Press Releases

SHWF calls upon partnership with health care professionals

The Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, today (March 25) met with representatives from local medical and health care professional bodies and called upon their partnership in the prevention and control of severe respiratory syndrome.

There has been a very useful discussion and exchange of views on containing the spread of severe respiratory syndrome in the meeting and the Secretary's appeal was echoed with positive response.

Dr. Yeoh first briefed the meeting on the latest situation of severe respiratory syndrone giving rise to pneumonia and the measures and strategies the Government is taking to address the issue, stressing that the most important aspect in Government's work was from the public health perspective.

The meeting also agreed to develop a practical and effective infection control guidelines for medical and health care workers and to strive for a full compliance to infection precautionary control guidelines from each and every sector.

This would be effective in intercepting the spread of infection and would protect health care professionals, patients and the community.

The guideline is that all health care workers must wear mask when attending patients. They should also develop a habit of washing hands quickly and not touching their eyes, nose and mouth in the case they have a cough and to wash hands quickly.

End/Tuesday, March 25, 2003
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