Amid the surge of Omicron cases in Singapore, hospitals and clinics have been facing long queues and crowds outside their facilities recently.
To lessen the pressures these healthcare systems are currently facing, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng strongly advised companies to refrain from demanding medical certificates (MC) from employees who are Covid-19 positive.
This is to help General Practitioners (GP) clinics and hospitals focus more on patients who require more medical assistance.
According to The Straits Times, Dr Tan said companies do not need to request MC from staff who tested positive for Covid-19 via Antigen Rapid Tests (ARTs).
Instead, all companies should be familiar with the Covid-19 protocols and excuse staff from returning to their workplaces when required.
Once the isolation period is over, staff affected by Covid-19 are also not required to get medical assessments from doctors to show they are fit to return to work.
Patients who prefer to have an official infection record can make an appointment to undergo a supervised ART at Quick Test Centres and Combined Test Centres.
They will then get their test results on HealthHub.
Hoping to reduce the burden that the healthcare system is facing, Dr Tan called on everyone to seek medical treatment only if they are severely ill.
He encouraged individuals with very mild or no symptoms to avoid visiting the clinics to get an MC.
Addressing HR departments’ concerns about encouraging absenteeism, Dr Tan was quoted as saying,
This is just a phase we are going through.
He added that it is unnecessary to add administrative burdens or bureaucratic hurdles for this entire process, especially during this time.
However, he added that employees whose employers request MCs for sick leave should refer them to MOH’s official Covid-19 website for guidelines. Alternatively, staff can approach MOM for further assistance.
As Singapore faces yet another surge in the Omicron wave, healthcare workers are doing their best to help Singapore recover as a nation.
So let’s all play our part in supporting them while easing their burden while we can, even in the smallest way possible.
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Featured image adapted from Dr Tan See Leng on Facebook.
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