Fire breaks out in bunk of unoccupied block on Pulau Tekong
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Fire breaks out in bunk of unoccupied block on Pulau Tekong
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Independent Singapore
4 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Singaporean shocked by $300 ambulance bill after calling 1777 despite being quoted $220
SINGAPORE: A man who arranged for a private ambulance to transport his father to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) was left surprised and frustrated when he was billed $300, despite being quoted $220 during the initial phone call. The man, who identified himself as Patrick, told Stomp that he had called the 1777 non-emergency ambulance hotline on May 29 to request a private ambulance to ferry his father from their home at Upper Boon Keng Road to TTSH. The journey is about 5km and typically takes just 10 minutes. Patrick said that he turned to 1777 after a previous experience with the 995 emergency hotline left him concerned about hospital destinations. 'I just had an experience with 995 that the ambulance will only go to the nearest A&E, even if it is a private hospital that is closest,' he explained, 'My question is, what happens if a person cannot afford a private A&E?' 995 is run by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and does not charge for emergency cases. SCDF charges $274 for each non-emergency case conveyed to a hospital. 1777, meanwhile, is a private service operated by Connect Centre, a company that provides customer service outsourcing. In Patrick's case, Raffles Hospital is geographically closer than TTSH and calling 995 would mean his father would be taken there, despite the fact that it is a private hospital. 'It's quite ridiculous that he can't use 995, which can be free, because they will take him to Raffles Hospital,' he told Stomp. To ensure his father could be taken to TTSH, a government hospital, Patrick opted for 1777. 'During the 1777 call, the person on the phone quoted $220,' he said. But upon arrival at TTSH, Goodwill Ambulance Services stunned him and produced an invoice for $300. 'I informed the ambulance attendant that I was quoted $220 and asked why it was now $300,' Patrick recounted, 'He told me to clarify with 1777, which in turn pushed me back to Goodwill.' Not wanting to create a scene at the hospital's A&E department, Patrick paid the full amount but later emailed Goodwill to question the charge. 'How do you justify $300 for such a short distance between Upper Boon Keng to TTSH?' he wrote. In response, Goodwill Ambulance Services' managing director, Merrill Mathew Babu, indicated that the issue could have stemmed from a miscommunication by 1777. He told Patrick: 'For this issue, you will need to clarify with 1777 as the call centre is on 1777's end. Our charges are standard to 1777, which is $300 including GST for every case.' He added, 'This was what we have quoted 1777 for the transfer. We are unsure how 1777 has conveyed the information to you. We will bring up this issue to 1777 to ensure they inform the caller of the pricing accurately. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.' The situation has left Patrick questioning the Ministry of Health's (MOH) involvement in the 1777 service. 'My main issue is why the Ministry of Health is promoting 1777 when it's fully private,' he said, 'and worst of all, you can't direct the 995 ambulance to the nearest government hospital, but instead, they will take you to the nearest hospital even if it is a private hospital.' In 2021, the MOH published a list of fees charged by various private ambulance operators to help ensure greater transparency. A similar list can also be found on the Connect Centre's website. According to SCDF guidelines, emergency ambulances will only transport patients to the nearest MOH-designated hospital with appropriate medical facilities based on travel time, regardless of whether the hospital is public or private.
CNA
20 hours ago
- CNA
Indonesian rescuers recover body of Brazilian tourist who fell off volcano cliff
JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers have recovered the body of a Brazilian woman who died after falling off a cliff while hiking on Indonesia's second-highest volcano, rescue officials said. Juliana Marins, 27, was hiking with five friends on Mount Rinjani on Saturday when she slipped and fell off a cliff on the side of the 3,726m mountain. She was found dead on Tuesday (Jun 24), Indonesian rescuers said. Rescuers had been attempting to retrieve the body since but the effort was hampered by thick fog and the steep terrain. The body was recovered on Wednesday in a retrieval process that took six hours, Mohammad Syafii, the head of Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency said late on Wednesday. After being lifted from the cliff, Marins' body was carried on a stretcher to the rescuers' nearest post where an ambulance took it to a hospital. "Initially we would like to use helicopter in the evacuation but it's not possible due to the weather condition," he said. "So, we had to evacuate the victim on stretchers which took quite a long time." Footage shared by the agency showed rescuers attempting to lift the body from the cliff using ropes, overshadowed by thick fog. Indonesia's rescuers agency had met with the family of Marin to explain the evacuation process, Syafii said, adding the family "can accept the situation". Located in West Nusa Tenggara province, Mount Rinjani is an active volcano and popular tourist site in the Southeast Asian archipelago.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Former Pasir Panjang English School, NatSteel pavilion and 20 Turf City buildings to be conserved
SINGAPORE: The former Pasir Panjang English School, the NatSteel pavilion in Jurong and 20 buildings at Bukit Timah's Turf City will be conserved under the country's latest land use master plan. This expands on an earlier list of five sites announced in May – including the Singapore Badminton Hall and Jurong Hill Tower – that were earmarked for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). 'We will continue to incorporate greenery and heritage considerations into our planning processes, and balance these carefully with developmental needs, ' National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said at the launch of an exhibition for URA's Draft Master Plan 2025 on Wednesday (Jun 25). URA said it has developed a new thematic framework to guide conservation efforts, aligned with four key aspects of Singapore's post-independence growth – economy, housing, social and defence. The former Pasir Panjang English School and buildings at Turf City fall under the 'social' theme, while the NatSteel Steel Pavilion represents Singapore's early industrialisation under the 'economy' theme. 'This thematic framework will support the identification of selected sites that represent Singapore's history and development over the past 60 years,' said the country's urban planning agency. FORMER PASIR PANJANG ENGLISH SCHOOL The former Pasir Panjang English School, located along Yew Siang Road, was established in January 1933 as an all-boys school. In 1936, it was selected – along with two other government schools – to pilot co-educational classes. It also served as a registration centre for emergency evacuees before the outbreak of World War II in December 1941. The school buildings were damaged in the war and reconstruction efforts began in November 1947. The school eventually closed in 1986 and was used as a drug rehabilitation centre between 1999 and 2024. According to URA, the school remains a strong identity marker for residents in the area and represents a rare example of standardised school buildings constructed with timber during the 1920s and 1930s. The main building features a largely intact U-shaped classroom block, complete with a pitched tile roof and overhanging eaves. The agency said the proposed conservation of the school would commemorate a milestone in Singapore's educational development. NATSTEEL PAVILION The NatSteel Steel Pavilion, located at Tanjong Kling Road, traces its origins to the early 1960s when it operated under the name National Iron and Steel Mills. It was the first heavy industry factory to be built in Jurong Industrial Estate. The original foundation stone for the mills, laid by then-Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee in 1962, can still be found near the entrance of the Steel Pavilion. Officially opened in January 1964, the facility played a vital role in Singapore's early industrialisation efforts, supplying steel for the Housing and Development Board's first-generation public housing, the MRT system and the construction of Changi Airport. Its main two-storey office building, including the Steel Pavilion, was designed by the Malayan Architects Co-partnership, one of Singapore's pioneering architectural firms responsible for some of the country's most iconic buildings such as the Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House. The pavilion features steel-framed glass windows and exposed fair-faced brick walls, as well as a curved umbrella-shaped steel roof structure that URA described as an engineering feat of its time. Over the years, the firm diversified into other businesses alongside changes in ownership. Today, NatSteel is owned by Toptip Holding, a Singapore-based steel and iron ore trading firm. 20 BUILDINGS AT BUKIT TIMAH TURF CITY Turf City in Bukit Timah was formerly home to Singapore's second racecourse from 1933 to 1999 and a popular horseracing venue, before the Singapore Turf Club's (STC) relocation to Kranji. The site later served as a recreational and commercial hub, with spaces leased out for lifestyle and recreational uses until the end of 2023. URA has announced plans to develop a new housing estate in the area with 15,000 to 20,000 public and private homes over the next 20 to 30 years. The authority has proposed to conserve both the north and south grandstands. Twenty other buildings across different clusters, building types, ages and architectural styles are now being considered for conservation, given their different representations of the site's history. These include the Fairways Quarters and Community Centre at 53 Fairways Drive, buildings at 192, 198 and 232 Turf Club Road which once housed Turf Club management and their families, the former Bukit Timah Saddle Club clubhouse at 51 Fairways Drive and the nearby two-storey Fairways Bungalow, as well as the Dunearn Water Depot located at 752 Dunearn Road. 'Repurposing these selected buildings as part of the future housing estate will create a distinctive environment for future residents and communities,' URA said. TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE The draft master plan is a statutory land use plan that guides Singapore's development for the next 10 to 15 years and is reviewed every five years. It also outlines Singapore's strategies to address climate change, such as the 'Long island' project to guard against rising sea levels, enhance water security and create new land for future generations. The plan involves reclaiming about 800 hectares of land, with a reservoir in between. Environmental and engineering studies for the project began in early 2024, and site investigation works in the waters off East Coast Park will start in July this year to examine seabed and geological conditions. Singapore is also looking underground to optimise land use. Mr Chee cited the Jurong Rock Caverns, a massive underground oil storage facility that opened in 2014, as an example. Located 150m beneath Jurong Island, the facility can store up to 1.47 million cubic metres of oil products and has freed up about 60 hectares of land, or the equivalent of 70 football fields. 'Looking ahead, we are exploring underground uses in places like Gali Batu for construction materials storage, and supporting more research and development to unlock new possibilities for future underground developments,' the minister said. At the same time, Singapore is looking at vertical intensification to optimise space. The potential relaxation of building height limits near airports could unlock new opportunities, which the authorities will study in tandem with infrastructure capacity and urban design considerations, said Mr Chee.
