Plans for Self-declaration of COVID-19 Positive Status

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1082
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 4 APRIL 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim
MP for Sengkang GRC

Question No. 2711

To ask the Minister for Health whether there are plans to allow for the self-declaration of COVID-19 positive status, with appropriate penalties for false declarations, as a means of relieving the burden on general practitioners (GPs) who are currently facing a surge of patients seeking verification of their COVID-19 positive status from the GPs in order to postpone their booster shots or to be absent from their workplace.

Written Answer

The verification of positive Antigen Rapid Test (ART) results is necessary as part of official record keeping to ensure that COVID-19 infection records are accurate. This can be done at primary care clinics, Combined Test Centres (CTCs), or Quick Test Centres (QTCs). The Ministry of Health (MOH) has also worked with approved telemedicine providers to provide remote supervised self-ART services, so as to offer more accessible options for members of the public who wish to have an official infection record.