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SINGSOC Apologise For Chaos, Tickets Not Oversold

The Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) has apologised for the confusion that led to many spectators being locked out of the 28th SEA Games closing ceremony at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

While SINGSOC acknowledged it could have done better in managing the situation, it rejected suggestions that tickets to the closing ceremony were oversold.

In a statement on the SEA Games Facebook page yesterday, SINGSOC said it had invited groups of Team Nila volunteers and voluntary welfare organisations to the event based on the turnout from the opening ceremony on June 5, where about 30 percent of ticket holders did not turn up.

SINGSOC added: “After accounting for these complimentary tickets, we would like to confirm that there were still sufficient seats in the stadium for all those who came for the event (closing ceremony).”

“There are some very clear lessons to be drawn from this experience that did not surface during the opening ceremony, like how to have better informed everyone on arrival timings, and how to better manage the rapid build-up of crowds and the ushering at entry gates,” SINGSOC said. “We acknowledge that we should have done a lot better.”

While it is unclear exactly how many spectators, most of whom had purchased tickets — which cost up to S$40 each — were locked out of the closing ceremony, it is believed to be in the hundreds.

They were prevented from entering the stadium as many of those already inside had waited around the inner concourse area after they failed to locate their seats due to the stadium lights having gone dark for the ceremony.

But safety concerns meant the gates had to be closed to prevent the congestion from worsening if more were allowed in. That led to tempers boiling over, with some shouting at the volunteers for being unable to help the situation.

SINGSOC also said they could have accommodated those at the stadium if there was more time to seat them, but a surge over a short period just before the ceremony started eventually led to the situation.

The organisers also clarified that the last segment of the show, which saw Dutch DJ Ferry Corsten playing his set from a console suspended from the National Stadium’s retractable roof as spectators entered the field below, was pre-planned and co-ordinated with stadium operators, crowd safety and security personnel.

SINGSOC also stressed that the safety limit on the number of people on the pitch was not breached.

Those affected can contact SINGSOC at https://feedback.sportsingapore.gov.sg/new_feedback.aspx or 1800 344 1177 during office hours from 9am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays to process the refunds and follow up with service recovery.

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 19, 2015
Thailand Confirms First MERS Case

BANGKOK – Thailand confirmed its first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Thursday, becoming the fourth Asian country to register the deadly virus this year.

Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin told a news conference that a 75-year-old businessman from Oman had tested positive for MERS.

“From two lab tests we can confirm that the MERS virus was found,” Rajata said, adding the man had traveled to Bangkok for medical treatment for a heart condition.

“The first day he came he was checked for the virus. The patient … contracted the MERS virus.”

The health minister said 59 others were being monitored for the virus, including three of the man’s relatives who traveled with him to Bangkok.

MERS is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered China’s deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The vast majority of MERS infections and deaths have been in Saudi Arabia, where more than 1,000 people have been infected since 2012, and about 454 have died.

Last month, a MERS outbreak erupted in South Korea resulting in 23 deaths so far. A total of 165 people have been infected and 6,700 people are in quarantine.

But there have been signs that the outbreak, the largest outside of Saudi Arabia, may be slowing in South Korea. The daily number of new cases has dropped to single digits this week compared to as many as 23 last week. Three were reported on Thursday – the lowest number since June 1.

All of the infections known to have occurred in South Korea have taken place in healthcare facilities. Three hospitals have been at least partially shut and two have been locked down with patients and medical staff inside.

China and the Philippines have also reported one MERS case this year.

Earlier, Thailand’s Disease Control Department said it was screening travelers at 67 points of entry.

“We are checking 67 ports including land, sea and air,” said Sophon Mekthon, secretary-general of Thailand’s Disease Control Department.

“We’ve told all hospitals in Thailand to be on alert. Those who come back from the Middle East and South Korea must be checked thoroughly.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 19, 2015
Primary 1 Registration Starts On 2nd July

The registration of children for admission to Primary One (P1) classes next year will start on July 2 until Aug 27.

Children born between Jan 2, 2009 and Jan 1, 2010 (both dates inclusive) have to be registered at this year’s P1 Registration Exercise for admission to primary school next January.

All primary schools will open for registration from 8am to 11am and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm from Mondays to Fridays during the registration period.

The cohort size of 2016 is comparable to that of 2015 and there will be sufficient school places for all eligible P1 pupils, said the Ministry of Education in a press release on Thursday (Jun 18).

Three new primary schools – Oasis Primary, Punggol Cove Primary and Waterway Primary – will be taking in students from 2016 and will open for P1 registration this year.

Details on the list of primary schools and vacancies available, including a list of registration centres for new schools, can be found on the P1 Registration Exercise website.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 19, 2015
Foreign-Graduates Dentists Working Illegally In Singapore?
A reader has informed TRE that a bunch of foreign-graduate dentists on conditional registration in Singapore are doing dental work in Little India without any apparent supervision.

The dental clinic at Kerbau Road is called Little India Dentist (www.littleindiadentist.com.sg).

According to its website, Little India Dentist has a team of 4 dentists [Link]:
1. Dr Nivedita Seerpi, DDS (USA)
2. Dr Mansoor Walipoor, BDS (Adelaide)
3. Dr Yushmee Ramburrun, BDS (Bristol)
4. Dr Katy Kennedy, BDS (Dundee)
All dentists working in Singapore are regulated by the Singapore Dental Council (SDC), a body constituted under the Dental Registration Act (Chapter 76).

Under this Act, the Council is empowered in Singapore [Link]:
- to approve or reject applications for registration as a dentist;
- to issue certificates of registration and practising certificates to registered dentists;
- to make recommendations to the appropriate authorities on the courses of instructions and examinations;
- to make recommendations to the appropriate authorities for the training and education of registered dentists;
- to determine and regulate the conduct and ethics of registered dentists; and
- generally to do all such acts, matters and things as are necessary to be carried out, or which the Council is authorised to carry out, under the Dental Registration Act.
Searching through the records of SDC [Link], the 4 foreign-graduate dentists are found to have only “Conditional Registration” status. That is to say, none of the dentists in Little India Dentist has full registration:

TRE also found that, except for Dr Nivedita Seerpi, none of the other 3 has registered their “Place of Practice” as Little India Dentist. The 3 have instead registered their place of practice elsewhere:
- Dr Mansoor Walipoor – Nuffield Dental Kovan
- Dr Yushmee Ramburrun – Nuffield Healthcare Private Limited
- Dr Katy Kennedy – Q & M Dental Centre Pte Ltd
What is “Conditional Registration”?

Under section 14A(4) of the Dental Registration Act, dentists under “conditional registration” need to be supervised by a “fully registered Division I dentist” working in the same practice for a specified period (at least 2 years).

The SDC website [Link] further states that dentists under “conditional registration” need to work for a specified period that is equivalent to 2 years full-time of minimum 35 working hours per week under the supervision of a fully registered dentist approved by the Council.

The supervisor must submit a supervisory report on the dentist to the Council every 6 months.

Dentists under conditional registration may apply for conversion to “full registration” after 2 years but this is subject to the Council’s approval.

Also, the supervisor must [Link]:
1. be a fully registered Division I dentist and
2. have at least 5 years’ post-BDS experience and
3. work in the same clinic premises as his/her supervisee
In fact, SDC is quite particular about having full supervision over dentists on conditional registration:

Please note that the supervisory report will determine if the conditionally registered dentist is able to perform his/her duties satisfactorily. The supervisor should exercise due diligence when completing the report for the dentist under his/her charge. Please complete every section of the report. In the event that a supervisor is unable to continue his supervisory duties for the full period of conditional registration, he/she should inform Council immediately and Council will write to the clinic to re-nominate a new supervisor.

SDC is so particular about having dentists on conditional registration supervised by a fully registered dentist that they issued a reminder to all dentists in January [Link]:

Although the risk is small, patients are known to have died from dental treatment gone wrong.

Finally, a criterion for conditional registration requires the dentist to have been approved for employment in Singapore as a dentist in any hospital or other institution or dental practice approved by the Council.

It’s not known if Little India Dentist has been approved by SDC to employ the 4 foreign-graduate dentists who currently hold conditional registration status.

In any case, Little India Dentist does not appear to have any fully registered Division I dentist at the clinic to supervise the 4 conditionally registered dentists.

TRE has emailed SDC for their comments.

Source: www.tremeritus.com
June 18, 2015
Litte India Dentist Removes Dentist Info Page
On Sunday (14 Jun), TRE reported that 4 foreign-graduate dentists on conditional registration in Singapore are doing dental work in Little India without any apparent supervision (‘Foreign-graduate dentists working illegally in SG?‘).

The 4 dentists are practising at a dental clinic at Kerbau Road called Little India Dentist (www.littleindiadentist.com.sg).

According to its website, Little India Dentist had a team of 4 dentists:
1. Dr Nivedita Seerpi, DDS (USA)
2. Dr Mansoor Walipoor, BDS (Adelaide)
3. Dr Yushmee Ramburrun, BDS (Bristol)
4. Dr Katy Kennedy, BDS (Dundee)
TRE did a screen capture of their webpage before publishing the article on Sunday (14 Jun), showing the 4 foreign-graduate dentists listed on their website:

Here’s another screen capture of their home page showing the link to their dentist information page. This was also captured on Sunday:

Searching through the records of Singapore Dental Council [Link], the 4 foreign-graduate dentists are found to have only “Conditional Registration” status. That is to say, none of the dentists in Little India Dentist has full registration.

TRE also found that, except for Dr Nivedita Seerpi, none of the other 3 has registered their “Place of Practice” as Little India Dentist. The 3 have instead registered their place of practice elsewhere:
- Dr Mansoor Walipoor – Nuffield Dental Kovan
- Dr Yushmee Ramburrun – Nuffield Healthcare Private Limited
- Dr Katy Kennedy – Q & M Dental Centre Pte Ltd
Under section 14A(4) of the Dental Registration Act, dentists under “conditional registration” need to be supervised by a “fully registered Division I dentist” working in the same practice for a specified period (at least 2 years). The supervisor must submit a supervisory report on the dentist to the Council every 6 months.

Also, the supervisor must [Link]:
1. be a fully registered Division I dentist and
2. have at least 5 years’ post-BDS experience and
3. work in the same clinic premises as his/her supervisee.
Since the website does not show any fully registered Division I dentists working at Little India Dentist, it is therefore assumed that the clinic does not have any fully registered Division I dentists to supervise the 4 conditionally registered dentists.

Today (16 Jun), TRE has discovered that Little India Dentist has quietly taken down the “Our Team” webpage with dentist information. The “Our Team” link has also been quietly removed from their home page:

Clicking on www.littleindiadentist.com.sg/our_team.php now shows a 404 error – “The webpage cannot be found”.

Why did the clinic suddenly remove their dentist information page after TRE published its article on Sunday (14 Jun)?

Source: www.tremeritus.com
June 18, 2015