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Drive-through testing may be set up at Gleneagles, Mount Elizabeth and Parkway East hospitals

SINGAPORE — Drive-through testing may soon be available at Gleneagles, Mount Elizabeth and Parkway East hospitals, following the launch of the service at One Farrer Hotel.

The three hospitals are operationally ready to begin drive-through swab testing, if required, said Temasek Foundation on Thursday (4 June), in response to media queries.

The philanthropic arm of state investment firm Temasek Holdings is partnering private healthcare provider Parkway Pantai, which runs the three hospitals, on the initiative.

One Farrer Hotel launched the drive-through swab testing facility in mid-May. The hotel also serves as a temporary hospital facility for COVID-19 patients in recovery.

“As part of swabbing operations, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) has partnered Farrer Park Hospital to take on the re-swabbing for those who require re-testing. The drive-through facility at the One Farrer Hotel lobby has been set up by Farrer Park Hospital to perform these re-swabs,” said an HPB spokesperson, in response to media queries.

The swab testing facility operates seven days a week with hotel staff deployed as runners alongside doctors from Farrer Park Hospital to facilitate accurate registration and tracking of samples, said a spokesperson for One Farrer Hotel.

Individuals assigned to undergo testing at the facility are selected at the discretion of healthcare authorities.

The hotel spokesperson added that the Ministry of Health had identified One Farrer for such a purpose due to its proximity to critical care facilities at Farrer Park Hospital and well-ventilated sheltered driveway.

Separately, mass screening swab booths, which cost around $30,000 each, are being trialed at Farrer Park Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital and Tanjong Pagar Terminal.

These booths, provided by Temasek Foundation and developed by Esco Aster, can test 12 to 15 patients per hour each and be easily deployed across different sites.

People can get tested at swab booths, or while seated in their vehicles at One Farrer Hotel as part of a drive-through testing initiative. (PHOTO: Temasek Foundation)
People can get tested at swab booths, or while seated in their vehicles at One Farrer Hotel as part of a drive-through testing initiative. (PHOTO: Temasek Foundation)

“Everyone involved in the various swabbing exercises, from public sector agencies to staff from the private hospitals, has been working tirelessly and round the clock,” said Temasek Foundation’s chief executive officer Ng Boon Heong.

“We hope that by supporting this initiative and making available supplies, coordinating through partners to share insights and experience from similar past exercises, we can together ensure the collective safety and health of our community.”

To date, Singapore has 36,922 cases of COVID-19, including 24 fatalities linked to the coronavirus.

As of 1 June, the ministry has conducted 408,495 swab tests, of which 264,393 were done on unique individuals. This translates to around 71,700 swabs conducted per 1 million total population, and about 46,400 unique individuals swabbed per 1 million total population.

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