Health Minister calls on overlooked public healthcare workers for COVID-19 Resilience Medal to engage with MOH

SINGAPORE: Health Minister Ong Ye Kung disclosed that 91% of the 68,600 workers employed in Singapore’s public healthcare institutions were awarded the COVID-19 Resilience Medal.

This revelation came during his response to Parliamentary inquiries on Tuesday (9 Jan).

In his written reply, Minister Ong explained that the remaining workers were not conferred the CRM primarily because their contributions toward managing the COVID-19 pandemic were not assessed as substantial or sustained within the specified period.

Additionally, a very small number were disqualified due to their disciplinary records, he added.

This information was provided in response to a Parliamentary question filed by Associate Professor Jamus Lim, Member of Parliament (MP) from the Workers’ Party, regarding the potential for an appeals process for those who missed out on the CRM.

In response, Minister Ong acknowledged that despite the rigorous process and inclusive approach, it is possible that some employers may have missed out nominating their staff.

He said individuals who feel they are deserving but have been missed out for the CRM can write to MOH.

MOH will subsequently review these appeals in collaboration with their respective employers.

Minister Ong highlighted that overcoming the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic was a collective national endeavour. Therefore, the CRM selection process aimed for inclusivity without setting specific quotas.

To ensure that standards are met and the process is rigorous, the eligibility criteria is that the individual must have made substantial contributions on a sustained basis during the Pandemic in:

1. Managing the public health crisis at the frontlines;
2. Supporting frontline operations, such as vaccination, testing, managing dorms or recovery facilities, etc; or
3. Managing the consequences of COVID-19 on Singapore’s economy, supply chains or social cohesion.

“The individuals are nominated by their employing organisations based on these criteria.”

“As the CRM is a national-level award, individuals with criminal records and public service officers with disciplinary records and within the debarment periods are also disqualified, “said the Minister.

The nomination process also includes outsourced workers such as cleaners, porters, and patient care assistants. Approximately 2,000 individuals in these roles within public healthcare institutions received the CRM.

The roster of CRM awardees was made public in the Government Gazette on the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) website on 31 May 2023.

Following that publication, from 31 May to the end of August 2023, MOH received and evaluated numerous appeals from the healthcare sector for CRM.

As a result, additional deserving awardees were added to the list during this period.

Controversy surrounds Singapore’s CRM distribution

In December 2022, the PMO declared that over 100,000 individuals would be honoured for their contributions in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last December, an Instagram account @thehonesthealthcareworker posted an open letter addressing Minister Ong and MOH, highlighting the concerns of frontliners who feel overlooked in the national award recognition process.

These dedicated workers, who tirelessly contributed throughout the pandemic, expressed their sense of being unrecognized by the country in the distribution of national awards.

The open letter also called upon the MOH to provide clarity on the nomination process for the awards.

This request was prompted by reports of individuals selling their COVID-19 award medals on Carousell.

In response to the health workers’ open letter, the Ministry of Health acknowledged on 20 December that not everyone who played a role in Singapore’s fight against the pandemic received a CRM.

The MOH, in its efforts to be as inclusive as possible, clarified that there were no quotas set on the number of people receiving the award.

In contrast to the MOH’s position, @thehonesthealthcareworker shared the case of Dr Sanjeev Shanker on 21 Dec, an Emergency Medicine Specialist actively involved in Singapore’s pandemic response.

In an email shared by the Instagram account, Dr Sanjeev questioned his ineligibility for the COVID Resilience Medal despite significant contributions since the start of the pandemic, with the page highlighting the omission and noting his prominent role in COVID-19 vaccine promotion by the Singapore government.