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SINGAPORE – The larger dormitories here can be expected to be audited at least once a week as part of a new program to strengthen the implementation of safe living measures and minimize the rate of Covid-19 infection in the dormitories.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Wednesday (October 21) that the new Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) program will be implemented in all bedrooms on the island, with the aim of curbing the spread of future diseases. infectious in bedrooms.
Developed by MOM’s Assurance, Care and Engagement (Ace) group and the Ministry of Health, the program is targeted at MOM (Fast) operators and dormitory staff, residents, and advanced assurance and support teams.
While dormitories with 500 or more residents can expect to be audited at least once a week, MOM said audits for the other dormitories will take place during routine inspections.
The audits will be the last step of the program, which begins with a pre-program self-assessment and questionnaires to assess dormitory operators, staff and residents on their basic knowledge of IPC.
They will then move on to online training with materials including videos, infographics, and post-training quizzes to consolidate their learning. These materials will be available on the FWMOMCare app that migrant workers currently use to record their health status and temperatures on a daily basis.
To ensure gaps are identified and corrective action is taken, dormitory audits will be conducted approximately five weeks after preliminary testing is available to dormitory operators, staff and residents, Ace Group Medical Director said. , Dr. Lam Meng Chon.
Auditors will be trained to make sure workers are familiar with hand hygiene, such as washing hands before meals, proper use of masks, keeping their group size to no more than five, and reporting illnesses when they don’t feel good.
The audits will be conducted by MOM’s Fast officials as well as some 100 volunteers from the Singapore Health Corps, of whom 40 are nurses familiar with managing infectious diseases.
Dr. Lam said the nurses will help design specific corrective actions for dormitories and workers.
However, while the program materials will not be mandatory for workers, Dr. Lam said that dormitory operators should encourage their residents to use them and that the ministry favors a “partnership model” to involve dormitory operators. , rather than a “punitive approach”. in the implementation of the learning materials.
Dr. Lam also said that the IPC program does not replace safe living measures, which will continue to be the first line of defense against the spread of infections.
He said that the safe life measures, which have been in force since May 30, explain “what needs to be done”, and that they will be complemented by the IPC program on “why and how.”
For example, rather than simply telling bedroom operators that masks should be worn, it is important to explain that Covid-19 is transmitted through respiratory droplets, he said.
Dr. Lam added that MOM and MOH officials, during their visits to the dormitories, had noted improper use of masks by dormitory operators, staff, or migrant workers not fully covering their nose and mouth.
While the program materials are currently only available in four languages: Bengali, Tamil, Chinese and English, which are accessible to about 90 percent of the migrant worker population, Dr. Lam said the ministry will increase the number of languages if necessary.
The ministry also intends to keep the IPC program up-to-date and up-to-date, and will review educational resources when knowledge gaps are identified.
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