singcitizen, on July 9th, 2009
Source: http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/mediaforums.aspx?id=22466, Reply from MOH to letter in The Straits Times Forum Page 4 Jul 2009
Mr Denis Distant asked about H1N1 testing and the associated charges (“What’s free, exactly?”, ST, 3 Jul).
To assess if a person has been infected by H1N1, several tests have to be done: first to detect influenza A, then its subtype (H3 or H1), and finally the specific strain. Testing is by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). For doubtful cases where samples have low virus concentration, more tests may need to be carried out.
That is why it takes several hours by specialised laboratories and skilled professionals. The cost of the laboratory assessment comes to about $250 per patient. MOH absorbs the full cost of such laboratory testing.
Patients, however have to pay the normal attendance fees at the hospital Emergency Department and ward charges if they are hospitalised.
Now that the Pandemic Preparedness Clinic (PPC) are ready, Singaporeans with mild flu-like symptoms are advised to visit them rather than hospitals or call 993 Ambulance. The doctors will deal with the disease clinically and most of the time, H1N1 testing should not be necessary.
singcitizen, on June 18th, 2009
Source: http://singcitizen.com/portal/2009/06/difficult-getting-the-right-women-mps-into-parliament/, retrieved 18 Jun 2009
Minister Lim Hwee Hua’s remark that ‘the comparatively low level of representation in higher political and corporate office does not belie the fact that women can attain such office on merit[1]‘ set me thinking about my perception of women MPs in Singapore. I admit not knowing any woman MP personally so my perception of women MPs here is based primarily on what I read about them in the local papers and on the Internet. I gather that there are many like me who also form their perceptions similarly.
The term ‘merit’ suggests some praiseworthy quality. The recent table-tennis episode – in which a woman MP first publicly showed her anger at a coach’s handling of his charges and then in a later incident publicly questioned his suitability for the Best Coach award only to lie low when the aggrieved ex-coach returned to Singapore to seek clarification of her remarks — left me wondering whether in spite of the Government’s efforts in trying so hard to attract women MPs into service, it is still experiencing difficulties in attracting good candidates that once in office can withstand the scrutiny of the public eye and still come out tops. I remember a capable woman MP who stepped down from the public eye after an incident in which she was seen washing her hands following some handshaking with hawkers at a wet market.
For all MPs, merit is not only about competence at work. It is also about being seen publicly as doing a good job. This is not the civil service or some corporate body where you are accountable only to your superiors. This is politics where you are rated by people in your constituency and are always in the public eye. This is where perceived slips of judgment can mean a loss of votes in an election year. That certainly is not good news for the MP or for the party the MP belongs to.
For a lesson on how to handle public perception, look at how Minister Khaw Boon Wan is handling the H1N1 flu situation. Also, look back at how he led us through the difficult NKF episode. Such bright sparks are not nurtured. They are born through fire — going into a crisis and coming out unscathed. So finding the right MP, whether man or woman, is not about merely scrutinising short-listed capable people and getting them elected into Parliament. It is about letting them go through the baptism of fire in the public eye. If they succeed, good news for Singapore. If not, the Government just has to go on trying till it gets enough of these MPs, though this will be difficult to do with such a small population to sieve talent from. And with women MPs, it just may be more difficult.
[1] Source: The Straits Times Forum Page A24, 18 Jun 2009
singcitizen, on June 4th, 2009
Source: The Straits Times 4 Jun 2009 Page B6
Second Minister for Finance and Transport Minister Lim Hwee Hua addressed some 360 students from 54 secondary schools
Asked by a student to elaborate on laws to protect secularism here, she referred to the recent leadership tussle in the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) and said, “In this common space, we cannot impose our religions on others. All of us have to carefully guard against that.”
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