Coronavirus: Various allied health services, including psychology and social work, reclassified as essential

SINGAPORE - With the extension of the circuit breaker to June 1, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has re-categorised allied health services outside of the public healthcare institutions as essential services, effective from Wednesday (April 29).

This includes rehabilitation or therapy services, and other allied health services such as dietetics, counselling, social work, psychology and podiatry.

The ministry said there will be restrictions in place for the provision of allied health services to ensure that overall movement and interactions are still minimised during this period.

These include keeping therapy to one-to-one sessions, and to prioritise face-to-face consultations for patients whose condition may significantly or rapidly deteriorate and thus potentially threaten their health and well being, if they do not receive the therapy or treatment.

All allied health professionals will also have to continue to adhere to the prevailing safe distancing, crowd management and personal protective equipment (PPE) measures.

MOH also urged service providers to deliver their services through tele-consultation where possible to reduce the risk of patient exposure to Covid-19.

The Singapore Psychological Society said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that practitioners on the Singapore Register of Pscyhologists who wish to continue operating should check their e-mails for further instructions on submitting hours to keep their clinics or centres open.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.