WP asks MOH why it took months to make outbreak public

SINGAPORE — The Workers’ Party (WP) has questioned the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) protocol in releasing information on outbreaks, noting that while Singapore General Hospital (SGH) had been aware of the hepatitis C outbreak for a few months, information on the cluster was only made public yesterday (Oct 6).

In a statement today, the party, extending condolences to the families and friends of the affected patients, sought clarification from Health Minister Gan Kim Yong with regard to the standard protocol in releasing information on such outbreaks. It wanted to know whether there is a time frame within which healthcare institutions must report such incidents to the MOH, and what the ministry considers a “permissible interval of time” before the public is made aware of such incidents. 

“These questions are posed with a view to strengthen Singapore’s infection control protocols in the future,” said Mr Gerald Giam, the vice-chair of the WP’s media team.

Adding that it welcomed the setting up of an independent review committee to investigate this incident, the party also called on the MOH to convey any breach in infection control at the first instance in any future outbreaks.

“Given the severity of this outbreak, the Workers’ Party would also like to seek clarification from the minister as to the measures that have been put in place outside of SGH since June 2015 to mitigate the health risks caused by this outbreak, and to prevent the cluster from expanding,” Mr Giam said.

SGH revealed yesterday that its renal ward saw a hepatitis C virus outbreak that could be linked to the misuse of multi-dose vials — medication containers from which multiple dosages are extracted. The first five cases were detected in April, and SGH informed the MOH of an “unusually large cluster” of hepatitis C patients in August. 

The outbreak has affected 22 patients so far, of which four have died, possibly because of the infection. The hospital has started contacting 411 patients who stayed in either of the two affected wards between January and June for screenings for the virus.