SINGAPORE — On Thursday (29 Dec), Singapore Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced that more than 100,000 people will receive awards for their contribution to Singapore’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country is giving out special state awards to individuals and teams in public, private and people sectors, in particular the public healthcare sector, in recognition of their public spirit and contribution who worked hard in the battle of the pandemic over two years.
PM’s son as one of the special state awards recipient
Li Hongyi, son of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also among the 100,000 individuals who will receive special state awards.
Mr Li is director of Open Government Products (OGP), an experimental tech development unit under the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), which is housed under PMO.
During the pandemic, OGP built an appointment system in two weeks so everyone could start getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, director of medical services at the Ministry of Health (MOH) , is one of the three who will be awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (COVID-19) (MSM), the apex of the National Awards (COVID-19) .
At the early stage of COVID outbreak during 2020, Mr. Mak once suggested that wearing a mask is not the most important thing to avoid COVID infection, when medical practitioners had warned that deaths from Covid-19 could exceed SARs and advise everyone to wear a mask.
Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an Infectious Diseases Physician at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, who has been often invited to media interviews for his views on COVID, is also given an award under the Public Service Medal.
Back in February 2020, Dr Leong said: “The government says only to wear when you’re sick, but what if someone else is sick and transmits the virus to me?”
Dr Leong emphasised that if you’re sick, you’ll need to wear a mask. He replied in Mandarin: “The second group of people who will require mask are those over the age of 65, and those who are obese with a Body mass index (BMI) value of over 30, because they are considered to be high-risk individuals.
“For healthy people, if you have extra masks and would like to wear it in public, go ahead. Honestly, the virus can be transmitted to you anytime, but the chances of that happening aren’t high”, he added.
Dr Dale Fisher told Singaporeans not to wear masks, won National Outstanding Clinician Award last year
Dr Dale Fisher, a senior consultant at the Division of Infectious Diseases in National University Hospital (NUH), is also receiving an award.
He was also given the National Outstanding Clinician Award last year, gaining recognisation from the country’s establishment.
MOH said Professor Dale Fisher, currently a senior infectious diseases consultant at NUH, advised on strategies to manage the COVID-19 outbreak at foreign worker dormitories, and enhanced risk communication and communication engagement by helping to establish My Brother SG.
“This initiative has received WHO funding to develop a sustained system to support future COVID-19 needs as well as chronic diseases and mental health issues in foreign workers,” said MOH.
But during January 2020, Dale Fisher told the media that wearing masks would give a false sense of security to people.
“Masks, I think by and large, offer a false sense of security in the community,” he said. “I see a lot of people that might have a mask but it might be on their forehead and it might be under their chin.”
People may not know how to wear masks properly, he added.
Paul Tambyah not in the list
However, Prof Dr. Paul Ananth Tambyah, who is currently a Senior Consultant in Division of Infectious Diseases of NUH, not in the list of the national award recipients.
Prof Tambyah had been actively advocating for effective public policies to help society to cope with pandemic. He been putting effort in research on emerging infectious diseases and hospital acquired infection.
He is the first Singaporean to lead the US-based International Society of Infectious Diseases (ISID), and president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
Marc Mendelson, Former president of ISID praised Prof Tambyah was “well known to all in the field of infectious diseases”.
“He brings a wealth of experience from his time with multiple international societies and august bodies, as well as formidable experience across the spectrum of infection, including outbreaks, tropical medicine, and clinical applied research”, said Professor Mendelson.
After completing his training in Wisconsin, Prof Tambyah returned to Singapore, establishing himself as the first and only Infectious Diseases (ID) consultant at NUH.
Established the NUH’s Division of Infectious Diseases during 2003 SARS outbreak
During the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, Prof Tambyah stay in the frontline and established the National University Hospital’s Division of Infectious Diseases.
Prof Tambyah has served as the research director in the division of infectious diseases at the National University Health System, and was also the president of the Singapore Society of Infectious Diseases.
He is also currently Professor of Medicine at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Honorary Joint Professor at Centre for Biomedical Ethics(CBmE). He collaborates with several CBmE Faculty on the ethics of infectious disease control and global health ethics.
It is worth to note that Prof Tambyah had joined alternative political party Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) since 2010, and helm the chairman post of the party and contested in the Singapore General Elections as a candidate.
Prof Tambyah has also appeared on local media extensively over the past couple of years for his professional views on the pandemic, given his credentials and involvement in international medical organisations.
In a 2020 article by Straits Times before wearing of face masks is mandated by the Singapore Government and where Dr Leong and Associate Professor Mak said it was not necessary to wear masks, it was Prof Tambyah who pointed out that data on mask use is not entirely clear.
He noted that new data suggests the receptor for the virus which causes the Covid-19 disease may be present in the nose and not just in the lungs.
“If this is confirmed, then (using) something which covers our noses may turn out to be important,” he said.
As it turns out, what Prof Tambyah said was correct, contrary to the other infectious disease experts who have been awarded the national award by the People’s Action Party Government.
So despite Prof Tambyah’s contribution to the fight against COVID locally and internationally, he will not be recognised as part of the community in Singapore’s fight against COVID.
The same goes for the four brave doctors who penned an open letter asking for masks to be made mandatory, against the Government’s narrative of no masks if you are not sick.
One has only to wonder if the giving out of the announced national state awards is nothing but a political exercise by the establishment.
