Singapore's ITF forms MOM division for foreign workers and dorm operations

The turnover will be in phases and will be fully operational by 1 October.

The Inter-agency Taskforce (ITF) will hand over the dormitory operations to a new division under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), dubbed as the Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) group, a press release said.

This follows after the government declared that all dormitories are cleared of COVID-19. The handover will be carried out in phases from August to September and will be fully operational by 1 October.

The ACE Group’s immediate focus is to continue with the efforts to enable dormitories to be more resilient and prevent new public health threats to the migrant worker population. It aims to provide assurance to migrant workers and dormitory operators, as well as a comprehensive medical support plan and have health services more accessible to migrant workers.

In addition, the government will enhance its engagement with workers and other stakeholders. The ACE Group will continue to deploy Forward Assurance and Support Teams (FASTs), which will cover all purpose-built dormitories (PBDs), factory converted dormitories (FCDs), construction temporary quarters (CTQs) and private residential premises.

It is also implementing a network of about 12 on-site medical centres and sectoral medical centres to continue to provide access to medical services as the regional health clusters phase out their forward deployment at the dormitories.