More SAF personnel deployed to help with Covid-19 home recovery programme
SINGAPORE – Up until a month ago, Corporal (CPL) Luth Danish Zani’s role in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) involved supporting other units in their operations as a combat engineer.
But since Sept 29, he has been helping with the national Covid-19 effort as a home recovery buddy – the first line of contact for Covid-19 patients who test positive, under the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Covid-19 Home Recovery Programme.
As of Oct 24, more than 450 personnel from the SAF have been roped in to help with the programme, which started on Sept 15 this year.
Together with staff from other agencies such as the People’s Association (PA), the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), and GovTech, the SAF has helped to beef up and improve the programme, said Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, group director of MOH’s Crisis Strategy and Operations Group, at a virtual press briefing on Wednesday (Oct 27).
The programme had faced teething issues and numerous complaints in the first few weeks after it was launched.
Many people had reported that they were unable to reach the Ministry of Health (MOH) for advice on their specific situation, and were unsure of what to do next.
Mr Dinesh said on Wednesday that thanks to the help of various parties, the team is now able to handle 95 per cent of all incoming and outgoing calls about the programme.
In addition, over 90 per cent of those who are eligible for home recovery are now contacted to be brought on to the programme within 24 hours of them submitting their details online.
The home recovery programme has become the default mode of care for Covid-19 patients with no or mild symptoms.
This is with the exception of some individuals who are assessed to be ineligible due to their vaccination status and age.
Mr Dinesh added that thanks to a new telemedicine system known as the Telemedicine Allocation Reconciliation System (TMARS), almost 85 per cent of those who request telemedicine support receive it within the first 24 hours.
This is an improvement from early October, when the figure was around 50 per cent, he said.
Other government agencies have also joined the effort.
The Agency for Integrated Care, through its outreach arm, the Silver Generation Office, helps seniors aged 60 and above in their home recovery journey.
This is done via visits to vulnerable seniors, calling them daily until their isolation order ends, and delivering meals to them where needed.
Mr Dinesh noted that 70 per cent of those who are infected each day are now recovering at home.
“That’s quite a significant number, which would otherwise have been directed to different parts of the healthcare system and resulted in a certain degree of chokage,” he said.
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