• A Facebook user said that her friend was living in conditions that were unhygienic at a community care facility
• The facility is located at the former site of the Institute of Education in Ang Mo Kio
• MOH and MOM said in a joint reply that they had inspected the facility several weeks ago
• They had resolved many of the issues highlighted
• However, they said they had also identified several areas that could be improved

SINGAPORE — The “dire conditions” at a community care facility described by a Facebook user on Saturday (Oct 2) have been resolved several weeks ago, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Monday night.

However, MOH will continue to work with the managing agent of the facility at the former site of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Ang Mo Kio to “continually improve living conditions”, the two ministries said in a joint reply in response to TODAY’s queries.

On Saturday, a Facebook user going by the name of "Min Chan" wrote of the experiences her friend encountered at the facility where he was undergoing quarantine. The friend had tested positive for Covid-19 with mild symptoms.

The post stated that the facility, which appears to predominantly cater to foreign workers, was not hygienic or clean.

The friend had found hair on the bed upon arrival and there were used ear buds and food wrappers in the room, the Facebook user added.

She also said that there was no privacy for residents or basic necessities for living such as lights during the day, and that the food was cold.

“Beds are thin foam mattresses, with no blankets. No tables, chairs or personal lamp is provided,” she wrote, noting that with no doors, the rooms and the occupants get wet during heavy thunderstorms.

Attaching several videos of the facility, she added that she “is ashamed” that this is happening in Singapore.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENTS

In their reply, the ministries said that they had recently inspected the facility and established that the rooms had basic amenities and were generally clean at the time of inspection.

“Many of the findings highlighted by the writer had been resolved several weeks ago,” they added.

The ministries noted that they had identified areas for improvement at the facility, which includes providing more amenities and improving communications with the residents.

“The ground operations team is reviewing some of the issues and has taken immediate steps to address them,” they said.

“These include infrastructure improvement to prevent rainwater splattering during heavy downpours, procurement of more fans, and installation of more container toilets.”

The ministries said that whenever a patient is discharged at a community care facility, the mattress and surrounding areas are thoroughly disinfected, including a wipe-down of all surfaces.

Clean bedsheets, pillow cases and blankets are issued to every person under isolation.

As for meals, the ministries said that they are balanced and also centrally distributed for efficiency and to ensure that they are hot.

They come with three dishes, which include two kinds of proteins and a vegetable dish. There is also a “weekly special as a pleasant surprise for the individuals”, they added.

Should a patient require mental health assistance, a phone line is available for them to call for help.

“The well-being of our migrant workers is important to us,” the ministries said, adding that they will also be conducting inspections at other community care facilities to ensure standards are upheld.

“We will also encourage residents to give us feedback through existing channels, such as through the managing agents of the community care facilities, or the FWMOMCare mobile application for migrant workers, so that we can better address their needs.”