MOH sets up taskforce to enhance detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks

           The Hepatitis C outbreak at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH)’s renal ward is a timely reminder that while we may have stringent infection control protocols in place, hospitals have to be vigilant in making sure that all the guidelines and measures are adhered to in practice.

2.            The Ministry of Health (MOH) has reminded all healthcare institutions and providers of the need to strictly comply with clinical protocols and guidelines, including infection prevention and control safeguards.

3.            We have also put in place measures to strengthen MOH’s capability to detect potential outbreaks. This includes designating the Communicable Diseases Division to be overall responsible for overseeing surveillance of all infectious diseases, and overseeing all notifications, reports and analyses of infectious disease information. We have also revised our notification criteria for acute HCV to be in line with international best practices.

4.            To follow up on the recommendations from the Independent Review Committee, MOH will set up a taskforce, headed by Minister of State for Health Mr Chee Hong Tat, to enhance the national healthcare system’s ability to detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks in hospitals and the community. The taskforce aims to complete its review by mid-2016.

5.            Mr Chee said, “While we have an effective surveillance system for community outbreaks, the Independent Review Committee has identified some gaps in how we detect and respond to uncommon and unusual infections. The taskforce will focus on measures to address these gaps and strengthen our system resilience, to enhance patient safety and patient care. We will learn from international best practices to adapt to our local context, and work closely with healthcare institutions and medical professionals to improve our systems and processes.”

6.            More details on the taskforce’s composition and work plan will be released shortly.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
9 DECEMBER 2015