Rahayu Mahzam on Communicable Diseases Agency Bill

Singapore will set up the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) in the first half of this year, if the Communicable Diseases Agency Bill is passed in Parliament. It will be the country’s lead agency to prevent, prepare for, detect and manage infectious diseases and will play a pivotal role in safeguarding Singapore from the threat of infectious diseases. Outlining the legislative framework in Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 7), Minister of State for Health Rahayu Mahzam pointed out that Singapore’s current capabilities in managing communicable diseases reside in several entities. A dedicated agency will help to systematically build up strong public health expertise and organisational capacity, as well as establish international linkages to better tackle future pandemics. Calling it the “frontline” agency to safeguard Singapore, Ms Rahayu said CDA will bring together the expertise in Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Board and National Centre for Infectious Diseases, as well as leverage academia and international technical networks to further develop capabilities. It will oversee end-to-end disease prevention, surveillance and risk assessment.