront because of the Federation of Unions having a desire to negotiate with the Ministry of Health. The question is not just one of staff but is also one of industrial relations. Furthermore, there is the technical aspect of the problem. Some people simply do not care much about the situation. They just dump their empty tins around. So the first step now is for the Members concerned to start their own campaigns within their own constituencies - the campaigns to clean up their own constituencies and to get rid of the mosquitoes. In serious cases, I think, if notice is given, I believe the Ministry of Health will take steps to have some kind of regional control of the problem.

Mr Govindaswamy (Anson): (In Tamil): Mr Speaker, what we want to know is whether the Parliamentary Secretary is going to take steps to destroy the mosquitoes. But what kind of answers is he giving? We want to know what steps he is taking, but he is talking about labour problems and other things. All that we want to know is whether he is taking steps, and how long it will take him to control this problem.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, before we can do anything, we must have the necessary staff. Without the workers, how can we do our work? This is fundamental. That is why my answer involves the question of industrial relations and some labour unions. Some unions within the Ministry of Health may want to take strike action. To put everything in a nutshell, in answer to the question of the Member for Anson as to whether we want to eradicate the mosquito menace, of course, the answer is, "Yes, we want to get rid of mosquitoes."

Mr Ho See Beng (Bras Basah): Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand to be corrected if I am wrong. I heard the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health say that he has difficulty in recruiting labour force to eradicate the mosquito menace. I think he should refer this matter to the Ministry of Labour. I am sure he can get thousands of workers to eradicate the mosquito menace. Why does he not take this step?

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, if it is a question of recruitment, then I believe that every Member here is quite clear about it. Each Ministry has to work within its vote for the purpose of recruiting staff. If we have no such vote, then we cannot do anything even if we can get help from the Ministry of Labour.

Mr Yeoh Ghim Seng (Joo Chiat): Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the tremendous mosquito menace, may I know how many cases of malaria have been reported last year?

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, on this question, I have no statistics at the moment. If the Member for Joo Chiat is interested, he can give written notice and I shall endeavour to give him a reply.

Mr Ho See Beng: Just now the Parliamentary Secretary has said that there is a shortage of funds in his Ministry. But I have been informed that there is an excess of funds of over a million dollars. I do not know whether that is true.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not familiar with the figures and I will have to investigate before I can answer the question. If the Member concerned is still interested, he can give me a written question and I shall try to answer it at the next sitting.

Mr Speaker: If there are any Members who want to follow their questions with supplementaries, they had better signify to the Clerk that they desire to postpone their questions to a later sitting, otherwise they will receive written answers and no more.