PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA (Request for medical officers)

Haji Rahmat bin Kenap asked the Minister for Social Affairs if he will consider arranging for two Medical Officers to accompany Singapore Muslims on pilgrimage to Mecca as the three Welfare Officers sent by the Singapore Muslim Religious Council cannot help those pilgrims who fall sick.

The Acting Minister for Social Affairs (Dr Ahmad Mattar): Mr Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member for Geylang Serai may be interested to know that recently officials of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) and the Ministry of Social Affairs held a meeting with pilgrims who went on the Haj in 1978, to find out the shortcomings, if any, of the pilgrimage organised by MUIS and whether the Pilgrimage Welfare Officers played a useful role during the trip. These were the pilgrims who responded to MUIS' invitation through the press to the discussion held on 16th January, 1979.

On the whole, Sir, the pilgrims who attended the discussion were satisfied with the arrangements made by MUIS. We have ascertained from them that owing to climatic conditions and the crammed living conditions in Mecca and the other holy cities, many of the pilgrims contracted influenza, cough, cold, sore eyes and diarrhoea. These pilgrims, however, were able to overcome these minor ailments by taking patent medicines which they had brought along with them.

We do not, therefore, consider it necessary at this stage to appoint medical officers to accompany the pilgrims during their pilgrimage. There are hospitals in Mecca and the other holy cities where pilgrims can seek medical attention if their illnesses become serious. The Pilgrimage Welfare Officers are there to assist them in gaining admission into hospitals, if hospitalisation is necessary.

However, my Ministry is exploring the possibility of inviting Muslim male or female nurses to serve as Pilgrimage Welfare Officers for the next pilgrimage. We have written to the Ministry of Health for assistance in identifying Muslim officers in the Nursing service, as well as those who have retired from the service, who would be interested in taking on the job of Pilgrimage Welfare Officers. With their training and experience, we feel that these nurses will be able to diagnose the common ailments and treat the pilgrims accordingly. Suitable arrangements will be made as soon as the information from the Ministry of Health is available.

Haji Rahmat bin Kenap (Geylang Serai): ( In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to seek some clarification from the Acting Minister for Social Affairs. On the 2nd of March, the Muslim, Religious Council had already published the answers to the Questions set down for him today. Has the Muslim Religious Council and the Ministry of Social Affairs the right to release to the public the answers to the Questions before they are asked in Parliament?

Dr Ahmad Mattar: Mr Speaker, Sir, in fact, I had scribbled something on this piece of paper here before replying to the hon. Member for Geylang Serai. I am just wondering whether I need to reply to him because, as the Member has correctly pointed out what I was going to say had already been reported by the Berita Harian in its issue of Friday, 2nd of March. But whether or not the source for the leakage came from MUIS has yet to be determined. Although the report in the Berita Harian quoted "informed sources from MUIS". I have yet to find out from the MUIS Secretariat as to whether the source of information did come from MUIS, or from somewhere else. I will let the Member for Geylang Serai know as soon as I get the information.

I agree with him that premature release of answers to Parliamentary questions is not to be tolerated, and I certainly will not allow MUIS to leak information to the press prior to Parliament sittings.