Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the women’s clinic in the Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Clinic is still under suspension; (b) if yes, why has it not been reopened; and (c) whether the clinic will be reopened as soon as practicable to allow a women-only space for sexual health screenings and treatment.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control (DSC) Clinic suspended its Women’s Clinic in February 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to create isolation facilities for patients.
However, due to the attrition of female healthcare workers at the DSC Clinic, it became difficult to maintain a dedicated Women’s Clinic at DSC Clinic. Whilst the Women’s Clinic is not in operation, the full suite of the clinic’s services remains available. This includes a women-only care team comprising of female doctors and nurses. Female patients can request for the women-only care team at the point of registration.
The DSC Clinic will continue to explore the feasibility of resuming the Women’s Clinic in the future.
Ministry of Health
4 October 2023
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=written-answer-na-14730
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 