INDUSTRIAL HEALTH UNIT (Increase in staff and functional activities)

Inche Abdul Aziz Karim asked the Minister for Health if he will consider (i) attaching a full-time medical officer to the Industrial Health Unit; and (ii) expanding the Unit and increasing its functional activities.

The Minister for Health (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir, since the question is in two parts, I shall answer it in two parts. The first part is concerned with the attaching of a full-time medical officer to the Industrial Health Unit. The Ministry of Health is aware of the limitations of the Ad Hoc Industrial Health Unit which was set up in October 1967 with a limited staff consisting of a part-time medical officer, an inspector of factories and a few office staff.

Following the visit of an expert on occupational health from the International Labour Organisation in 1967-68, recommendations were put forward to expand the Ad Hoc Industrial Health Unit in terms of staff and activities. My Ministry recognises the need to establish a more effective Industrial Health Unit to promote industrial health which is incumbent upon our rapid industrial growth. A plan to expand the industrial Health Unit in terms of staff and activities is already in hand. In the provision for more staff, it is envisaged that a full-time medical officer and an industrial hygienist with an engineering background, in addition to eight other professional and non-professional staff, would be included.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I come now to the second part of the question which is regarding the expanding of the Unit and increasing its functional activities. Consequent upon the increase in the high-level staff of this Unit, it is our intention that the scope of the work of the Unit will be expanded to include the following:

(i) to assess the occupational health problems in Singapore by selected examinations and evaluation of the working environment of our workers;

(ii) to study and draw up preventive measures appropriate to local conditions;

(iii) to formulate procedures for periodical medical examinations as a control on hazardous occupational groups;

(iv) to undertake factory inspection of working environmental conditions and enforcement of relevant sections of the Factories Ordinance and related occupational legislation, normally administered by the Ministry of Labour, with reference to the health of the workers;

(v) to advise and give information on occupational health to industries;

(vi) to prepare codes of practice and modifications to present legislation and subsequent implementation;

(vii) to undertake research and teaching in connection with the primary objectives of the occupational health programme in Singapore.

Mr Ho See Beng: Mr Speaker, if we assume that all the projects mentioned by the Minister just now are to be carried out, how many medical officers are required for these projects?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, I presume the intention of the Member is that we should employ more medical officers to man the Industrial Health Unit. For a start, we are going to employ more staff, but we cannot all of a sudden employ as many medical staff as the Member would like us to. But in the light of experience that we have gathered from the amount of work involved, we shall certainly ask the Treasury to give us additional staff if and when required.