WeCare PAck launched as part of new rapid crisis-response system

The WeCare PAck contains items such as instant noodles, canned food, biscuits, beverages and even a medical supply kit which includes an N95 mask.

By Vimita Mohandas, Channel NewsAsia, 6 Jul 2013

Deputy chairman of the People's Association (PA) Lim Swee Say says there is room for improvement in the way the N95 masks were being distributed during the haze.

And in an effort to enhance the government's capabilities when responding to a crisis, a new rapid response system in the form of a "WeCare PAck" was launched on Saturday.

The WeCare PAck is a joint initiative of PA and NTUC FairPrice Foundation.

Funding for the project came from the five Community Development Councils (CDCs), which donated S$200,000 each, while the FairPrice Foundation donated S$1 million.

The WeCare PAck contains items such as instant noodles, canned food, biscuits, beverages and even a medical supply kit which includes an N95 mask. The number of contents in each WeCare PAck will not be fixed as it really depends on the nature of each crisis.

Mr Lim said: “Life is full of uncertainty. We have no idea, should we be hit with a crisis, what kind of crisis, when it would happen, how it would affect the life of people.

“It is with this purpose in mind that we decided to introduce this concept of a WeCare PAck. The idea of the WeCare PAck is to put in place a rapid response system whereby we can deliver the number of items...it could be 10 or 20 items. It could be (delivered) to 10,000 or 50,000 households or even more.”

Mr Lim, who is also a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said the distribution of N95 masks during the haze could have been better.

He assured Singaporeans that the government will work towards being as ready as possible when a crisis strikes.

Mr Lim said: “The way we distributed N95 wasn't perfect but I think that at the end of the day if not for the grassroots movement the distribution could be even worse.

“So, today, the WeCare PAck that we have come up with - is it too late? Maybe, it's too early, because some people will say, ‘if you don't even know what crisis and what would happen, then why put in place such a system?’ We are trying to be as proactive as we can.

“But I want to assure everyone that, yes, the system will never be perfect because we don't know what crisis will happen, when it would happen and how it will affect the people. I would say that, yes, on the whole we can always improve the way we respond to any crisis.”

The WeCare PAck will be distributed to some 30,000 elderly living alone without caregivers.


Related
EMERGENCY 101