8-Day Budget Debate Begins in Parliament on 24 Feb; To Cover Death of ACS(I) Student and Covid-19 Vaccine Overdose As Well

If you thought that the Budget debate will be all about Budget 2021, you’re wrong.

At least, for this year.

8-Day Budget Debate Begins in Parliament Feb 24, to Cover Death of ACS(I) Student and Covid-19 Vaccine Overdose

Besides debating on fiscal policies (how the government will spend money) this year, the death of the ACS(I) student and the Covid-19 vaccine overdose will be covered as well.

On 14 Jan 2021, an employee at the Singapore National Eyecare Centre (SNEC) was given 5 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine due to a “human error“. Fortunately, the staff in question did not suffer from adverse reactions or side effects.

Three questions were filed by Members of the Parliament (MPs) for the debate regarding the incident:

• How has the operation improved to prevent the repeat of this mistake?
• Why were there no staff dedicated to handling the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine?
• How does healthcare institutions ensure that their staff are not overworked?

On 3 Feb 2021, a 15-year-old ACS(I) student lost his footing and fell during a high-element activity in Yishun SAFRA. While he remained suspended in mid-air by his safety harness, he lost consciousness when being lowered to the ground.

SCDF responders who arrived at the scene could not wake him up and he was sent to the hospital. The student, who was the only child in his family, was pronounced dead the next day.

For the death of the ACS(I) student, Mr Vikram Nair, MP for Sembawang GRC asked for updates to the investigations.

He has also asked about lessons learnt from this incident.

Other Questions Raised

It’s not just the headline-grabbing issues that are being debated.

Other questions brought up includes:

• Whether Singapore’s national parks were “over-utilised” during the Covid-19 pandemic (too crowded)
• The key differences between the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines
• Whether vaccination certificates will be issued to people who took the Covid-19 vaccines

The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use in Singapore on 3 Feb 2021.

As for those who are wondering what a vaccination document is all about, you might want to check out this comprehensive article here.

Budget Debate 2021

The Budget Debate will last for 8 days, starting 24 Feb 2021 and is expected to end on 5 Mar 2021.

The first three days will focus on the Budget Statement, followed by the various ministries’ presentation of their individual budgets.

According to ST, the questions regarding the vaccination overdose incident will be raised before the Budget debate.

Feature Image: Google Maps