SINGAPORE: Singapore will set up a new Communicable Diseases Agency CDA to oversee disease preparedness, prevention and control, surveillance, risk assessment and outbreak response, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said on Tuesday, while he spoke to Parliament about the changes that will be made to Singapore's healthcare system post-pandemic.
The ministry of health MOH will have a new agency that will consolidate public health functions under the ministry, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases NCID and the Health Promotion Board, according to the minister.
The agency will maintain oversight of the clinical facilities in NCID, as well as the National Public Health Laboratory, according to the National Public Health Laboratory.
They have similar set ups in many countries, such as South Korea, UK and US. After the COVID 19 crisis, they are also reviewing their organisation's set up, he added.
Mr Ong said that the Crisis Strategy and Operations Group CSOG within MOH, which was established during the pandemic, will be retained.
He added that the CSOG oversaw pandemic-related operations such as contact tracing, home quarantine, transporting patients to isolation facilities, COVID 19 testing, vaccines and home recovery.
It was staffed by officers from various ministries, contract staff and other staff from industries affected by COVID - 19.
Today, most of the staff have returned to their industries. We are sad to see them go, but we are happy that they are gone because they're going back to their industries. The operations have scaled down greatly, said the Health Minister.
We will maintain a permanent CSOG force for a mid-sized outbreak as well as other health emergencies. Since the skillsets are fairly similar, the Group will help to operationalise Healthier SG, outside of outbreaks and healthcare emergencies.
He said that a Healthcare Reserve Force made of former healthcare workers and volunteers will be set up.
The minister said they would train and equip them to strengthen our operations during larger surges, and they will complement the existing pool of SG Healthcare Corps volunteers.
The title of MOH's Director of Medical Services or the officer responsible for the provision of all health services in Singapore will be changed to Director General of Health, according to Mr Ong.
Kenneth Mak is the current Director of Medical Services at MOH. The Health Minister said his title will be amended after the changes to the Healthcare Services Act come into effect later in 2023.
MOH will focus on both clinical services and public health with these changes. They require different instincts, considerations, abilities and skillsets. Both are important and critical and will be built up within MOH.