Effectiveness of Deploying Airline Crew to Hospitals during COVID-19 Pandemic

37 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Health (a) whether data on the effectiveness of deploying cabin crew members from the Singapore Airlines Group to hospitals during COVID-19 have been collected; and (b) what lessons has the Ministry learnt from such deployment.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Until March 2022, MOH facilitated the temporary deployment of around 900 aviation crew from the Singapore Airlines Group as Care Ambassadors in our healthcare institutions. Our aviation crew brought to the table strong service and communication instincts, which are key to effective patient care. Their contributions helped alleviate the manpower tightness in healthcare institutions during the pandemic, allowing our nurses and other healthcare staff to focus on more complex clinical and care-related work.

Our experience with the Care Ambassadors reminds us that, with the right training, it is possible for individuals from other sectors to make meaningful contributions to healthcare. This is something MOH has been doing and we will continue to invest in mid-career training pathways for individuals interested in making a career switch into support care.