Disaster relief centre in S'pore helps region fight virus

The Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre (RHCC) will play a role in helping countries that have been badly hit by a deteriorating Covid-19 situation.

The centre, located in Changi Naval Base, held a meeting on Wednesday with representatives of local and foreign governments, as well as international agencies and non-governmental organisations that deal with humanitarian assistance work.

The video-conference discussed multilateral cooperation on Covid-19 relief efforts, information-sharing and the transfer of critical medical supplies to affected places, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).

The RHCC will coordinate humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts together with ongoing work by Asean and the United Nations Office, added Mindef.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the RHCC was set up following a series of humanitarian crises in the region such as Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which claimed more than 138,000 lives.

"Unfortunately, countries globally, including Asean member states, are now facing waves of Covid-19 infection... the RHCC has been placed on higher alert status, in anticipation of a worsening situation," Dr Ng wrote on Facebook.

Changi RHCC's director, Colonel Melvin Tan, said the centre can facilitate the collaboration of efforts, such as in the transfer of medical equipment. "We seek to contribute to our partners' efforts and work with them in this fight against Covid-19 in our region."

Since its launch in 2014, the centre has helped coordinate the deployment of foreign military assistance in response to natural disasters. It sent disaster relief teams and emergency supplies to Nepal in 2015 and to Laos in 2018.