Gan Kim Yong
Singapore
“Consumer complaints relating to the secondary resale market for tickets to major events and concerts have generally remained low. Nonetheless, to protect the public from scams on secondary ticket resale platforms, the Police have imposed Code of Practice requirements under the Online Criminal Harms Act to require designated online service…”
“Singapore does not condone the use of forced labour. We criminalise forced labour in Singapore under various laws. Relevant Government Ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force, play their part in investigating complaints of suspected breaches in domestic laws that relat…”
“The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) discontinued the PayNow nickname feature as scammers had been exploiting the use of nicknames to impersonate legitimate entities and trusted individuals.”
“As of end-2025, around 6,900 private residential buildings have registered their solar installations with SP Group for the export of excess solar-generated electricity to the grid. The installed solar capacity of these residential buildings is 115.3 megawatt-peak (MWp), or around 5.5% of all current installed solar capacity in Singapore.”
“The one-year pilot extension of liquor trading hours has seen strong interest from businesses. As of 31 May 2026, the Police have approved 88 applications for the extension of liquor trading hours from public entertainment outlets in these areas.”
“The Government does not make projections of domestic or regional demand for renewable diesel or sustainable aviation fuel. Demand depends on commercial considerations, evolving market conditions and regulatory developments across different jurisdictions.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,841 lines we hold for Gan Kim Yong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 28 of 77.
“Mr Speaker, as Minister Lawrence Wong and I will be making a Ministerial Statement in a short while, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 2 to 14 in our Ministerial Statement instead, so that we can provide the proper context to the replies?”
“Currently, co-funding for Assisted Conception Procedures (ACP) is available at public Assisted Reproduction (AR) centres. Current utilisation rates at our public AR centres are around 70%, and there is sufficient capacity for couples seeking ACP such as Assisted Reproduction Technology treatments and Intra Uterine Insemination. The wait times are not long as patients should be able to commence on the next cycle once they are assessed to be medically ready. This usually takes two to six weeks. We recognise that there may be some couples who wish to seek treatment at private AR centres and will study the proposal to extend the co-funding to private AR centres while ensuring charges remain reasonable. In addition, couples who seek treatment at private AR centres can use their MediSave. Up to $15,000 can be withdrawn either from the patient’s or her spouse’s MediSave for ACP, and this helps to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for the procedures.”
“So, although they may seem similar, actually the risk factors are quite different. And this has also been borne out in the wedding celebrations in other countries that we have seen, that have culminated into big clusters. Therefore, we want to be careful. We do understand that the pre-event testing, antigen rapid tests, can be frightening and scary. That is why we are doing pilot testing to make sure that it is reasonably comfortable. But, of course, there is still some inconvenience that you have to face with. If you are tested positive, unfortunately, your plan to attend the wedding may be squashed. Therefore, for the couple, we encourage them to go for testing even before the day of the wedding dinner because you do not really want to disrupt the couple themselves if they were already at the dinner. So, be assured that we are looking at this quite thoroughly. And we are doing pilots so that we can iron out some of these issues and concerns that the wedding couples may have. But as it is today, you do not have to go for testing, you can have a wedding up to a hundred, with groups of no more than 50 each. You can have three tables, four tables, but no more than 50 per group, and each table must have no more than five persons. So, this is the current rule on weddings. Under the current rule, you are not required to be tested but we are looking at whether we can allow larger capacity. If we were to do so, we have to seriously consider whether we will require pre-event testing for such gatherings.”
“This is a question that the taskforce has debated to and fro, and we have decided that we need to calibrate our measures very carefully. We do understand the concerns of guests including the wedding party. But we have to bear in mind that wedding dinners are quite different from a similar dinner at a restaurant. If you go to a restaurant with, say, 10 tables with five persons each, that would be 50. It is quite different from a wedding dinner reception with 50 people. Because if you do go to a restaurant with 10 tables of five each, chances are not all of them know each other. The intermingling between the tables is very minimal. We do allow families now to go together and book two tables, but we also encourage them to minimise intermingling. But at a wedding reception, it is quite different. Even before you go into the wedding dinner, they will be socialising outside the event and in the banquet hall. Even if you try to enforce, it is very difficult. You really do not want to have to stop the wedding, disrupt the wedding and issue them summons, while the wedding is on-going. So, it is something that we need to calibrate very carefully. And also bearing in mind that in the wedding environment, we do expect the wedding couple to take pictures with different tables, different groups. We also try to mitigate the risk exposure, as they do so. There are some rules but it is not possible to prohibit photo-taking. So, we understand the needs of the wedding couple and we try to accommodate, but the risk factor is quite different from a normal dinner. On top of that, all of us who have attended wedding dinners also know that wedding dinners sometimes can stretch to a couple of hours or even longer, whereas a normal dinner tends to be much shorter.”
“While we are in a much better position today than we were earlier in the year to manage possible spikes in the number of cases, we must not be complacent. We have ramped up our healthcare capacity, contact tracing and testing capabilities, and put in place extensive safe management measures in the community, workplaces and dormitories. We have set up our defences at our borders, so that even as we welcome business partners and friends from overseas back to Singapore, we will be able to do so safely. However, we must remain vigilant. Should there be a spike in cases, we need to respond swiftly and decisively. We cannot rule out the need to re-impose measures or introduce new measures in order to keep the virus under control. To continue on our steady path to Phase Three, each of us must play our part to adhere to safe management measures, maintain good personal hygiene and actively participate in the TraceTogether programme. Together, we will arrive at Phase Three and emerge stronger ultimately.”
“We are progressively rolling out TraceTogether-only SafeEntry to ensure that all those who are visiting places where they are likely to be in contact with many others for prolonged periods, or where human traffic is high, have the TraceTogether App or Token. This is to speed up contact tracing efforts should someone you had been in close contact with at the event become a COVID-19 patient, and to allow us to provide you with medical care early if you become infected. The Government will continue to work with businesses and premise owners to ensure that they maintain the appropriate safe management measures, and regularly remind their employees and associates to comply with these measures. Our Safe Distancing Ambassadors and Enforcement Officers will be on the ground to advise the public on safe distancing measures and take enforcement actions where necessary. We must set the right spirit across society and make sure all of us remain committed to maintaining the discipline that will keep us safe, even if we progress to Phase Three. In fact, even more so when we progress to Phase Three. Our objective in Phase Three is to reach a steady state of permitted economic and social activities until an effective vaccine or treatment is widely available. If we can put in place more enablers and risk-mitigating measures that allow for further opening and scaling up of activities, we will. On the other hand, if and where conditions worsen, we will take targeted measures too. We must not let our guard down and become lax in adherence to safe management measures, as so doing could result in a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, putting all our sacrifices thus far to waste.”
“However, there have been pleas to raise the cap on number of wedding participants beyond the current limit of 100 in zones or timeslots of no more than 50 each. For such high risk events, we will need to put in place additional measures to ensure that they can be conducted safely. For example, guests are already not supposed to mingle beyond their groups of five at their table and they must use SafeEntry and TraceTogether. This allows more family and friends to participate, while still minimising the total number of interactions. Going forward, one key enabler that could allow more activities to resume, and potentially at higher capacity limits, is COVID-19 testing. We are piloting the use of pre-event testing to allow higher risk activities including weddings to scale up safely, by reducing the probability of a COVID-19 case being present at the event, thereby reducing the risk of transmission. Given the need for a short turnaround time for such testing prior to the events, we are using alternative test kits such as antigen rapid tests which can return fairly accurate results quickly, within half an hour or so. However, they are not as accurate as the Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR tests which remains the definitive test for the confirmation of COVID-19 cases. As such, while pre-event testing helps to reduce the probability that a COVID-positive case is present at the event, it cannot eliminate it totally, and safe management measures will still have to be observed at the event. Another key enabler is a enhanced contact tracing capability.”
“We are considering an increase in the group size limit from the current five persons to eight persons in Phase Three for dining and social gathering. Taking banquet tables as an example, many used to seat around 10 people before COVID-19. So, eight persons is about the maximum that these tables can take while allowing some additional distancing compared to the past. As the World Health Organization puts it, any size of gathering poses a risk of COVID-19 transmission. That is why many countries facing a surge in COVID-19 infections have had to impose lockdowns and prohibit social gatherings. But disallowing social gatherings for prolonged period of time is not tenable nor desirable. We need to strike a balance. So, while we now allow social gatherings, we should still limit our circle of close contacts to reduce the risk of spread to a large number of people if an infected person happens to be in the group. Therefore, allowing gatherings of up to eight in Phase Three, strikes a careful balance between maintaining safe distancing and allowing large groups to come together. In settings where safe management measures can be effectively imposed to mitigate risks and where interactions between different groups can be managed, we can allow a higher capacity limit, especially for important events. Weddings, for example, are key milestones in life, where friends and family come together to celebrate this joyous occasion. These, however, are high risk settings, as friends and family would naturally have the tendency to want to socialise and mix across groups and often unmasked as we allow food and drinks too. We have seen clusters arising from weddings in places as diverse as India, Jordan, New Zealand, the United States and many other countries.”
“Mr Speaker, the Multi-Ministry Task Force announced our road map to Phase Three on 20 October 2020. Just to recap, Phase Three is not a return to the pre-COVID-19 status quo, but a new normal which will last until such time the rest of the world also has the virus under tight control or when effective treatments or vaccines are widely available. We must prepare ourselves for a Phase Three that could last for a prolonged period – potentially a year or more. In this context, we need to put in place the measures and equip ourselves with the tools which will enable us to stay safe, as we allow greater flexibility to live, work and even celebrate major life events. In determining the capacity limits for events in Phase Three, we took into account various factors such as the frequency at which the activity takes place, the potential risk factors inherent to the nature of the event and whether additional safety measures can be effectively put in place to limit or mitigate these risks. Our analysis of how COVID-19 transmission takes place indicates that the probability of transmission tends to be higher in social settings. In Singapore, we saw large clusters forming due to the SAFRA Jurong dinner and the Mei Hwan Drive condominium family get-together which took place over Chinese New Year. It is natural to lower our guard when we are among family and friends. When we have meals together, the risk is higher as masks must be removed while eating and drinking. Many of us go out for meals practically every day and with different groups, the risk is multiplied many times. Hence, we have taken a cautious approach in expanding group sizes.”
“Middle-income Singaporeans benefitted when CHAS was enhanced in November last year so that all Singaporeans are now eligible for CHAS chronic subsidies regardless of income, and the annual subsidy cap for CHAS Blue and Orange cardholders with complex chronic conditions was also increased from $500 to $520 and $300 to $320 per year respectively. In all outpatient settings, Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation seniors also receive additional subsidies. Singaporeans may also make use of their MediSave to pay for outpatient treatment of dementia through the Chronic Disease Management Programme, which allows patients to withdraw up to $500 yearly. From 1 January 2021, the withdrawal limit will be increased to $700 for patients with complex chronic conditions. Those aged 60 and above can also withdraw up to $200 under Flexi-MediSave. Singaporeans who have difficulty with their healthcare bills can approach the medical social workers at PHIs for MediFund assistance.”
“The National Dementia Strategy (NDS) guides the Ministry of Health (MOH), as well as public healthcare institutions (PHIs) and community service providers, in the development and implementation of services to care for persons with dementia, and to support their caregivers. MOH developed the NDS in 2009 in consultation with partners including clinical experts on dementia care. The NDS was reviewed and updated in 2017 to meet the evolving needs of persons with dementia and their caregivers. Key elements of the NDS include increasing awareness of dementia and promoting early detection of the condition. In this regard, MOH and the Agency for Integrated Care have been working with community service providers to set up community outreach teams, to reach out and look out for seniors exhibiting signs and symptoms of dementia and refer suspected cases for further assessment at the PHIs. As of June 2020, we have set up 48 community outreach teams which have reached out to over 324,000 persons, and we will continue to set up more teams to reach out to more seniors. Government subsidies are available for dementia care treatments at the PHIs. Singaporeans who need a hospital stay can enjoy government subsidies of up to 80% in subsidised wards. They can also tap on MediShield Life and MediSave to help pay for their bills. For outpatient treatment, Singaporeans are eligible for the usual subsidies at specialist outpatient clinics in our hospitals as well as at our polyclinics. There are also subsidies at GP clinics under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). Dementia is one of the chronic conditions that qualify for chronic CHAS subsidies.”
“This includes expanding community mental health services such as the community outreach teams and community intervention teams to support persons with mental health needs in the community. In addition, the MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT) has recently launched mindline.sg, an online platform that SSAs and the public can tap on for mental health and well-being resources. There is also a concerted effort by National Council of Social Services (NCSS) and community partners to strengthen community-health nexus and counselling support for persons with mental health needs.”
“The COVID-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce (CoMWT) was set up to look into the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population, take stock of the mental health and well-being initiatives that have been introduced across ministries and agencies to address the impact thus far and identify gaps that will need to be addressed to better meet the mental health needs of the population during this time. Up to $500 of MediSave can be used annually for the outpatient treatment under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), which includes mental health conditions such as major depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. From 1 January 2021, this annual MediSave withdrawal limit will be raised to $700 for patients with complex chronic conditions under the CDMP. Patients aged 60 and above can also tap on Flexi-MediSave of up to $200 a year. For inpatient psychiatric treatment, there is an ongoing review of MediShield Life, and one of the preliminary recommendations is to increase the psychiatric claim limit from the current $100 per day (up to 35 days per policy year), to $160 per day (up to 60 days per policy year), to better support patients with mental health conditions. Public consultation for the review has just concluded and the MediShield Life Council is reviewing the feedback received. To cope with the potential increase in demand for mental health services in the community, MOH together with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), continues to work with community partners such as the Social Service Agencies (SSAs) to develop mental health services under the Community Mental Health Masterplan.”
“Six medicines that treat four rare disease conditions have been included for support from the RDF for a start. A few more drugs are under consideration. To date, the fund has six beneficiaries who require a total of $2 million in support since the launch of RDF. This amount is expected to increase over time as many of the patients are young and will require higher doses of medicine as they grow. Donations have understandably slowed this year. As more medicines and beneficiaries can be supported with more donations, we encourage everyone to donate generously to this cause.”
“The Rare Disease Fund (RDF) is a charity established to support Singapore Citizens suffering from rare genetic diseases, where medication is often very costly and required for life. For example, Gaucher disease, which require the drug "Cerezyme" to replace the missing enzyme the body is unable to produce, can cost a child more than $24,000 monthly. The cost will increase into adulthood, as the required dose increases with weight. It was set up in 2019 by the Ministry of Health and the SingHealth Fund in response to calls from the community to better support these Singaporeans as a caring and inclusive society. The RDF is designed to provide long-term financial support to defray the very high cost of medications of these patients over their lifetimes. Through the RDF, the Government and the community come together to support these patients and their families – the public through their donations, and the government through 3-to-1 matching of these donations. Donations are eligible for tax-exemption, and the Government also funds all administrative costs so that donations go fully to patients. The target was to raise $25 million for a start, and as at end September we have raised $21 million. Together with government seed funding and matching, the RDF currently stands at $93 million. Most of these funds are put aside into an endowment fund such that only the investment income will be used to support patients. In this way, we can sustainably support beneficiaries, and give them assurance that financial support will be available over their lifetime. An RDF Committee comprising volunteer members, and supported by clinical experts, has been appointed to assess suitable drugs and applications from patients.”
“Published studies on Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) have reported mixed findings, ranging from those with favourable outcomes for PGS in selected patient groups, to those that find that PGS does not improve, or may even result in lower, in-vitro fertilization success rates. For example, a 2013 randomised controlled trial (RCT) found that the sustained implantation rate and delivery rate per cycle were significantly higher in the PGS group compared to the control group. However, a 2018 RCT found that PGS did not increase live birth rates in women of advanced maternal age, while a 2011 meta-analysis of RCTs showed lower live birth and ongoing pregnancy rates in the PGS group compared to the control group. However, given the limitations of the studies (such as suboptimal recruitment), the clinical efficacy of PGS remains widely debated. More data is needed before we can conclude on the clinical efficacy of PGS.”
“Based on audits of claims for MediSave claimable health screening tests, there had been no evidence of fraud or abuse detected. Nevertheless, MOH takes a serious view of any attempts to defraud or abuse the healthcare system, public funds or Medisave, and will continue to work with the medical community to investigate any such reports. We encourage the public to provide feedback to MOH if they are aware of such cases of fraud or abuse. MOH will also continue to educate the population on the appropriate use of health screening tests.”
“Physicians are encouraged to take reference from the clinical guidelines on screening tests published by the Screening Test Review Committee (STRC). The STRC is made up of senior clinicians from across various disciplines. The STRC Guidelines recommend tests shown to be safe, cost-effective and appropriate for health screening, in the early detection of illnesses in asymptomatic patients. Such patients may be apparently healthy individuals, or patients that are seeking treatment for a particular disease but are offered further screening tests to detect diseases that have not yet manifested. The Guidelines also highlight tests which have insufficient clinical evidence to be effective for the screening of certain diseases and encourages patient to be educated on possible harm of screening using these tests. The Singapore Medical Council's Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines (ECEG) require that doctors offering screening tests ensure that these are validated and clinically appropriate. The ECEG also mandates that advertisements for health screening services must also be factual, verifiable and not be misleading, or induce the public to seek healthcare services which they may not need. MOH supports appropriate health screenings through subsidies for the Screen for Life (SFL) programme. Under this program, Singapore residents are encouraged to go for regular, evidence-based, health screening at Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioner clinics, polyclinics and participating community providers. Clinicians will assess patient factors such as age, gender and medical history before prescribing the appropriate health screening. MOH also allows MediSave to be used for specific screening tests such as mammograms in higher risk age groups.”
“There are currently 581 drugs on the Standard Drug List (SDL) and 66 drugs listed for Medication Assistance Fund (MAF). The number of MAF recipients has been rising each year. In 2019, almost 18,000 unique patients received assistance from MAF. Drugs listed on the MAF are generally more expensive and must be prescribed to patients with specific clinical conditions in order to qualify for subsidy. The Drug Advisory Committee (DAC) is supported by the Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE). Each year, ACE receives applications for around 35 drugs for subsidy consideration from public healthcare institutions. Other drugs are also identified for evaluation through horizon scanning and monitoring drug utilisation trends. Since January 2016, ACE has evaluated 211 drugs for the DAC's deliberation. 114 of these drugs were recommended by the DAC for subsidy listing on either the SDL or MAF. ACE conducts regular horizon scanning and gap analyses to identify therapeutic gaps in the SDL and MAF. For instance, this resulted in the listing of SGLT2 inhibitors for Type 2 diabetes mellitus in 2018, which reduced the co-payment for eligible patients to below $10 a month after 75% subsidy. We will continue to review the list of subsidised drugs regularly to ensure it is sufficiently comprehensive to meet the needs of our local population while taking into account evidence on clinical and cost effectiveness.”
“The Seniors' Mobility & Enabling Fund (SMF) supports seniors as they age by providing eligible Singaporeans aged 60 years and above with means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of home healthcare items and assistive devices. The median age of seniors receiving hearing aids under the SMF is 77. A standard hearing aid can typically last for three to five years. However, the actual lifespan differs depending on factors such as how well the device is maintained.”
“'Long COVID', one of the names given to lingering symptoms of COVID-19 infection after a person has recovered, has been the subject of discussion as more COVID-19 cases arise in the current pandemic. What constitutes a 'long COVID' case is currently not well defined, and is the subject of on-going studies. MOH has thus far not received any reports of 'long COVID'. However, our healthcare institutions are following their recovered patients closely to look for prolonged and lingering symptoms arising from COVID-19 as well as for late complications from the infection. We will also continue to monitor the emerging findings on long term effects of COVID-19.”
“For COVID-19 testing, additional quality assurance measures were introduced where a process review would be initiated to exclude any laboratory lapses when the laboratory’s result does not corroborate with clinical findings. In such instances, MOH will also provide expert advice to improve processes where needed. There are ongoing efforts to continually monitor the laboratory’s performance, and to engage the laboratories collaboratively to enhance the overall performance through further system integration and automation.”
“The Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics (PHMC) Act requires all clinical laboratory licensees to put in place an effective quality management system. MOH reviews the laboratories' Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and quality measures among other requirements, including participation in external quality assessments for every type of test performed, and licensees are required to address any gaps in process controls prior to being licensed. Clinical laboratories approved for COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing are also required to perform satisfactorily in a parallel testing with National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), with appropriate improvement measures implemented prior to scaling. To date, there were 11 incidents reported to the Ministry for further investigations, out of a total of 3.68 million tests performed as of 26 Oct 2020. Three incidents relate to self-reported apparatus and equipment issues with no impact to the test results; three relate to improper specimen handling causing backlog or delay of test results; and five relate to quality control and reporting lapses causing test result errors. MOH was able to take quick actions to address any public health issues arising from these cases. MOH treats all incidents seriously and our investigations assessed them to be isolated events and did not result from any systemic laboratory issues. When incidents occur in a clinical laboratory, MOH also requires the laboratory to review all its processes to identify the root cause and take appropriate corrective and preventive actions to address the laboratory error identified. The adequacy and appropriateness of the laboratory’s review and actions taken are also assessed by MOH.”
“Today, Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) Orange cardholders are eligible for CHAS subsidies ranging from $50 to $170.50 for selected dental procedures, including dentures, root canal treatments and crowns. Subsidies are made available to CHAS Orange cardholders for these dental procedures as they are more costly, whereas less expensive procedures like tooth extractions and fillings are expected to be more affordable. Singaporeans can also access affordable basic dental care for a wide range of services, including tooth extractions and fillings, at polyclinics. Patients who require more complex dental care or require dental specialist treatment may be referred for subsidised dental care at the National Dental Centre, Singapore or the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore. We will continue to review our subsidy framework regularly, including the coverage of dental services for CHAS cardholders, to ensure continued affordability and accessibility of dental care at the appropriate settings.”
“SafeEntry and TraceTogether are important digital contact tracing tools that augment and improve our contact tracing capabilities. They work together to provide the initial list of close contacts of COVID-19 positive cases for our contract tracing teams to work on. This has enabled us to reduce the time taken to identify and isolate a close contact from four days to less than two days. This is essential to limit the spread of COVID-19 as it breaks the chains of disease transmission and limits the potential for large clusters and multiple generations of spread. As at September 2020, we have spent $2.4 million on developing the TraceTogether app; $5.2 million for SafeEntry; and $6.2 million for development and procurement of TraceTogether Tokens. Beyond this, we will continue to invest in enhancing SafeEntry and TraceTogether, such as exploring potential solutions to improve the convenience of SafeEntry check-ins, and also to acquire more TT tokens to meet the needs of our population. The actual amount spent will depend on several factors, including the actual number of residents who need a token.”
“In 2018, MOH increased the annual MediSave withdrawal limits for outpatient treatment from $400 to $500 and lowered the minimum age for Flexi-MediSave age from 65 to 60. Healthcare providers play a major role in ensuring that quality and affordable care is delivered to Singaporeans. Since May 2017, MOH has issued appropriate care guidances on medical treatments and drugs, to guide healthcare providers in making decisions that are based on clinical and cost effectiveness. In addition, MOH has also introduced fee benchmarks for common surgical procedures in November 2018 and published them on our website to guide private sector healthcare providers in charging appropriately. Ultimately, the most effective way to manage healthcare costs is for Singaporeans to stay healthy. MOH has worked closely with our partners, including the Health Promotion Board, to promote healthy living habits. We will continue to invest in preventive health efforts such as our War against Diabetes, to tackle upstream behavioural risk factors and keep the population in good health. To achieve this, everyone has to play their part and take good care of their health and wellness. Collectively, these efforts form part of MOH's continual focus to ensure quality and affordable healthcare services for all Singaporeans. We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders to achieve this goal.”
“This allows the anchoring of care with a regular family doctor, which would enable the doctor to better understand the patient’s health history and facilitate early identification of conditions. This helps to improve, control, as well as prevent complications that require costly treatment downstream. MOH is also actively leveraging technology to transform our care models. For example, we are adopting telehealth to facilitate service delivery and make it more convenient for patients so that they do not miss their appointments. Another key strategy MOH has embarked on to manage the rise in healthcare costs is to enhance support for preventive care to keep Singaporeans healthy. For example, we enhanced the subsidies for the Screen for Life programme in 2017 to encourage Singaporeans to go for early screening and timely follow-up to reduce complications. We also recently introduced enhanced subsidies for nationally recommended vaccinations at polyclinics and CHAS clinics island-wide, to better protect Singaporeans against vaccine preventable diseases. In addition to these initiatives, MOH is also managing drugs costs. The Agency for Logistics Procurement and Supply (ALPS) was set up to aggregate demand and secure better prices for drugs and other supplies, as well as streamline and reduce supply chain costs. We are also encouraging the appropriate use of drugs, including the use of cheaper generic drugs when they are equally effective as branded alternatives. MOH has rolled out various measures to help Singaporeans pay for their primary and secondary care bills. As mentioned above, MOH has progressively expanded CHAS over the years. Pioneer and Merdeka Generation seniors are also eligible to special subsidies for medical care at CHAS clinics.”
“From 2012 to 2017, National Healthcare Expenditure increased from $13 billion to $22 billion at a rate of about 11% per annum. Healthcare costs are rising due to various factors. First, with an ageing population, we have more seniors who require more medical attention. Second, medical advances in the form of better drugs and other technologies, which may promise better patient outcomes and quality of life, often come at a price. Third, operating costs such as salaries of our healthcare workers may increase over time. MOH will continue to work with stakeholders to manage healthcare costs so that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans. This includes healthcare costs in the primary and secondary care settings, such as our General Practitioner (GP) clinics, polyclinics and specialist outpatient clinics. For example, chronic disease prevalence will rise as our population ages. In line with our strategy to shift care from the hospital to the community, we can anchor chronic care management in primary care for better outcomes and avoid more expensive specialist outpatient clinics and hospitals when it is not required. Therefore, in November 2019, we enhanced the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) to provide increased subsidies for chronic disease management to all Singaporeans at all CHAS GPs regardless of income in support of this shift. We will also need to strengthen primary care capability in managing chronic diseases to help prevent complications, avoid hospital admissions and help avoid unnecessary healthcare bills. MOH launched the Primary Care Networks (PCN) scheme in 2018 to encourage private GP clinics to organise themselves into networks to support more holistic and team-based care.”
“TraceTogether has helped to identify about 25,000 close contacts of COVID-19 cases so far, of which 160 were eventually tested positive COVID-19 cases. It has enabled the early identification and isolation of cases, faster than would have been possible with manual tracing. We started the community distribution of TraceTogether tokens on 14 September. As at 1 November, 570,000 residents have collected their tokens. In addition, about 2.7 million have downloaded the TraceTogether app1 , which serves the same function as the token. The effectiveness of TraceTogether increases as more users come onboard. We therefore encourage more Singaporeans to join the TraceTogether programme either by downloading the app or collecting and wearing the token. We have also introduced TraceTogether-only SafeEntry for selected higher-risk settings, and will extend this to more venues such as malls, F&B outlets, and workplaces towards the end of December. We have started to integrate the SafeEntry feature into the TraceTogether Tokens. The QR code on the back of the TraceTogether Token may be used for SafeEntry check-ins. This QR Code can be scanned in lieu of the NRIC for entry into a SafeEntry venue. We will continue to study deeper integration of the two systems, in order to minimise public inconvenience even as we shore up our digital tracing capability so as to open up our economy and resume activities safely.”
“MediSave helps Singaporeans set aside part of their income over their working years to save up for their basic healthcare needs in old age, including larger medical expenses such as hospitalisation episodes and recurring outpatient treatments, as well as premiums for national health insurance schemes. While we have extended coverage to a wider range of mainstream evidence-based treatments in recent years, especially to better support seniors with chronic conditions, any further extension must be carefully balanced against the need to ensure that Singaporeans' MediSave balances are not depleted prematurely. In light of the above, we have adopted other measures to enhance access to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which plays a complementary role in our healthcare system. MOH provides support for enhancing TCM capability and professional development like funding and support for TCM continuing education and research. Funding is also available to TCM clinics to encourage digitalisation and upgrade clinic facilities for a safer and elderly-friendly clinic environment. Moreover, charitable TCM establishments with Institution of Public Character (IPC) status benefit from tax exemption and are eligible to receive tax deductible donations, which enable them to provide affordable TCM services in the community. We will continue to review our financing schemes in tandem with these measures to ensure that seniors are able to afford the care they need. No Singaporean will be denied access to necessary and appropriate healthcare because of an inability to pay.”
“MOH will continue to review the measures and support for patients regularly, to ensure affordability and accessibility to healthcare services and medications. For those who face difficulties with their medical bill, MediFund is available at our PHIs to support them.”
“The Government seeks to ensure affordability and accessibility of drugs that are assessed to be clinically and cost-effective for patients who need them. Such drugs are included in the Standard Drug List (SDL) or Medication Assistance Fund (MAF), and would include medications for dementia, as well as other common conditions that our seniors could be suffering from, such as lipid disorder and hypertension. Eligible patients can receive up to 75% subsidy for these drugs at the Public Healthcare Institutions (PHIs). Pioneers and Merdeka Generation seniors are further entitled to an additional 50% or 25% off their post-subsidy bills for their medications respectively. The Ministry of Health (MOH) regularly reviews the list of subsidised drugs to ensure that it remains updated and relevant to cater to local population needs. 15 drugs for dementia and common chronic conditions were added to the list of subsidised drugs over the last three years. For example, the listing of Donepezil in 2017 (a medication commonly used to treat dementia) on the SDL has reduced the co-payment at PHIs from $12 to $3 per month for patients eligible for subsidies of 75%. For patients who visit GP clinics, they also receive subsidies via the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) which helps defray the cost of treatment and medication, including for 20 chronic diseases, such as dementia. A new CHAS Green card was introduced in November last year while the annual subsidy cap for CHAS Blue and Orange cardholders with complex chronic conditions was also increased from $500 to $520 and $300 to $320 per year respectively. Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation seniors can also receive special subsidies to defray the cost of medical care at CHAS clinics.”
“No Singaporean will be denied access to necessary and appropriate healthcare because of an inability to pay.”
“MediSave is primarily intended to help Singaporeans afford the co-payment for their more costly medical expenses after subsidies and MediShield Life, such as hospitalisations, day surgeries, and selected outpatient treatments. In recent years, we have introduced greater flexibility in MediSave use for the elderly, such as by raising the withdrawal limits for those with complex chronic conditions, and lowering the age threshold of the Flexi-MediSave scheme, allowing more elderly to benefit. However, each extension in the use of MediSave must be carefully balanced against the need to keep contribution rates reasonable for all Singaporeans. MediSave can currently be used to pay for dental day surgical treatments, which generally incur higher out-of-pocket costs. This ensures that MediSave can be used on a targeted basis to offset the largest bills. At the same time, a range of measures are available to improve the affordability of non-surgical dental treatments. Singaporeans can benefit from subsidised dental treatments at our public healthcare institutions, including 10 polyclinics, and may be referred to the National Dental Centre Singapore and National University Centre for Oral Health Singapore for complex treatment if they require specialist care. At dental clinics which are part of the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), eligible Singaporeans may also tap on CHAS dental subsidies for selected procedures, including the making of dentures. These healthcare financing schemes work in tandem to ensure that necessary treatments are affordable to all Singaporeans. Nevertheless, elderly patients who cannot afford their dental treatment after subsidies can approach medical social workers for MediFund and other financial assistance.”
“Dental patients who require immediate treatment will be attended to immediately. While most dental conditions are diagnosed and treated at the same sitting, the denture-making process requires several clinical appointments as well as multiple dental laboratory steps and involvement to deliver the completed dentures to the patient to ensure proper fit. In such cases, appointments are scheduled based on case complexity and urgency. The introduction of the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) in 2012 has improved the accessibility and affordability of dental care, including denture treatment, at private dental clinics. The number of private dental clinics participating in CHAS has increased from 290 in 2012 to over 700 currently. Polyclinics also inform patients about the availability of CHAS dental clinics, where eligible patients, including Pioneer Generation (PG) and Merdeka Generation (MG) seniors, have the option to seek denture treatment at CHAS dental clinics. Additionally, the Ministry of Health has partnered with Temasek Foundation to roll out Project Silver Screen (PSS), a nationwide functional screening programme for Singaporeans aged 60 years and above to detect age-related decline in vision, hearing and oral health, and provide timely interventions to improve the seniors' quality of life. Under the PSS programme, seniors who require dentures would receive vouchers to defray the out-of-pocket costs for their treatment post-government subsidies. This complements the Government's existing efforts in ensuring that denture treatment remains accessible and affordable for seniors. We will continue to monitor and meet the dental care needs of Singaporeans at the appropriate settings.”
“The Flexi-MediSave scheme allows Singaporeans aged 60 and above to withdraw up to a combined total of $200 each year from their own or their spouse's MediSave accounts to pay for their outpatient medical treatments at public Specialist Outpatient Clinics, Polyclinics, and General Practitioner clinics under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). In 2019, fewer than 2 in 10 of those eligible to use Flexi-MediSave reached the annual $200 limit. This similar pattern was observed for those aged 70 and above. We will continue to review the MediSave withdrawal limits regularly, to ensure that they remain relevant and adequate for patients of all ages. Nevertheless, elderly patients who cannot afford their treatment after subsidies and MediSave can approach the medical social workers for MediFund and other financial assistance. No Singaporean will be denied access to necessary and appropriate healthcare because of an inability to pay.”
“MediSave helps Singaporeans set aside part of their income over their working years to save up for healthcare expenses in old age, when their healthcare needs are typically higher. Singaporeans aged 55 and above who passed away in 2019 had remaining MediSave balances of about $300 million in total. About half of them had $10,300 or less in their MediSave accounts. These include younger members who passed away before they had drawn down their savings significantly. The remaining MediSave balance on demise is lower at older age groups, for example, for those who passed away at age 85 or older, about half had a balance of $6,300 or less. For those who have passed away, their CPF savings, including MediSave balances, will be distributed to their beneficiaries in cash according to their CPF nomination or through the Public Trustee's Office if no CPF nominations were made.”
“MediShield Life is a basic health insurance scheme that provides Singaporeans with universal and lifelong protection against large healthcare bills. Integrated Shield Plans (IPs) provide optional additional coverage on top of MediShield Life. The IP market currently has seven IP insurers, all of whom have a similar range of IP offerings. MOH publishes the comparison of insurers’ benefits, premiums, terms and conditions and claims processing duration, to improve transparency and help consumers make informed decisions, including the choice of an IP plan. IP policies and premiums are determined by private insurers based on their own commercial and actuarial considerations, as well as competitive factors especially for new policy holders. As is the case with most private healthcare insurance, new policyholders may be subject to underwriting, and their policy offers may also be subject to exclusions or premium loading if they are found to have pre-existing medical conditions. This applies also to existing IP policyholders who wish to change insurers. Nevertheless, MediShield Life covers all Singaporeans, including any pre-existing conditions regardless of their IP plan or exclusions.”
“There were 139 imported COVID-19 cases who are non-Singapore Citizens in the month of September 2020, 409 cases for the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2020, and 575 cases for the period from 7 April 2020 to 31 October 2020. The three countries with the highest numbers were India with 291 imported cases; Philippines with 111 imported cases; and Indonesia with 53 imported cases. We regularly review our border measures to manage the risk of COVID-19 importation. Pre-departure test requirement had been imposed for inbound travellers from India since 17 September, and for the Philippines and Indonesia since 20 October.”
“Similarly, new or experienced hires taking on corporate functions such as finance or human resource may go for onboarding programmes in their first three to six months of work.”
“The healthcare sector continues to offer meaningful employment opportunities for Singaporeans, with up to 7,500 jobs and 1,600 traineeships, attachments and skills training opportunities available from now until end-2021. Of the 7,500 job opportunities, close to one-quarter, or about 1,800 of the positions are for nurses. These vacancies can be filled by fresh nursing graduates and those who are undergoing training through our Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) for nursing, as well as former nurses who wish to return to nursing practice. The nursing PCPs support mid-career individuals without a prior healthcare background to make a switch into nursing. We have programmes at the NITEC, Diploma and Degree levels to train both enrolled and registered nurses. The conversion programmes take about two years to complete, and trainees will receive full course fee support, training allowance, and a Career Transition Bonus after they graduate. Trainees will be able to work in local public healthcare institutions or community care organisations after graduation. The bulk of the remaining job opportunities are for support care, administrative and ancillary roles. Fresh graduates and mid-career jobseekers with or without healthcare backgrounds can apply for these positions. Depending on the role, new hires may have to go through the relevant onboarding training, which can include WSQ courses, in-house or on-the-job training. For example, new support care staff may have to go through a WSQ course in healthcare support that lasts between two to four months, while new hires into patient service associate roles may go for a WSQ course in administrative support, or undergo in-house training conducted by their healthcare employer. These can range from one to six months.”
“The Seniors’ Mobility & Enabling Fund (SMF) supports seniors as they age by providing eligible Singaporeans aged 60 years and above with means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of home healthcare items and assistive devices. SMF applications are processed immediately. Once an application is submitted with all the required information, the application would typically be approved within a day if the applicant meets all the eligibility criteria. A standard hearing aid costs around $3,000 to $3,200 before subsidies. Currently, SMF subsidies support seniors with the purchase of their first device only. Nonetheless, we recognise that there may be circumstances where seniors may need a replacement device. In such cases, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) will approve a replacement on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the senior’s circumstances. My Ministry will continue to review the SMF parameters, in view of the changing and growing needs of our seniors.”
“Other settings where TraceTogether-only SafeEntry has been implemented – including live performances, cinemas, and places of worship – have also been allowed to resume with higher capacities. We will broaden TraceTogether-only SafeEntry to more venues such as malls, workplaces and F&B outlets in order to move towards Phase 3 safely. As other countries around the world re-open, we have seen how the lack of a robust contact tracing system had contributed to a resurgence in cases, with some countries having to impose second lockdowns to limit the spread of the disease. In order to avoid the same situation happening in Singapore, we need to ensure comprehensive coverage of our digital tools. We thus strongly encourage everyone to participate actively in both the TraceTogether and SafeEntry programmes, so that we can safely resume activities and open up our economy. Let us all play our part to stay ahead of the pandemic and contribute collectively to keeping Singapore safe.”
“TraceTogether has helped to identify about 25,000 close contacts of COVID-19 cases so far, of which 160 were eventually tested positive for COVID-19. It has reduced the time taken to identify and isolate a close contact from four days to less than two days now. We need to reduce this time taken further. This is essential to limit the spread of COVID-19 as it breaks the chains of disease transmission and limits the potential for large clusters and multiple generations of spread. As of 1 November, we have almost 3 million individuals using TraceTogether - about 2.7 million have downloaded the app1, and about 570,000 residents have collected the TraceTogether Token since we started community distribution on 14 September. The effectiveness of TraceTogether increases as more users come onboard. Higher participation in the programme will give us greater confidence to move safely towards Phase 3 to further resume general economic and social activities. To this end, while we have not made it mandatory for all residents to adopt TraceTogether at all times, we have been trialing the use of TraceTogether-only SafeEntry since August 2020. Visitors who choose to visit selected higher-risk settings were required to check in to SafeEntry by using either the TraceTogether App or Token. These included settings such as business-to-business events and live performances, where there is high human traffic, or where people are likely to be in close contact for prolonged periods of time. The use of TraceTogether has given us the confidence to increase the scale of participation at these settings – business-to-business events, for instance, have been allowed to involve up to 250 people on a pilot basis.”
“MediShield Life was launched in November 2015. Table 1 shows the key statistics from 2016 to 2019. Among seniors above 65 years old, the number of claims and amount of payout has increased by almost 50%, from 229,000 and $363 million in 2016 to 333,000 and $541 million in 2019 respectively. This growth is about 30% higher compared to the overall population. The average payout per claim has also increased from $1,580 to $1,620 over the same period.”
“Table 1 below shows the premiums collected, claims paid, change in required reserves and the ILR of the MediShield Life Fund since the launch of scheme in November 2015.”
“MediShield Life is a not-for-profit, universal scheme, that provides Singaporeans with basic lifelong protection against large healthcare bills. All premiums are placed in the MediShield Life Fund and are used solely for the benefit of policyholders and in the administration of the scheme. The MediShield Life Fund is designed to be self-sustaining and should therefore be based on sound actuarial principles. Therefore, premiums collected have to cover potential current and future claims, including amounts set aside to support future payout commitments such as continuing claims for long-term treatments, as well as provide a buffer against unforeseen contingencies such as unexpected spikes in hospitalizations. In addition, part of the premiums paid by policyholders during their working ages are set aside to provide for future premium rebates. This will help to moderate premium increases in their older ages, and helps to distribute premiums more evenly throughout the policyholders’ lifetimes. The Incurred Loss Ratio (ILR) compares the total premiums collected to the total monies required to ensure that the Fund is able to meet current claims and future commitments. This is a more accurate representation of the adequacy of premium collection compared to the Loss Ratio, which compares the total premiums collected with only the total claims paid in the same year, but omits a large part of what premiums are committed to support, such as future premium rebates and continuing claims for long-term treatments. For example, dialysis patients are expected to require treatment over a prolonged period or for life, and the Fund needs to support these future claims.”
“CDMP was introduced to help patients manage their chronic conditions well to avoid complications in the future and reduce out-of-pocket costs through the use of MediSave. MOH regularly reviews the list of conditions covered under CDMP to meet the needs of Singaporeans, while ensuring that MediSave balances are not prematurely depleted. For example, ischaemic heart disease and pre-diabetes were most recently identified for inclusion from June 2018. In selecting conditions for inclusion in the CDMP, the Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC) consults clinical experts from public healthcare institutions as well as the private sector and take into consideration factors such as disease prevalence, potential benefits to patients' outcomes (effectiveness of early intervention that improves quality of life and reduces complications) and the availability of evidence-based clinical guidelines for appropriate care of the condition. The review process will also consider findings and information from studies such as the Singapore Burden of Disease and medical literature. Feedback and requests from the public, medical professionals, and members of Parliament are also collated and taken into account. The CDMP CAC will continue to review regularly the conditions to be covered under CDMP. Meanwhile, Singaporeans with difficulties managing their medical bills including those relating to conditions not covered by CDMP can approach the Medical Social Workers at public institutions for assistance.”
“The Government is developing a vaccination strategy based on several factors, including the suitability of different vaccines for different population subgroups and the quantity of vaccines available at any point in time. Our approach aims to protect individuals who are more vulnerable or at higher risk from the disease, as well as those who may be more likely to be exposed to infection, while progressively expanding the coverage of vaccination to the rest of our population. The financing framework for the vaccinations would take into consideration the overall vaccination strategy and the cost of the vaccines. We will adapt our strategy accordingly as more information from the various vaccine candidates become available. We are also involved in different vaccine development initiatives in Singapore. Singapore's Duke-NUS Medical School is collaborating with a United States biotechnology company, Arcturus Therapeutics, to develop an mRNA vaccine. The combined Phase 1 and 2 human clinical trial for this vaccine candidate started in early August at the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit (IMU) and about 70 participants have since been recruited. The study is expected to be completed later in the year. Separately, we are also building up vaccine manufacturing capacity, which can provide fill-and-finish contract manufacturing services to vaccine developers and ramp up production of vaccines when they are available.”
“To raise awareness of the psychology profession, we have profiled their work through the Care to Go Beyond branding campaign. Sponsorships are available through the Healthcare Graduate Studies Award for eligible fresh graduates or mid-career professionals to pursue their interest in Clinical Psychology, with 11 awards offered in the last five years from 2016 to 2020. The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) also offers a range of training and development support for psychologists in the social service sector. These include scholarships, awards, and training grants to support their training, and facilitate the entry of registered psychologists into the sector. NCSS also manages the Sun Ray scheme, a leadership scheme aimed at attracting, developing and retaining leaders, including psychologists, in the social service sector. Between FY2015 and FY2019, there are 20 psychologists on the Sun Ray scheme, and 26 scholarships and awards were given out to psychologists. Other efforts, such as the Social Service SkillsFuture Tripartite Taskforce formed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, have been instrumental in driving, coordinating and implementing tripartite collaborations for manpower and professional development initiatives, including that for psychologists.”