The Independent Review Committee set up by the Ministry of Health (MOH) blamed staffs at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for the Hepatitis C virus outbreak occurred between April and June.
According to the 79-page report, SGH staffs committed multiple breaches of infection control:
- Not following standard procedures in administering blood-taking and giving medication
- Inefficient workflow designs
- Contaminated medical equipment and environment due to inadequate cleaning and disinfection practices
7 patients living in affected wards died due to the infection. Police investigations have also revealed no foul play. However it is not mentioned if the SGH staffs guilty of the infection control breaches will be taken to task for criminal negligence leading to deaths.
The Singapore Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong apologised to the families of the victims, but however did not offer to resign. The Minister has also stayed silent on another bacterial outbreak where young children were exposed to a nurse diagnosed of Tuberculous.
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