According to an article that was seen on Stomp, an apology was issued by SingHealth to a man whose children suffered bed bug bites after sitting on a bench at Outram Community Hospital.

The Stomper, going by the alias of Anonymous, shared that the incident happened around 1pm last Monday (26 Dec 2022).

Video showed closed up image of bed bugs

A video was also shared by the stomper which showed close up footage of the bed bugs and an audio in the video can be heard saying

“Just to show that it’s real bedbugs. You see, you see. Oh my god, it’s moving, it’s moving.”

Another voice heard in the video also said

 “Oh my god… Watching this I feel so itchy leh.”

Bedbugs were found lodged in the gaps on the bench

According to the Stomper’s statement to Stomp, it was mentioned that the bedbugs were found in between the gaps on the bench and they discovered it after his children suffered the bites.

The Stomper also informed the nurses on duty and was informed that they had already known about the bed bugs and yet nothing was done to warn the public.

Reported matter to Singhealth

The Stomper then decided to bring up the issue with Singhealth, saying that he had brought the matter up not for fame or to embarrass anyone, but instead it is because he was afraid that others would carry these bed bugs home.

He also said that as he had heard that this issue with the bed bugs are not new, it was possible that the management at Outram Community Hospital might have other important issues that they had to see to.

Singhealth apologised via Stomp query

According to the article, Singhealth’s director of group operations, Mr Dexter Chia apologised for the Stomper’s encounter with bed bugs and thanked him for highlighting the issue.

Mr Chia also said that regular maintenance as well as a thorough checks of all the benches at the hospital are being carried out at the moment by their pest technician and while these checks are being carried out, the hospital has also cordoned off the area of the benches and have stopped their usage temporarily.

Image source: Google Maps

The GST in Singapore will go up to 8 percent in 2023 and then subsequently 9 percent in 2024, as announced by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in his budget speech.

The GST increase from 7 percent to 8 percent will take place on 1 Jan 2023 while the increase from 8 percent to 9 percent will take place on 1 Jan 2024.

The increase in GST as said by Mr Wong is necessary for the country’s healthcare expenses and also for supporting seniors.

He added that the increase was planned in two stages taking into account the current overall situation in Singapore such as the pandemic, the current economy in the country as well as inflation.

GST on essentials like public subsidised healthcare and education will continue to be borne by the Government.

All Town Councils will receive an additional sum of $15 million per year to make up for costs of GST payable on service and conservancy charges (SCC).

Other Government fees and charges in 2023 will remain the same and they are fees from licensing, fees charged by government agencies for services provided as well as school fees in ITEs and Polytechnics and carpark rates.

There will also be a Committee against Profiteering set up to deal with businesses who tries to use GST as a cover for increasing their prices.

A GrabFood delivery rider previously shared that he parked his motorcycle at the carpark of Sky Cue Condominium at Bishan, and was delivering food, and when he returned to his bike, he found it to be clamped.

He ended up having to pay a “wheel clamp release fee” of $214, losing his day’s earnings.

The management of the condominium where he was delivering food at, has since responded to the incident and shared their side of the story.

Condo management responds

Strata residential manager Tng Leong wai, spoke on behalf of the management that there was “no heavy rain” as mentioned by the rider at the time, when the rider entered the condominium on 20 December at about 6.45pm.

He added that the security would direct all delivery riders to the rider parking area, or the basement carpark if it was raining.

The rider was seen in the condo’s CCTV footage being told where he was allowed to park, and Tng said that the rider had acknowledged it.

He added that the rider chose to park at the letterbox area at the first floor and obstructed the pedestrian traffic, while children were playing in a nearby area.

A concerned resident then informed security, and a guard then clamped the rider’s bike when he didn’t see the rider.

An argument then allegedly ensued between the rider and the guard after the former returned to his bike, and the rider initially refused to pay the $214 to release his bike but eventually relented.

Recap

A Grabfood delivery rider shared how he had his motorcycle clamped by the security of a condominium while he was delivering food.

His motorcycle was parked at the level 1 carpark of Skyvue condominium, and within 2 minutes of delivering the customer’s food, he had his bike clamped.

He added that he had to pay a Wheel Clamp Release Fee of $214 to release the clamp, and that his earnings for the day was gone because of it.

Here is what he said

It was a heavy rain during yesterday evening and I park at level 1 carpark Skyvue condominium for sending food at level 1 unit.

Just 2 minutes my tyre get lock. Please take note if security ask you to park at rubbish bin area pls just follow even how big was the rain is.

My one day earning gone

The Ministry of Health said in a statement on 30 December that China is of “particular concern” because they are facing a high level of infections following the relaxation of their covid restrictions.

MOH added that they are monitoring the situation and are ready to step up border health measures if needed.

MOH’s statement on 30 December

     There has been some public concern about the high level of infections in China and the latest announcements to relax their border measures on 8 January 2023. Certain countries, namely India, Italy, Japan, and the US, have announced new testing requirements for all travellers from China. Others, including most EU countries, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and other Southeast Asian counties are monitoring the situation and have not announced any tightening of border measures on Chinese travellers. 

2.     At this stage of the pandemic, the most important factor is our population immunity. We cannot completely stop infections, and indeed the virus has continued to circulate in our communities, but we can ensure that infections result in few cases of hospitalisations and severe illnesses. 

3.     In this regard, our local epidemiological situation has remained stable after the XBB wave, with a seven-day moving average of local COVID-19 cases at 729, the number of COVID-19 related hospitalisations staying below 100, and COVID-19 related patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) remaining in the single digits. 

4.     We have introduced paediatric and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, to strengthen our already high community hybrid immunity. We have also bolstered our healthcare capacity with new COVID-19 Treatment Facilities and expanded Transitional Care Facilities. As 2022 comes to an end, we are in a stronger position to live with COVID-19, becoming more resilient with each COVID-19 wave.

Keeping a Close Watch on the Emergence of New Variants 

5.     Nevertheless, we are closely watching the global COVID-19 situation worldwide. Caseloads have gone up in many countries, due to the uptick in international travel and onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. As the Ministry of Health (MOH) has highlighted previously, China, which is facing a large infection wave, is currently of particular concern.

6.     There are two specific concerns. First, the possible emergence of new and more dangerous variants. Singapore has been working with our international partners, including GISAID, which maintains a pathogen genomics database, to monitor the variants circulating globally. We also conduct our own genomic surveillance on local and imported cases. So far, based on the sequencing results submitted by the Centres for Disease Control of various Chinese cities, the strains circulating in China are known ones, and no new variants with greater transmissibility or severity than previously identified subvariants have been detected.  

Watching Hospital Workload Closely 

7.     The second concern is that travellers should not add significant burden to our hospitals. 

8.     At present, our airport sees between 700 and 1,000 arrivals from China daily, or about 1% to 1.5% of total daily arrivals by air. The majority comprise residents and long-term pass holders returning to Singapore. On a weekly basis, we have detected between 40 and 80 COVID-19 cases from among these travellers. All of them exhibited mild symptoms, except one returning Singaporean who had become severely ill after recent travel to China. 

9.     As air travel with China is progressively restored, we will take a cautious approach towards increasing seat capacity, taking into account the overall public health assessment.

Reviewing Border Measures 

10.     While many countries had previously fully lifted public health-related border measures, Singapore did not do so and has maintained some measures. Non-fully vaccinated travellers entering Singapore continue to require a pre-departure test (PDT) within two days before departure. Non-fully vaccinated Short-Term Visitors (STVs) are also required to obtain travel insurance with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 for COVID-related medical expenses. All air and sea travellers are required to submit a health declaration upon arrival. These measures reduce the risk of having severely ill imported cases, which can take up our healthcare capacity. At this juncture, we will continue to maintain these prevailing vaccination requirements and border measures for non-fully vaccinated travellers. 

11.     However, we are watching the situation closely, including both upstream developments and the loading on our own healthcare system. We stand ready to reinstate border health measures for selected countries if warranted by the public health situation.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

30 December 2022

President Halimah Yacob delivered her end-of-year message yesterday, and among her many points, include urging the country to look recognise and reward competence, and not just paper qualifications.

Among her hopes for the new year, she said that we still attach low value to work that may be highly skilled and important to the economy but doesn’t need a degree, which she says needs to change.

She also urged Singaporeans to support those with mental health issues and the disabled, along with their caretakers.

She added that they shouldn’t have to carry the burden alone as many of them worry about how to feed themselves when they are older, without family or loved ones to help them.

Halimah also urged Singaporeans to stay united, and that we have worked very hard to maintain our diversity and stay cohesive through mutual respect and understanding of each other.