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Sufficient flexibility and buffer’ in Singapore’s capacity to care for COVID-19 patients: Gan Kim Yong
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s healthcare system has “sufficient flexibility and buffer” to manage the expected increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Wednesday (Mar 18), who also said that the outbreak could last beyond the year.
“I would say there is sufficient flexibility and buffer to allow us to manage the expected number of cases coming in,” said Mr Gan as he addressed reporters at a press conference.
Mr Gan noted that the travel restrictions and social distancing measures implemented are efforts to reduce the number of cases at any point in time to ensure that our healthcare capacity is “not only able to cope but has sufficient buffer capacity to allow us to meet the expected increase in numbers”.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) also advised Singaporeans to defer all travel abroad with immediate effect amid a heightened risk of imported COVID-19 cases.
Singapore reported 47 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, 33 of which are imported - mostly returning Singapore residents who were infected overseas.
“We do expect to see a higher number than this in time to come. Therefore, it is important for us to always bear in mind that while our healthcare capacity is sufficient, we have planned for it, but we should never be complacent and take it for granted,” said Mr Gan.
“We must do all we can to manage the number of cases so that we aim to reduce the total number in any day, the peak number of any day, so that our healthcare capacity can still manage them.”
Mr Gan also stressed that the peak of the virus should be delayed as long as possible, spreading out cases “so that we have sufficient capacity” for them.
“But by deferring the peak it also may mean that the outbreak lasts longer. Because instead of everyone coming down with COVID-19, we stretch it out,” he added.
The potential for the number of COVID-19 cases to rise so significantly that it overwhelms Singapore’s healthcare capacity is “something that we are always mindful of", said MOH director of medical services Kenneth Mak.
“That has not happened yet. And we do have plans that allow us then to expand our capacity and capability accordingly as needed,” said Dr Mak.
There are various plans already in place for the capacity to be expanded, said Mr Gan, adding that he visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases on Wednesday to learn more about their contingency plans.
This would include converting some normal wards into isolation wards or COVID-19 wards. Mr Gan also noted that MOH has ongoing collaborations with private hospitals to possibly send some non-COVID-19 patients there to preserve capacity in public hospitals.
“This recent rise in numbers are people who came back one to two weeks ago. That’s why even with these measures we think the number of cases will continue to rise and even beyond.”
Responding to questions about how long the outbreak could last, Mr Gan noted that the outbreak in Singapore would largely depend on the situation around the world. He also said it could last beyond the year.
“Therefore we have to prepare for the long haul. The measures that we put in place, we need to think about how can we adjust it to a level that we can sustain for many months, not just for the next week or so," said Mr Gan.
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s healthcare system has “sufficient flexibility and buffer” to manage the expected increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Wednesday (Mar 18), who also said that the outbreak could last beyond the year.
“I would say there is sufficient flexibility and buffer to allow us to manage the expected number of cases coming in,” said Mr Gan as he addressed reporters at a press conference.
Mr Gan noted that the travel restrictions and social distancing measures implemented are efforts to reduce the number of cases at any point in time to ensure that our healthcare capacity is “not only able to cope but has sufficient buffer capacity to allow us to meet the expected increase in numbers”.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) also advised Singaporeans to defer all travel abroad with immediate effect amid a heightened risk of imported COVID-19 cases.
Singapore reported 47 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, 33 of which are imported - mostly returning Singapore residents who were infected overseas.
“We do expect to see a higher number than this in time to come. Therefore, it is important for us to always bear in mind that while our healthcare capacity is sufficient, we have planned for it, but we should never be complacent and take it for granted,” said Mr Gan.
“We must do all we can to manage the number of cases so that we aim to reduce the total number in any day, the peak number of any day, so that our healthcare capacity can still manage them.”
Mr Gan also stressed that the peak of the virus should be delayed as long as possible, spreading out cases “so that we have sufficient capacity” for them.
“But by deferring the peak it also may mean that the outbreak lasts longer. Because instead of everyone coming down with COVID-19, we stretch it out,” he added.
The potential for the number of COVID-19 cases to rise so significantly that it overwhelms Singapore’s healthcare capacity is “something that we are always mindful of", said MOH director of medical services Kenneth Mak.
“That has not happened yet. And we do have plans that allow us then to expand our capacity and capability accordingly as needed,” said Dr Mak.
There are various plans already in place for the capacity to be expanded, said Mr Gan, adding that he visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases on Wednesday to learn more about their contingency plans.
This would include converting some normal wards into isolation wards or COVID-19 wards. Mr Gan also noted that MOH has ongoing collaborations with private hospitals to possibly send some non-COVID-19 patients there to preserve capacity in public hospitals.
“This recent rise in numbers are people who came back one to two weeks ago. That’s why even with these measures we think the number of cases will continue to rise and even beyond.”
Responding to questions about how long the outbreak could last, Mr Gan noted that the outbreak in Singapore would largely depend on the situation around the world. He also said it could last beyond the year.
“Therefore we have to prepare for the long haul. The measures that we put in place, we need to think about how can we adjust it to a level that we can sustain for many months, not just for the next week or so," said Mr Gan.
