SINGAPORE - Ministry of Manpower (MOM) officers have found lapses in healthcare protocols at a migrant workers dormitory in Jurong.
These include delays in sending workers who tested positive for Covid-19 from their rooms to a recovery facility.
Forward Assurance and Support Team (Fast) officers visited the dorm in Jalan Tukang on Wednesday (Oct 13) after claims surfaced involving a breach of healthcare protocols and lack of access to medical support, as well as poor quality of catered food.
The Singapore Police Force also responded to a call for assistance to the dormitory at about 12.55pm, said MOM, in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The claims were made in an online report on the Chinese news portal Weixin.
Earlier, there were reports that several men had gathered outside the dorm in the afternoon.
MOM said early investigations found that there were delays in sending workers who tested positive for Covid-19, from their rooms to a dormitory recovery facility or centralised recovery facility.
The MOM statement said: "We are working on transferring those who required further medical care to the appropriate healthcare facilities for treatment.
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"Roommates of positive cases were allowed to return to work upon producing a negative antigen rapid test (ART) result."
Dormitory residents who wished to see a doctor were taken to a regional medical centre daily and have been given access to telemedicine, the statement added.
MOM said it has also deployed mobile clinical teams to help take care of the needs of workers.
Dormitory residents, it added, have been given three meals a day by their employer.
However, the employer has been apprised of feedback from the workers on the quality of the catered food, MOM said.
The employer, it added, has since engaged workers about the issue, and to find out if they have other concerns.
MOM said it will continue to work with all stakeholders - including dormitory operators and employers - to take care of and ensure the well-being of migrant workers.
It said: "We also seek feedback from workers through the existing channels, such as through our Fast officers on-ground or through the dormitory operator."
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
