Introduction
The COVID-19 outbreak is an ongoing pandemic that has taken the world by
storm. As of 31st May 2020, there has been more than 6
million confirmed cases, including 371,000 deaths[1]. Singapore was one of the earliest countries
outside of China affected by COVID-19, with the first case diagnosed on
23rd January 2020. By 31st May 2020,
the nation reported a total of 34,884 cases (the highest number in
Southeast Asia) with 23 deaths [2]. In response to
the outbreak, the Ministry of Health (MOH) raised the Disease Outbreak
Response System Condition (DORSCON) from yellow to orange on
7th February 2020 [3], adopting
a heightened risk posture. This emphasized the urgency of containing the
disease, inhibiting spread from person to person. The country further
declared a ‘Circuit Breaker’, implementing a stringent set of social
distancing measures from 7th April 2020, extending to
1st June 2020.
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) is Singapore’s largest hospital
exclusively treating children and women with obstetrics and gynaecology
(O&G) conditions. Its Urgent Obstetrics and Gynaecology Centre (UOGC)
is a 24-hour walk-in centre for women with acute O&G conditions.
Approximately 2,700 patients access this service every month. The
COVID-19 outbreak has posed several challenges to UOGC’s daily
operation, being one of the “gatekeepers” for the hospital. However,
our centre was quick and dynamic in responding to the evolving outbreak
in order to maintain continuity of care.