A sniffle caught on camera in Parliament on Oct 6 escalated into a full hospital admission for Sengkang MP Jamus Lim. The second-term MP was seen pausing between sentences while speaking on the Finance Bill, wiping his nose as he spoke. Marine Parade-Braddell Heights MP Diana Pang walked over to hand him a tissue.
Lim's blood oxygen saturation fell to the low 90s over the weekend, well below the 95-100 range for healthy individuals, forcing hospitalization. In a Facebook post on Oct 12, Lim said the initial sniffle had developed into a bad case of Influenza A before culminating in full-blown pneumonia. He initially intended to take only the remainder of the week off work but checked into hospital as his condition worsened.
The MP is unable to attend his regular duties, including Monday's Meet-the-People Session and weekly house visits and estate walks. However, his TeamSengkang volunteers have agreed to step up and continue the Meet-the-People Session as usual. Lim said he will work from hospital to clear appeal letters and respond to email backlog.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the rise in respiratory ailments stems from haze conditions coinciding with Influenza A season, compounding the problem. The Ministry of Health activated both the Public Health Preparedness Clinic scheme and the Haze Subsidy Scheme from Oct 12.