As of April 26, there were 66 cases of confirmed Covid-19 infections among healthcare workers and support staff, of whom 46 cases were from healthcare workers whose work involved direct contact with patients.

Based on investigations thus far, there are no established epidemiological links showing that these healthcare workers were infected in the line of duty.

However, there is one case in a private healthcare institution where a possible link between the doctor and a Covid-19 patient has not been able to be ruled out.

Government will take care of healthcare workers

These facts were mentioned by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in parliament on May 4, as he spoke about the wellbeing of healthcare workers and the different types of support they would be getting from the government.

Gan is also the co-chair of the Covid-19 multi-ministry taskforce.

According to Gan, healthcare workers are "at the core of our fight against this Covid-19 outbreak".

As such, the government is committed to "taking care of them in every way."

Their key priority, especially, is in "keeping (healthcare workers) safe and healthy by ensuring adequate supply of Personal Protective Equipment" and "(providing) them training on the proper usage".

Citing a recent National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) study, Gan mentioned that there was no detection of "any past infection among a sample of healthcare workers".

Nevertheless, Gan stressed that healthcare workers "cannot be complacent" and "must take adequate care of themselves and their families."

He then assured members of parliament that even in the event that healthcare workers do fall sick, the government would ensure that they are well taken care of.

The Ministry of Health's (MOH) institutions would also stay in touch with infected healthcare workers to check in on their general well-being.

Mental well-being of healthcare workers

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare clusters already had "counselling clinics, helplines and peer support programmes", Gan said.

Since then, the government has stepped up its efforts to better care for the mental well-being of healthcare workers.

For example, MOH's institutions now have "rostered breaks and staff rotations to ensure that frontline workers have sufficient rest periods in between work days".

Gan added that "the clusters have also been actively working with the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU), with initiatives such as the distribution of care packages, the launch of GrabCare to provide transport for frontline workers, and collaboration with Mindfi, a mindfulness app."

Additionally, Gan referenced the SG United initiative, where close to 9,000 messages for healthcare workers were collected from Appreciation Zones around Singapore.

"The many gifts and words of encouragement from members of the public to healthcare workers mean a lot to them and have helped to keep up their morale."

Compensation for healthcare workers

In response to a question by MP Cheryl Chan Wei Ling, Gan acknowledged that "compensation is another important area" for healthcare workers.

According to Gan, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had "previously announced a special bonus for our public healthcare workers working on the frontline".

"Healthcare workers are also paid shift or overtime allowances if they take on longer or more shifts during this outbreak," he added.

However, Gan also noted that "no monetary compensation is ever enough" and thanked healthcare workers for their hard work and dedication.

Increase public healthcare workforce internally

In his speech, Gan pointed out that another key part of the government's strategy would be to "augment the healthcare workforce".

This is because the public healthcare sector is stretched, even if they currently have sufficient healthcare professionals.

On top of this, there is also a need to rotate and refresh staff periodically as the fight against Covid-19 is likely to be a long one.

"To address these sustainability concerns, MOH has given public healthcare institutions some flexibility to deploy staff across institutions to meet pressing operational needs on the ground and to support one another as one public healthcare system, with strict infection control protocols in place."

Increase public healthcare workforce using external sources

MOH has also looked to external sources to increase the public healthcare workforce.

"This includes tapping on healthcare professionals in the private sector and encouraging retired and non-practising staff to return to public practice through the newly launched SG Healthcare Corps. MOH has expanded the scope to include those without prior healthcare experience, whom they will train to take on supporting roles, such as performing swab procedures or basic care roles."

For example, non-healthcare professionals like SIA cabin crew have received training to perform the role of Care Ambassadors at hospitals.

As of May 3 May, more than 11,000 sign-ups were received altogether.

Approximately 800 Corps members have been matched to various needs on the ground so far as well, and they are being progressively deployed.

These "members of the SG Healthcare Corps will be remunerated for their time and contribution when they are deployed to work alongside the healthcare workforce on the ground", Gan added.

Technology used to deliver same or enhanced outcomes

Finally, technology will be used as a force multiplier to deliver the same or enhanced outcomes, with less time and effort.

For example, in the CCFs, "round-the-clock care is made possible through the use of medical kiosks and teleconsultations."

"Devices such as pulse oximeters and health apps are also used to monitor patient well-being. Healthcare institutions have also started teleconsultation services for follow-up on their patients."

Gan concluded his speech on healthcare workers by saying that MOH aims to "ensure that our public healthcare services remain available to those in need, and (that) our healthcare workers are well-taken care of during this challenging period".

According to Gan, this would enable the government to have "a sustainable healthcare workforce in this long-term fight".

Top image via Gan Kim Yong and JurongHealth Campus on Facebook