Community
Medical Tourism In Singapore Needs A Careful Rethink
~ By David L K See~
The timely article "India's medical tourism could cause superbug to spread globally" ( TODAY May 9) referred to a new superbug that has emerged from India — in part because of medical tourism — with scientists saying there are almost no drugs to treat it.
With more people travelling to find less costly medical treatments, it is feared this new superbug could soon spread across the globe.
First detected in 2009 in the Indian capital of New Delhi, the bacteria is code-named NDM-1. Since then, NDM-1 cases have emerged in Britain, United States, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.
In 2010, there were six detected cases of NDM-1 in Singapore. The first case was a Singapore resident who had sought medical treatment in India. The second case was a Bangladeshi national who had come to Singapore for medical treatment.
Of the remaining four cases, three were elderly patients but the fourth was in his 30s. As none of them had travelled abroad, it is likely that they had caught the NDM-1 superbug locally.
Way back in 2007, a Vietnamese man who came to Singapore for medical treatment was subsequently found to be infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB. Global concern over XDR-TB is also mounting, as it kills three in four of those infected.
The writing is on the wall. The March 2011 Academy of Medicine Annals had an editorial "The Dollars and Sense of Managing Drug-resistant Tuberculosis in Singapore" co-written by Dr Catherine Ong and Dr Paul Tambyah with this thought-provoking conclusion:
"The commercial forces promoting medical tourism in our country (Singapore) need to be regulated at a national level to curb the transmission of potentially lethal infectious diseases within our borders, lest we pay the price. It is simply not worth it."
Indeed, with a hot humid climate and being the second most densely-populated place on earth, our tiny island Singapore is particularly vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases.
It is time for our Health Ministry to provide detailed assurances to concerned Singaporeans on its pro-active measures to tackle such public health threats.
Community
Part of Marine Parade experiences flooding after water pipe damage
Flooding occurred in Marine Parade on Friday morning (4 October) after a water pipe was damaged during lift retrofitting works near Block 67 Marine Drive. MP Dr Tan See Leng confirmed repairs are ongoing, with no disruption to water supply. Road access was restored later in the day.
SINGAPORE: On Friday (4 October), parts of Marine Parade, including Marine Drive and Still Road South, experienced flooding following the damage of a water pipe.
The incident occurred at approximately 11.40 am during lift retrofitting works at the pedestrian overhead bridge near Block 67 Marine Drive.
Videos shared on social media show floodwaters extending onto surrounding roads.
Dr Tan See Leng, Manpower Minister and also a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC, in a Facebook post confirmed that a damaged pipe led to water flowing onto Still Road South and nearby HDB blocks.
Dr Tan said the damaged water pipe has been isolated, and repairs are currently underway, with no disruption to water supply for local residents.
Staff at the Marine Parade Community Centre are in the process of restoring counter services, having previously faced difficulties accessing the area due to flooding.
Dr Tan noted that contractors from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are collaborating with the Marine Parade Town Council to clean the affected region, aiming to complete the cleanup by Friday evening.
In an update posted at 4.53 pm, Dr Tan announced that road access along Still Road South had resumed, expressing gratitude to PUB, the Marine Parade Town Council, and the dedicated workers for their swift action in clearing the area just in time for peak hour traffic.
Community
WMP raises over S$1,600 in a day to help struggling family clear outstanding water bill
Workers Make Possible (WMP) raised over S$1,600 in a single day to assist a struggling family living in a rental flat. The family’s water supply was reduced due to an outstanding S$900 bill. The mother has been severely ill for months, unable to work, leaving her husband, who earns less than S$2,000 per month after CPF deductions, as the sole breadwinner.
SINGAPORE: A struggling family living in a rental flat had their water supply reduced on 1 October, as revealed in an Instagram post by the workers’ rights advocacy group, Workers Make Possible (WMP).
In an effort to ease the family’s burden, a fundraiser was launched. By the evening of 1 October, S$1,620 had been raised.
Of this amount, S$1,200 was transferred to the family to fully clear their outstanding water bill and address other urgent expenses.
The family, which had been accumulating water bill arrears for several months, was informed by SP Group that their water supply would only be fully restored if they paid S$450 upfront—half of their total outstanding bill of S$900.
According to WMP, the mother of the family has been severely ill for months, leading to her inability to work.
As a result, her husband, who earns less than S$2,000 per month after CPF deductions, is the sole breadwinner for the family, which includes young children.
With the rising cost of living in Singapore, the family has struggled to manage household expenses, leading to unpaid bills, WMP shared in the post.
After contacting SP Group, the mother was told the water supply would resume if half of the arrears were paid. However, she could not afford the required S$450.
This situation occurs amid rising water prices in Singapore.
The government raised the price of water by 20 cents per cubic metre this year, with an additional increase of 30 cents planned for next year.
WMP argued that despite government subsidies, many low-income families continue to struggle to cover their basic utility bills.
“Subsidies offered by the government don’t come anywhere close to alleviating the struggles of poor families in paying these bills. PUB earned about $286 million in 2021,” WMP challenged.
To support the family, Workers Make Possible organised a fundraiser via PayNow. In a 5:30 pm update on 1 October, WMP announced that S$1,620 had been raised.
Of this amount, S$1,200 was sent to the family to clear their water bill, while the remaining S$420 will be used to assist a young warehouse worker struggling with illness and rent payments, WMP clarified.
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