According to the Ministry of Health (MOH) SingHealth’s latest press release, 4 staffs were punished for the unsterilised equipment lapse that affected 714 patients. All 4 staffs were said to “include supervisors and senior management”, but no name was given. More importantly, the S$1.76 million-a-year Health Minister Gan Kim Yong was not taken to task and not mentioned in the committee’s closing report:
“Disciplinary action has been taken against four National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) staff members who were found to be directly involved in a hygiene lapse earlier this month.The staff members include supervisors and senior management who were “found to have fallen short in their level of vigilance, and speed in escalation of incident management. The disciplinary action includes warnings and financial penalties.”
Read: National Dental Centre Singapore cover up unsterilised instruments lapse, 714 affected
The health ministry covered up the lapse at the National Dental Centre and made public only a week later on June 12, after victims engaged media reporters to question the government. The 714 affected victims were told by the health ministry to go for blood tests after they were treated with unsterilised medical equipment.
MOH SingHealth, which is in charge of the National Dental Centre, created an investigation committee to investigate itself. The MOH SingHealth committee yesterday (June 30) delivered a finding clearing itself of any faults and put the full blame on the 4 anonymous scapegoats. State media CNA wrote that MOH claimed that it will “review” the MOH SingHealth committee’s findings as a propaganda.
Under Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, there has been a series of infection outbreak that have claimed loss of lives.
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