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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong highlighted three broad lessons for Singapore to learn from during his speech in Parliament for a debate on the White Paper that reviewed Singapore's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Singapore has done well as compared to other countries

On March 20, Wong explained that while Singapore has fully transitioned to living with Covid-19 as an endemic disease, it is time to "take stock of our response" such that Singapore can "prepare for the next battle" whenever it comes.

On the whole, Wong said, "we have done well" in protecting both lives and livelihoods throughout the pandemic, as compared to other countries.

"Our health care system, though strained, was never overwhelmed. Our case fatality rate is one of the lowest globally. Our vaccination rate is amongst the highest in the world," Wong said.

He also noted that the government spent less (S$72.3 billion) than the amount budgeted (S$100 billion) for the Covid-19 response, through prudent spending and avoiding some of the worst-case scenarios that had been prepared for. Over 80 per cent of the spending went towards supporting workers, businesses and individuals to cushion them from the worst impact of the crisis.

All in all, it was "money well spent" to tackle the extreme downsides of Covid-19 to protect lives and to avoid mass unemployment, Wong said.

He noted that the government's "comprehensive and swift economic schemes" enabled resident incomes and employment to recover quickly to pre-Covid levels, while keeping deaths low. By keeping air and sea ports open and keeping an uninterrupted flow of critical supplies, Singapore's reputation as a trusted node was enhanced, even as other parts of the world were shut down.

"Through all the trials and tribulations we held together as a society and pulled through as one united people," he said.

Wong paid tribute to everyone who contributed to the fight against Covid, and led a standing ovation in Parliament for a group of frontline workers who were present in the House.

"We express a grateful nation's deepest appreciation for your contributions and courage. Your dedication helps Singapore to keep going through unprecedented and uncertain times. Your acts of duty, sacrifice and care for fellow Singaporeans uplifted our spirits, boosted our confidence and kept all of us safe. So once again, we'd like to say a very big thank you to all of you."

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Grateful for Singaporeans' forbearance

Wong said that for the past three years, the government has had to make tough calls amid great uncertainty and ambiguity, without an "established playbook" for guidance, nor the luxury of waiting and seeing.

He acknowledged that the government did not "get every call right" and regretted the inconveniences and frustrations caused to Singaporeans and everyone in Singapore when this happened.

Wong also said, "We are grateful for the fortitude and forbearance that everyone had shown when we had to put in place tough measures", and also when there were shortcomings and errors in policies and implementations.

There will never be a "perfect response" but we can strive to do better

Wong conceded that there will never be a "perfect response" in a crisis as "as complex, unpredictable and fast-moving as Covid-19".

"What's more important is, to be honest in our appraisal of our own actions, and to keep on learning and improving, and striving to do better," Wong said. "That's the spirit behind this White Paper."

In his speech, Wong highlighted three key takeaways for Singapore.

Lesson 1: S'pore's healthcare system needs to be fortified

Wong called for Singapore's public health system to be fortified to better respond to the next pandemic.

Significant pressure and strain on healthcare system and workers

He pointed out that the healthcare system came under immense pressure and strain throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Through these collective efforts, we protected our healthcare system from being overwhelmed and averted many deaths. But this was not without significant strain on the system and our healthcare workers, who shouldered the massive responsibility of treating and caring for infected individuals."

Plans to enhance healthcare system

To strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system, Wong stated the need to build on the plans to enhance the primary care system, which are done through Healthier SG.

In addition, relationships established with the private sector through the Covid-19 response need to be strengthened so that in a future pandemic, there is support for more flexible responses and faster mobilisation of resources.

Needs to strengthen the ability to quickly detect spread of novel pathogens

Wong said that while Singapore has done well in vaccination efforts, Singapore's vaccine resilience can be further fortified with local manufacturing capability.

Wong also stated that Singapore needs to strengthen its ability to quickly detect the spread of novel pathogens through effective surveillance and develop swift response measures to control the spread of disease.

A dedicated centre for public health will be set up to help develop "stronger competence in public health," said Wong.

Lesson 2: S'pore needs to plan ahead

Wong said there is also the need to broaden the range of baseline scenarios for pandemic planning and review the resources needed to respond to different scenarios.

SARS methods were not adequate for Covid-19

He pointed out that Singapore's planning parameters for the pandemic were based mainly on the SARS experience, and it quickly became clear that they were not adequate.

Wong explained that while SARS was largely confined to hospital settings and a short regional outbreak, Covid-19 proved to be more transmissible though less severe and lasted for several years.

"This greatly strained our healthcare capacity and manpower," Wong said. "Being prepared and making investments early can yield immense dividends, especially during a crisis."

Balance between preparedness and improvisation

Wong pointed out that it is impossible to plan for every scenario as new pathogens involve a degree of the unknown.

It would also be expensive to cater to an extensive range of "worst cases".

As such, Singapore needs to find the right balance between preparedness and improvisation.

Wong stressed the need to dedicate resources and equip the crisis management structures with better forward-planning capabilities so that Singapore can better adapt and prepare.

New team will be set up to look ahead for future pandemics

"We must create a dynamic, forward-oriented organisation and process whose main mission is to anticipate and monitor risks and to keep buying insurance, where needed," Wong said.

In addition, Wong stated that a dedicated forward-planning team with the bandwidth and expertise to look ahead would be set up in future pandemics.

"This will help us better anticipate the next bound, develop our next course of action, and pivot more effectively as the situation evolves," he said.

Lesson 3: Singapore must be resilient

Wong emphasised that the pandemic experience had been a stark reminder of Singapore's vulnerability as a small nation.

"Hence it is important for us to strengthen our resilience as a nation," he said.

For example, Singapore had been more badly hit than other countries by the global disruption beyond its control.

"We found ourselves in situations where it was uncertain whether we could secure critical supplies, even when we were willing to pay a premium for them," Wong explained.

Important to be adaptable

He said this underscored the importance of building up additional redundancies and buffers that Singapore can fall back on during a crisis.

"The government is making improvements to matters such as our stockpiling strategies, diversification of supply chains and expansion of local production where possible," Wong said.

Wong mentioned that it is also important to be adaptable, such as quickly moving our existing assets and resources.

He brought up the difficulty Singapore had faced at the start of the pandemic in repurposing facilities to meet emergency needs during the crisis.

"Where possible, the government will design facilities to be multi-use so that they can be repurposed or re-deployed during a crisis. In particular, further thought will be put into how we can enhance the resilience of our public infrastructure, especially for new major projects like the Tuas Mega Port and Changi Airport Terminal 5," Wong said.

Our resilience lies with our people

Wong stated that the private sector was also a key source of support in times of need.

Wong highlighted that Singapore's financial reserves is integral to its national resilience and has shielded its economy and people from the pandemic's harshest impact.

"It remains our best safeguard in any crisis. It is, therefore, our duty to ensure that it is used prudently and judiciously so that future generations can continue to benefit from it," He said. "Ultimately, what lies at the heart of our resilience is our people."

In the final analysis, history will judge

In conclusion, he emphasised that the aim of this White Paper is not to rate the government’s, or Singapore’s, performance in this pandemic.

“We have done our best, and that is what matters. In the final analysis, the long arc of history will judge how well we have responded to this crisis of a generation and how well we have learnt and remembered the lessons of Covid-19,” Wong said.

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Top photo via MCI's YouTube