Disciplinary sanctions taken against 12 staff after Hepatitis C outbreak in Singapore

Disciplinary sanctions were taken against 12 staff after a Hepatitis C outbreak last year led over 20 patients infected, among which, four possibly died of the infection, said Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in a statement on Thursday.

The 12 staff in leadership positions, including senior SGH management, were given disciplinary sanctions including stern warnings and financial penalties, for gaps in their roles in managing the outbreak or in infection control. The affected staff have accepted the penalties, the hospital said.

The sanctions were advised by the Human Resource (HR) Panel, which was appointed by Peter Seah, chairman of SingHealth Board of Directors, to examine the roles, responsibilities and actions of key SGH staff, and assess if disciplinary actions need to be taken.

The panel also made wide-ranging observations and recommendations to further strengthen the hospital's infection control and disease outbreak surveillance and management mechanisms.

"The Hepatitis C outbreak was a tragedy that deeply affected and saddened all of us. What happened has been a hard lesson for SGH. The hospital will rectify the gaps to ensure that patients receive the best and safest care," said Seah.

"We will continue to emphasise patient safety as our highest priority. To this end, we will mobilise people, review systems and strengthen processes," he added.

Meanwhile, SingHealth, SGH's parent organization, appointed a Report Implementation Committee to review the hospital's systems and processes. Steps are ongoing to improve current infection control measures as advised, the hospital said.

SGH said it has started an enhanced hospital-wide infection control education and training program, with annual online competency assessment. Regular audits will be conducted to ensure compliance. Endit