Dengue testing and ED attendance

16 September 2013

Question No. 593

Name of Person:  Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef

Question

To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many people have utilised the 10 dollars subsidised NS1  test for  dengue at emergency departments of restructured hospitals thus far; and (b) how has the workload at polyclinics and hospitals' emergency departments been affected by the upsurge in dengue cases this year compared to the last two years.

Answer

1                   As of 7 Sep 2013, the Ministry of Health has been notified of 15,774 cases of dengue fever.

2        All medical practitioners have been advised to remain vigilant for dengue cases and to order tests for dengue if deemed appropriate.

3        To facilitate the early diagnosis of dengue during this epidemic, the Ministry increased the subsidies for dengue NS1 testing at the emergency departments of public hospitals so that patients who are clinically assessed to require the test will not pay more than $10 per test. This has been in place since 17 June 2013. As of 16 August 2013, more than 6,600 subsidised tests were done.

4        This year’s dengue epidemic led to a corresponding increase in the number of patients treated for dengue or suspected dengue at polyclinics and public hospital EDs, compared to the last 2 years.  Polyclinic attendance for dengue or suspected dengue increased 6.5 times, from an average of 931 cases for the first 6 months of 2011 and 2012, to 6,065 cases for the first 6 months of 2013 (Table 1). However, these comprised less than 0.3% of the total number of polyclinic attendances.

Table 1. Polyclinic Attendance for Dengue or Suspected Dengue, Jan-Jun, 2011-2013

5        There were 6,880 ED attendances for dengue or suspected dengue at acute public sector hospitals in the first 6 months of this year, comprising 1.3% of total ED attendances. In comparison, there were only 2,523 ED attendances for dengue or suspected dengue for the whole of 2012 (Table 2).

Table 2. ED Attendance for Dengue or Suspected Dengue at Acute Public Hospitals, 2011 - 2013

6        To cope with the extra workload at EDs, and to reduce the waiting time to consultation, our hospitals have increased manpower and streamlined processes to enhance efficiency. Such measures include adjusting the work shifts of doctors and nurses based on anticipated patient load, deploying nurses from other work areas that are less busy to assist at the ED, and providing support services.