Ministry of Health Set up special medical facilities for Covid-19 patients
The ministry of health is arranging with private hospitals to take Covid-19 patients that are not critically ill. These patients have to be monitored for a few days and are discharged when they are tested to be negative for the virus. 

I suggest that a separate approach be taken. 

It is better for MOH to set up special medical facilities to handle these patients. 

In the case of Wuhan, they set up temporary hospitals for this purpose.

Sports stadium or other public places can be used as the temporary hospital. If necessary , a cruise ship can be chartered for this purpose. 

Doctors and nurses can be specially trained to carry out this special job. They can be supported by care givers who do not have the nursing qualifications but can help in other ways, such as feeding and cleaning the patients.

One possible approach is to get ex-patients who have already developed the immunity to act as care givers. 

The health professionals and care givers need to be given the adequate training and equipment to ensure their personal safety. Nevertheless, accidents can still happen. They should be covered with adequate insurance provided by the government. 

If they are infected, the cost of treatment and wages will be paid by the government in full. If they die, the family will get an adequate compensation, say $300,000. The government can be the insurer - there is no need to get it insured by a private insurer.

Setting up this special medical facility or temporary hospital require someone to take the responsibility. But that is what leaders are for. 

It may easier to the MOH to pass the responsibility to the private hospitals. The managers of the private hospital also has to address the same issues, and they are not properly equipped to do so. There is also the thorny question of how much are the private hospitals to be paid for this service and whether they are paid by the government or the patients.

It is better for the government to ask MOH to take the responsibility and set up the special medical facilities to handle the increase in case loads.

Tan Kin Lian

Vote - should the govt set up special medical facilities instead of asking the private hospitals to do this work?
 

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