Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a statement at the SGEMT commencement ceremony at the Home Team Tactical Centre on Thursday that Singapore “does its element” to deliver humanitarian assistance outside of our own country.
Mr. Ong noted that Singapore has sent relief groups worldwide in response to a number of tragedies, including the earthquake in Nepal in 2015 and the storm in the Indian Ocean in 2004.
” In particular, in the immediate aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, the Singapore Armed Forces ( SAF ) carried out significant disaster relief efforts in Meulaboh, Aceh, Indonesia”, he said.
” They provided health support, food and shelter, helped rebuild roads, bridges and connections, and built a wharf to help delivery of supplies – , and I think the pier is still there now, and it continues to be used”.
The officiation of the SGEMT, he said, “underscores Singapore’s determination to strengthen local disaster response capabilities, ensuring that fast and high-quality health care is available where it is most required”.
According to Mr. Ong, the SGEMT was established in 18 weeks.
According to him,” we were first told that it was an optimistic timeline in comparison to past experiences, as numerous groups took several years to complete the process.”
” But in normal Singapore fashion, we learned from the experiences of previous missions, developed a whole-of-government approach, worked closely with people healthcare institutions to conceptualise the system and layout the processes and structures, partnered the SAF and Singapore Civil Defence Force to click on their expertise, collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to defend the SGEMT’s world operating capabilities, and ensured support from Singapore’s political network worldwide”.
He added that collaborations were also established with secret parties for non-clinical tasks like technology maintenance and warehousing, and that a technician reserve may be quickly mobilized to handle these tasks.
Mr. Ong concluded his speech by saying,” I thank everyone who has contributed to the establishment of the SGEMT. I have faith that SGEMT will always be ready to lend a hand and raise the Singapore symbol high.