SPEECH BY MR GAN KIM YONG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES ON SATURDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2019 AT THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Mdm Kay Kuok, Chairman, National Healthcare Group Board

Prof Philip Choo, Group Chief Executive Officer, National Healthcare Group

Prof Leo Yee Sin, Executive Director, National Centre for Infectious Diseases

Dr Eugene Fidelis Soh, Chief Executive Officer, Tan Tock Seng Hospital

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning

1. It gives me great pleasure to join you at the official opening of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) this morning. NCID will contribute significantly to our national capability in public health preparedness, infectious disease prevention and epidemiology, clinical management, laboratory diagnostics, as well as research and training.

2. In the past two decades, Singapore had experienced several emerging infectious disease outbreaks, including Nipah in 1999/2000, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in 2009, and Zika in 2016. Novel infectious diseases continue to emerge in many parts of the world, with diseases such as avian influenza, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Ebola causing concern about the risk of spreading to more regions. These infectious disease challenges remind us that Singapore must continue to strengthen our infectious disease capabilities and capacities, as well as remain vigilant against these threats.

New national facility designed to contain infectious diseases

3. NCID has taken over the baton from the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) in our fight against infectious diseases. CDC, established in 1907, has played a critical role for well over a century in combating outbreaks in Singapore. Recognising the need to further strengthen our capability to manage novel diseases, the Ministry of Health (MOH) set-up NCID as a national centre to replace CDC.

4. Congratulations to the NCID team for the smooth transition of services from CDC and the operationalisation of NCID late last year. In the short time since it began operations, NCID’s ability has been tested in the management of Singapore’s first imported case of monkeypox. The patient has since recovered and returned home.

Purpose-built to manage large-scale infectious disease outbreaks

5. NCID is purpose-built with five key design principles in mind – capability, capacity and scalability, convertibility, connectivity, and safety. These design principles allow for a streamlined flow of patients, their family and staff. It also caters for the flow of materials, as well as air, to minimise cross-contamination.

6. NCID is built with the capability to provide both routine care and in incidents of infectious disease outbreaks with surge capacity. It is equipped with a comprehensive suite of facilities benchmarked to international standards and best practices for treatment and safety in dealing with infectious diseases. For instance, the High Level Isolation Unit in NCID is designed to manage highly infectious and virulent infections such as Ebola. This isolation unit is fully equipped to provide care for infection control, and has an on-site laboratory and autoclave facilities.

7. A dedicated team of healthcare professionals are also on standby in NCID to respond promptly to manage highly infectious diseases and national level outbreaks. MOH will work closely with NCID and all healthcare clusters to centrally coordinate the screening, isolation and treatment of patients with highly dangerous infectious diseases. With the full range of care services and trained professionals within the same compound, NCID is able to lock down and increase bed capacity during a national level outbreak without compromising the provision of appropriate care to patients by other healthcare facilities.

8. NCID will be piloting an expanded version of the Real Time Location System (RTLS). This technology provides real-time location tracking of patients, visitors, staff and equipment within NCID’s compound and this will help NCID prepare for and control large outbreaks of infectious diseases. Patients, visitors and staff are provided with a tag with a sensor. In the event of an outbreak in NCID, there will be an urgent need to identify visitors, staff and patients who have been exposed to the infectious cases. They can then be identified quickly via those sensors, allowing for a timelier intervention to prevent the spread of the infectious diseases.

Housing national public health capabilities under one roof

9. But beyond the physical infrastructure of the new building, NCID houses clinical services, public health functions, teaching and training, research and community outreach under one roof. This cross-specialties integration is aimed at preparing for and responding efficiently and swiftly to a public health emergency. In the event of a national need, MOH will continue to provide direction for public health programmes and policies as well as oversight of outbreak management at a national level.

10. The key public health units in NCID include the National Public Health Laboratory, National Public Health and Epidemiology Unit, Infectious Disease Research and Training Office, Antimicrobial Resistant Coordinating Office, and the National HIV and Tuberculosis programmes. These units are poised to become reference centres of excellence in their respective areas of work for the local healthcare system and beyond.

11. This integrated approach has already shown its value in protecting Singaporeans from infectious diseases, as seen in the recent case of Monkeypox in Singapore. A high level of awareness prompted the clinical suspicion and the case was isolated promptly. Diagnostic tests were then done at the National Public Health Laboratory utilising established testing platforms. The confirmatory diagnosis of the case was made within 24 hours from the patient’s arrival at the isolation ward at NCID. This was made possible because of the integrated approach among the units located within NCID.

Close partnerships to strengthen outbreak preparedness and response

12. NCID will also play an important role in fostering local and regional partnerships to strengthen outbreak preparedness and response. For example, the Paediatrics Infectious Diseases Workgroup, set up by NCID with representatives from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, National University Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, reviews the planning and operationalisation of disease outbreak response for children, neonates and pregnant patients and ensures that they remain robust and responsive.

13. As infectious diseases are not constrained by borders, a total defence strategy is needed, which includes building community readiness and resilience amongst stakeholders, not just in Singapore but beyond our shores. NCID has already begun building links with regional and international health agencies such as the World Health Organization and the various units. It will continue to build ties with counterparts in other countries. Over time, these efforts will contribute towards building collective resilience against pandemic threats in our region.

14. The threat of infectious diseases is ever present, and it is critical that we continue to forge strong partnerships between healthcare professionals and institutions, policy-makers, researchers and academics, and the community, in order to be able to overcome these challenges. We must all continue to be vigilant and address the threats of infectious diseases together.

Closing

15. On this note, let me congratulate NCID on its opening. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the management and teams from the National Healthcare Group Board, NCID and Tan Tock Seng Hospital for their hard work in making NCID a reality. I am confident that NCID will better enhance Singapore’s ability to respond swiftly and effectively to infectious disease outbreaks.

Thank you.