Covid-19: MOH advises hospitals, specialists not to accept new foreign patients
For existing foreign patients holding Asean passports on active follow-up with a specialist in Singapore, the attending specialist should encourage the patient to seek or continue care in their home country, the Ministry of Health said.
SINGAPORE — Hospitals and private specialist clinics here have been advised by the Ministry of Health (MOH) not to accept any new foreign patients who do not reside in Singapore.
In a circular issued on Thursday (March 19) and seen by TODAY, MOH said the move is important to conserve limited healthcare resources for Singapore to cater to managing Covid-19 cases and the existing needs of Singapore patients.
“All public and private hospitals and private specialist clinics should immediately stop of defer accepting new medical appointment requests from foreign patients who do not reside in Singapore,” the circular said.
For existing foreign patients holding Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) passports on active follow-up with a specialist in Singapore, the attending specialist should encourage the patient to seek or continue care in their home country, it added.
The circular, signed by MOH's director of medical services Kenneth Mak, was issued after the ministry announced that from Friday, all travellers entering Singapore will be issued a 14-day stay-home notice. Furthermore, all short-term visitors who are nationals of any Asean country must submit information on their health condition for clearance via an Asean Health Clearance form, 14 to 21 days before their intended date of travel into Singapore.
These visitors must also ensure that their applications have been approved by MOH before their travel to Singapore.
Short-term visitors who arrive in Singapore without the necessary approval, or proof of the place where they will serve the 14-day stay-home notice, or do not meet prevailing entry requirements, will be denied entry into Singapore.
The circular to hospitals and specialist clinics added that foreign patients who require continued specialist care in Singapore should apply for the Asean Health Clearance well in advance of their medical appointment.
They must not have visited any hospital outside Singapore for 14 days from the time of their application of the AHC until their visit to Singapore to be eligible for the AHC approval.
The circular also sets out when and how a specialist could apply for a waiver of the Asean Health Clearance requirement on behalf of a foreign patient, and the conditions the specialist and patient would need to meet if the waiver is approved.
For example, the specialist would have to ensure that the patient can enter the hospital, go for the medical consultation and treatment while having minimal contact with other patients or visitors.
The patient also cannot have more than one accompanying visitor to Singapore and they must clear health checks at the Singapore immigration checkpoint before being allowed into the country.
They will then be put on the stay-home notice and will not be allowed to depart before completing it.
They will be allowed to leave their residence for medical appointments but must liaise with the stay-home notice duty officer beforehand.
