In exchange for good publicity, the Singapore government offered the chairman of World Health Organisation’s Global Outbreak and Alert and Response Network (GOARN), Professor Dale Fisher, a S$20,000-a-month director position at the government hospital National University Health (NUH).
The professor’s promotion was given at the same time when the WHO start pouring praises to Singapore government’s policies on the coronavirus outbreak. WHO, already seen as incompetent by the world for failing to take early actions, however did not specify what “good work” the Singapore government did to earn the praise.
Widely criticised as useless, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday (Mar 16):
“Singapore is a good example of an all-of-government approach – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s regular videos are helping to explain the risks and reassure people.”
The WHO is currently under corruption probe over the handling of funds, especially on business trips for its executives. An external committee has warned that WHO is facing “decreasing internal control compliance”.
Singapore has instead exported numerous cases at the early stages of the global pandemic, and local transmission is out of control. The Singapore government also did not quarantine passengers of the Costa Fortuna, risking the spread to other host countries.
Dale Fisher, a senior consultant at the infectious disease division, was given the promotion in February – shortly after the WHO pour empty praises for the Singapore government.
There are now 187 confirmed cases in Singapore, with over 40 infected locally from unknown links. Dictator Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday gave a dangerous advice telling the infected to stay at home and not seek hospital treatment, in a bid to lower the stress on government medical service.