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.”
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“For example, Changi General Hospital's (CGH's) mature housekeepers used to have difficulty remembering the application of different types of chemicals for routine cleaning. Hence, CGH now uses a one-step disinfectant, and has reduced the number of cleaning chemicals for ward cleaning from four types to two. Next, to work "right", institutions harness the abilities of mature workers by assigning tasks that are best suited to them. For instance, mature workers in portering departments may be assigned to take on lighter duties, such as delivery of documents, whereas younger porters are tasked with patient transfers. To leverage their experience and expertise, some mature nurses are also redeployed to become training consultants or nursing auditors. Besides redesigning jobs to make work light, and staff deployment to assign work right, the PHIs also support the re-employment of mature workers through pre-retirement preparatory programmes, reskilling and flexible work arrangements. MOH will continue to work with PHIs to engage mature workers and assist them in re-employment.”
“Over the past three years, a total of 21 public healthcare workers were not offered re-employment at age 62 and beyond. That is an average of about 1% of total public healthcare workers at age 62 and above per year. Of these, 16 were not eligible for re-employment, as they had under-performed in their jobs or were medically unfit for work. Of the remaining five who were eligible for re-employment, three workers were not re-employed as they had informed their institution that they wished to retire to spend time with their family, or for health reasons. The remaining two mature public healthcare workers were not offered re-employment but were paid the Employee Assistance Payment (EAP). Both were nurses. The payments were mutually agreed after considering their suitability for continued employment and exploring various re-employment options. Our public healthcare institutions (PHIs) have taken a multi-pronged approach to support the retention of mature public healthcare workers, by redesigning work tasks and duties to work "light" and work "right". Firstly, to work "light", institutions have redesigned jobs to introduce automation to lighten the burden of labour-intensive activities. This can support our mature workers in their work roles. For example, institutions now have assistive equipment, such as ceiling hoists and bed transporters, to aid in patient lifting and transport, as well as Automated Guided Vehicles to transport case notes and meals to wards, to reduce the physical strain of healthcare jobs. Some institutions also placed magnifying glasses on medication carts to aid mature workers. Institutions have also simplified work processes to benefit mature workers.”
“Currently, there are four licensed cord blood banks in Singapore. Three are private cord blood banks while the Singapore Cord Blood Bank (SCBB) was set up by our public healthcare cluster SingHealth. Over the past five years, SCBB received about 4,000 donations annually. Sixty-nine percent of the cord blood donations were made by Chinese, 9% by Malays, 9% by Indians and the rest were by donors of other ethnicity. SCBB has programmes to encourage and raise awareness on cord blood donations, including those tailored for the minority communities. For the Malay community, for example, SCBB has worked with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore to issue a set of commonly asked question on cord blood donations by Muslims to address the concerns of the community. SCBB will continue to work with our stakeholders and partners to reach out to the various communities.”
“Sir, the cash withdrawal under MediSave is not part of CareShield Life. So, you do not have to be participating in CareShield Life in order to tap on the MediSave withdrawal for cash for long-term care. If you are on ElderShield or if you are not covered, it is available to anyone above the age of 30 who is suffering from severe disability, that means, you still need to be eligible as three ADLs. And in addition to CareShield Life, if you have CareShield Life. If not, ElderShield. If not, MediSave – you can tap on it. So, it is restricted to those who have three ADLs. The reason is because we want to ensure that there is sufficient balance in your MediSave. And, therefore, the use of cash from MediSave has to be regulated by that criterion. And assessment for eligibility in terms of severe disability is the same assessment as CareShield Life or ElderShield. There was one more question about family members. Just to clarify that I mentioned in my speech that you are allowed to tap on the MediSave account of your spouse but not your other family members. Part of the reason is also we want to minimise intergenerational transfer. So, between you and your spouse, we allow you to share your balances.”
“I would try to be as fast as possible. Starting from the last question, with regard to the administration of the scheme, of course, MOH will be overall responsible. But AIC is the agency on the ground which is tending to the needs of the patients as well as those with long-term care needs. So, they will be the frontline, whereas CPF Board will be administering the fund largely. In terms of the application process, certainly, we will continue to see how we can streamline and make the claim process easier. But when it comes to financial assistance, of course, we cannot do away with the need to do means-testing. So, the means-testing process will still have to be on the ground and our medical social workers and our MSF social workers will all be helping us. We have also integrated the eldercare/senior care services on the ground by bringing SGO into AIC and we are expanding that community network for seniors. So, there are quite a lot of efforts on the ground to streamline the care support for the seniors. On severe disability, by and large, we refer to the three ADLs. And for the application to join CareShield Life, we encourage Singaporeans to join our CareShield Life as soon as possible. So far, we try to include all of them – those who are not three ADLs. But please do not wait until you have two ADLs then you decide to join. So, I encourage you to join as soon as the scheme comes to you in 2021.”
“I am taking a fair bit of time because you have quite a number of suggestions. So, I hope I have answered most of them. But should the Member have any specific one, she can raise it and I would be happy to answer.”
“I agree that there are quite a lot of schemes. We must understand that each scheme has a specific purpose. CPF LIFE, for example, is targeted at retirement adequacy to ensure that you have sufficient support for daily living. MediShield Life is focused more on medical care which is very much service-centric, looking at the medical services, whereas ElderShield and CareShield Life are designed to be targeted at long-term care needs. So, there are quite different objectives, different targets and different groups of policyholders as well. And their risk profiles are also quite different. To share with Members a secret, we did explore the possibilities of integrating some of them, or a different combination of them, but we find that it is going to be complicated because the risk factors are different and the considerations are different. Therefore, we decided to keep them separate so that it is easier to understand each piece. Of course, it will mean that it will take us a lot more effort to explain. I think it is better to spend the effort explaining to people on specific programmes, rather than to try to integrate them and create more confusion. So, we do take the Member's point that there are many schemes, and it will need time for us to explain clearly and slowly, and we hope that Singaporeans will bear with us. It does take time for us to explain, to reach out to Singaporeans. Even when we first launched MediShield Life, we took two to three years before we could really explain what MediShield Life is about. If Members remember, we had a great problem explaining the Integrated Plan – how does MediShield Life interact with the Integrated Plans. It also took us quite a while. So, I hope Members will bear with us.”
“My colleagues have answered most of it. I think Ms Chia Yong Yong asked about universality: why not we cover everybody? I think the Senior Ministers of State have replied. I think Ms Chia also asked why we were able to respond to the Committee in 24 hours. Let me explain that, actually, we have been working very closely with the Committee, and the Committee has always kept us updated on their deliberations, and they have also issued an interim update nearer the end of their deliberation. Therefore, we started already working on premium support and transitional subsidies and so on, and we hope to be able to give Singaporeans as complete a picture as possible when the report is out. So, we have been working with them quite closely. By the time they released their report, it was no surprise to us. We already know and, in fact, most Singaporeans already know what the key recommendations are. So, I think that is why we were able to accept the report quite quickly so that Singaporeans also would be able to know exactly what we have in mind in terms of premium support and so on. That was the key consideration. The Member also asked about how ElderShield premiums or Careshield Life premiums were determined – the methodology and so on. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat has explained that quite a number of factors are involved and we will look at how best to explain this and share this with the industry and professionals in a meaningful way so that it is easier for people to understand, including the assumptions that the Member talked about. The Member also mentioned the specific suggestion whether we can integrate all the schemes to create synergy among all the schemes – ElderShield Scheme, CareShield Life, MediShield and CPF LIFE and so on.”
“Sir, perhaps I would answer the first question. The $2-billion budget was set aside by the Minister of Finance in this year's Budget, and more details will be disclosed later on. But this fund focuses primarily on premium support subsidies, including transitional subsidies, as well as participation incentives, and the budget is still being finalised on exactly how much. And as Members can appreciate, the amount of funds that is needed also depends on the number of people from the existing cohorts that will be participating because some of the premium subsidies are allocated for the existing cohorts, and they have the option to either join the scheme or stay with ElderShield. So, the budget has to be worked out, and it would also depend on exactly how many people come on board. But it does not include the running costs of the scheme. That would be separately funded. I think that explains the basis of the $2 billion. More details would be shared later on.”
“I agree with many Members that CareShield Life and the other two long-term care enhancements are not easy for Singaporeans to understand. We will initiate more communications and engagement efforts to explain the schemes to Singaporeans and how they can tap on them to support their long-term care needs. I hope that, through this debate and our outreach efforts, Singaporeans will be more aware about their long-term care needs and start to think about their long-term care needs and to plan for them. I hope that we will all have good health and stay active and free from disability. But should disability strike, we can have peace of mind that their long-term care needs are well supported. On that note, let me urge Members of this House to support the Motion, and give our fellow Singaporeans better protection and better assurance through CareShield Life. 6.39 pm”
“To ensure this, an independent Council will be established through legislation to advise the Government on premium and payout adjustments. I would also like to emphasise again that the Government will administer CareShield Life on a not-for-profit basis. All premiums collected will go into the CareShield Life Fund of policyholders. In the real-life claims, if experience turns out better than expected, the savings will form part of the Fund and policyholders will benefit from it through premium rebates, slower premium growth or better payouts. Mr Deputy Speaker, CareShield Life is designed to be an inclusive, affordable and sustainable insurance scheme and a key pillar of our social safety net. It will work hand in hand with personal and family savings, and Government and community support to help our future generations of Singaporeans afford long-term care. We know, however, that some among our existing cohorts may not join CareShield Life. Others may need additional support beyond CareShield Life, and this is why we have decided to enhance our long-term care financing system in two other ways. MediSave will be allowed to be withdrawn in cash to support long-term care. Because the payout is in cash, it provides flexibility, whether one is cared for informally at home or formally through a provider or residential facility. We will set up ElderFund, an additional Government-funded safety net for low-income Singaporeans who are severely disabled and are in need of support. Together, the three initiatives – CareShield Life, use of MediSave for long-term care, and ElderFund – form a comprehensive package of measures that will significantly strengthen our long-term care financing.”
“While these suggestions are well-intended, we have to balance these enhancements against premium affordability as they will lead to higher premiums. We also should bear in mind that insurance payouts are not the only source of long-term care funding. Personal and family savings, other Government subsidies and safety nets and community support also play a role. This is the reason why the ESRC recommended that CareShield Life should provide a basic level of protection for Singaporeans. Those who prefer additional insurance cover have the option to buy Supplements from private insurers using their MediSave savings, according to their individual preferences and financial resources. That said, ensuring that CareShield Life remains affordable is just one part of the larger picture. I agree with Dr Chia Shi-Lu, Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Chen Show Mao that we do need to pay attention to maintaining and managing long-term care costs. We will continue to do our best to work with all our stakeholders to better manage our long-term care cost, but all of us will also have a role to play to stay healthy and prevent ourselves from falling into disability. Third, let me emphasise that CareShield Life, being a vital part of our future social safety net, must be sustainable for generations to come. To ensure long-term sustainability, each cohort will fund its own future needs through prefunding. The scheme is not intended for younger generations to cross-subsidise the older generations. Other countries have found such pay-as-you-go systems difficult to sustain. To be sustainable, premiums must also be priced according to sound actuarial principles.”
“This is why we are introducing universal coverage for future cohorts – Singaporeans born in 1980 or later – so that the scheme will cover all future generations, including those with pre-existing severe disabilities, as well as those who are low-income who need it the most as they will receive premium support. We have explained why it is not possible to make it mandatory for all Singaporeans in the existing cohorts – those born in 1979 or earlier – to join CareShield Life. We will, however, encourage them to do so, with participation incentives. In line with our inclusive principle, those with pre-existing conditions but are not severely disabled will also be allowed to join the scheme. On affordability, some Members of the House have raised concerns about what will happen if there are people who may not be able to afford their premiums. These include the self-employed, housewives and the low-income. I would like to assure Members of the House that no one who joins CareShield Life will lose their coverage due to inability to pay premiums. The Government will provide means-tested premium subsidies for the low- to middle-income Singaporeans as a permanent feature of the scheme. And for those who still are unable to afford their premiums after these subsidies and family support, we will extend Additional Premium Support to them. In other words, the financially needy will receive additional support from the Government on their premiums. Making sure that CareShield Life premiums remain affordable also requires a delicate balance between better benefits and their impact on premiums. I thank Members of the House for their various suggestions on how CareShield Life features could be enhanced, such as higher payouts, or allow claims for less severe disabilities.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, many Members have spoken about CareShield Life, and I would like to thank all of them for their contributions. Young Singaporeans typically think about long-term care as something that is not important and not on their radar scan. In fact, many of them regard such issues as issues for the old. That is why it is important for us to address this issue now. Very often, we only realise how important these issues are when we have to take care of someone who is severely disabled – our family members. As Dr Chia Shi-Lu’s grandmother’s experience has shown, often, this happens very suddenly, and we are not prepared for it because we never planned for this. Therefore, today, I am happy that we have this opportunity in this House to talk about CareShield Life. I am encouraged that Members of this House have voiced support for the introduction of CareShield Life to provide better protection and greater assurance, compared to the current ElderShield. Members have also made very thoughtful remarks and suggestions and shared concerns which Singaporeans might have. Some of these relate to the design of the scheme: whom it should cover; its benefits, features; and how it will be managed. These were questions that are important. There were also questions about the affordability, and concerns about how Singaporeans without CareShield Life, or those who need additional help, can be supported. Senior Ministers of State Amy Khor and Chee Hong Tat have addressed most of the concerns and questions raised. Allow me now to sum up the debate on long-term care and CareShield Life. First, CareShield Life will be an inclusive scheme. It will be more than just an insurance scheme, but a key pillar of our social safety net.”
“These schemes will also work with existing social safety net, including Government subsidies and assistance schemes, such as MediFund and ComCare, community support, and personal savings and family support, to help Singaporeans in need. This reflects our key social objective of forging an inclusive society where society, individuals and their families, as well as the Government, come together to support the long-term care needs of our ageing society through insurance, savings and Government assistance. Sir, let me conclude. We are launching a package of enhancements to long-term care financing so as to better prepare Singaporeans for our future long-term care needs. First, we are enhancing risk-pooling through a new long-term care insurance scheme, CareShield Life, and the Government will do its part by providing significant support for Singaporeans joining the scheme. Second, we are allowing more flexibility in the use of MediSave by allowing severely disabled Singaporeans to make cash withdrawals for long-term care needs. Finally, we are providing more Government support and assistance for lower-income severely disabled Singaporeans through the new ElderFund. These enhancements to our long-term care financing system are new, and we expect that Singaporeans will need time to digest and understand them. We will be reaching out to Singaporeans over the next few years. We will intensify our public education and communications efforts, and work with community partners and other stakeholders. We hope to give Singaporeans greater assurance and peace of mind on their long-term care needs. Sir, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]”
“From 2020, severely disabled Singapore residents aged 30 and above will be able to withdraw cash from their own or their spouse’s MediSave accounts to support their long-term care needs. Given the diverse needs of long-term care, withdrawals will be in cash so that there is more flexibility on how to use the money, including on home and community care or residential care. Withdrawals can be up to $200 per month, depending on the balance in the respective MediSave accounts. This is to ensure there are some savings to provide for other healthcare needs. Second, just like we have MediFund for medical services, we will set up a new ElderFund scheme in 2020, to support Singaporeans from low-income households who are severely disabled. Eligible Singapore Citizens can receive up to $250 per month in cash, for as long as they are severely disabled. There will be no cap on the payout duration for ElderFund payouts. The scheme will benefit those who may not be able to join CareShield Life, such as those among the existing cohorts who may already be severely disabled before the launch of CareShield Life. It will also provide additional support for Singaporeans with low MediSave balances and savings to meet their long-term care needs. The three enhancements, taken together – CareShield Life, use of MediSave for long-term care, and ElderFund – will provide all Singaporeans with better protection and assurance for their long-term care needs, for life. The payouts from these schemes should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of our overall long-term care financing framework.”
“The fund will be audited annually to ensure that all the monies are accounted for. The Government will also set up an independent Council to provide advice on the administration of the scheme. The Council will also regularly review CareShield Life and the recommended premiums and payout adjustments to the Government, in accordance with an actuarially sound adjustment framework. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will share more on this. We intend to introduce a Bill next year to set up the CareShield Life fund and the independent Council and to effect the scheme by 2020 for future cohorts. While CareShield Life will provide better assurance for our future cohorts, we recognise that not everyone will be able to join CareShield Life. For example, those in existing cohorts who are already severely disabled will not be able to join the scheme. Those who are healthy but very old also have fewer years to spread their premium payments compared to the younger ones, so they may also find the annual premiums a high hurdle. At the same time, some of those who join CareShield Life may require additional support, depending on their care needs and financial resources. We will, therefore, strengthen two other parts of our long-term care financing system – savings and subsidies – that will help to provide better assurance and support for all Singaporeans. First, we will enable Singaporeans to tap on their personal and spouse’s MediSave savings for long-term care needs. Today, Singaporeans can use their MediSave to pay for ElderShield premiums and, in time to come, CareShield Life premiums. We can also allow MediSave to be used for long-term care expenses, just like we allow it to be used for medical expenses.”
“The example is one Mr Tan, who is 42 years old. He is currently enrolled on ElderShield 400. To join CareShield Life, his starting annual premium in 2021 would be about $380, after taking into account the premiums he had already paid under ElderShield. Let me clarify that this is only premium he needs to pay. He no longer needs to pay the ElderShield premiums once he switches over to CareShield Life. However, as he is low-income, he will receive a 30% subsidy on his premiums. In addition, he will also receive a participation incentive of $500 that will be spread over 10 years. Therefore, it is $50 per year. Therefore, his estimated net starting annual premium in 2021 would be $216, which amounts to $18 per month, and he can pay this using MediSave. If he becomes severely disabled at age 67, he will receive around $1,000 per month for life. This is on the assumption of an increase of 2% a year for the remaining part of his CareShield Life participation. An older policyholder, who is covered on ElderShield 300, would need to pay an additional catch-up component for 10 years, as he would not have paid as much premiums as those insured under ElderShield 400. And, for someone who is currently uninsured, his catch-up component would be higher as he has not paid any premium at all. As recommended by the Review Committee, CareShield Life will be administered by the Government on a not-for-profit basis. The Government will set up an insurance fund which will be ringfenced for CareShield Life. The fund will be administered by the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board. And all premiums collected and any returns from investments will remain entirely within the fund and used solely for the benefit of policyholders.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, may I display a slide on the LED screen, to show how these work together to make joining CareShield Life affordable for existing cohorts.”
“As recommended by the Review Committee, CareShield Life will be optional for them, because of their diverse circumstances. Some of them may already be severely disabled. Some may have made their own plans for their long-term care needs. Some of them may also face significantly higher annual premiums, especially for the older generations, as they have fewer years to spread their premium payments over. But because CareShield Life will provide better protection and assurance, we will encourage as many as possible of the existing cohort members to join the scheme if they are not severely disabled. To do this, we will provide significant support for existing cohorts to join CareShield Life. First, to help lower- and middle-income Singaporeans with their premiums, we will provide similar means-tested premium subsidies as future cohorts of up to 30%. Second, we will provide participation incentives of between $500 and $2,500 to all Singapore Citizens from existing cohorts who join CareShield Life in the first two years from 2021. Third, once they have joined the scheme, they will not lose coverage. Should they find themselves unable to pay for premiums later on even after subsidies and incentives, we will provide Additional Premium Support similar to future cohorts. To help Singaporeans afford Careshield Life, premiums can be fully paid for by MediSave, including the MediSave of immediate family members. We will also ensure that Singaporeans currently insured on ElderShield can seamlessly upgrade to CareShield Life, and that the premiums they have already paid are taken into account when we compute the premiums they need to pay for CareShield Life.”
“It will provide better protection and assurance for all Singaporeans who join the scheme, through higher payouts for life for Singaporeans who are severely disabled and for life. We welcome and support the Committee’s recommendation for universal coverage for future generations. This is an important step forward as it would ensure basic protection for the long-term care needs of our future generations, regardless of their health, disability or financial status. This is in line with our vision of inclusivity as it allows those with pre-existing disability to be covered and also ensures that no one will drop out because they are unable to pay the premiums. Preparing for our old-age needs is often of low priority when we are young, as we tend to focus more on building our career and bringing up our children, and this is understandable. But starting to prepare only when we are old would be very challenging. Therefore, having a universal long-term care insurance scheme for future cohorts is critical and will ensure that our future generations will have a basic level of protection. The Government will also do our part in supporting this national initiative. Earlier in the Budget this year, the Minister for Finance announced that we would put aside $2 billion to support CareShield Life, and this is on top of the Government’s spending in our intermediate and long-term care facilities and services. From 2020, all Singapore residents born in 1980 or later will be covered by CareShield Life. In 2020, we will enrol those who are born between 1980 and 1990. After that, future cohorts of Singapore residents will be enrolled when they reach the age of 30. We will be rolling out CareShield Life for existing cohorts in 2021. Existing cohorts are those who are born in 1979 or earlier.”
“This means that the younger working population will most likely be funding the claims made mostly by the seniors, and most of the seniors have stopped working. This approach creates significant intergenerational transfers, where the younger cohorts pay for the needs of the older cohorts. This is not sustainable, especially for an ageing population, where the number of seniors is growing at a much faster pace than that of the younger working population. The second approach is one where each cohort pays for its own needs. This is done by putting aside funding while one is still working, and pays for the long-term care needs later, usually after one has retired. Insurance like ElderShield and CareShield Life are such pre-funded schemes, not pay-as-you-go schemes. This approach minimises intergenerational transfers and avoids passing the burden to future generations and helps to keep the scheme sustainable. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will elaborate further later on. Pre-funded insurance schemes like ElderShield and CareShield Life allow us to prepare for our long-term care needs in a sustainable way, while risk pooling allows us to average out the risk and funds among us so that we need not worry about over-saving and yet have the assurance that, should the worst happen, we will have sufficient funds. Mr Speaker, having explained the context for enhancing our long-term care insurance scheme, let me discuss the ElderShield Review Committee’s specific recommendations on CareShield Life. CareShield Life will be more than an insurance scheme. It will become an integral part of our social safety net.”
“I would also like to thank Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Ms Chia Yong Yong for your earlier PQs, which you have withdrawn after we informed you that we would be tabling a Motion on CareShield Life. How does insurance help? Our long-term care needs and how much we need to save individually are difficult to predict with great accuracy. In fact, our projections are that one in two Singaporeans who are healthy at age 65 could become severely disabled at some point in their lifetime and require long-term care. Some are surprised by our “one-in-two” statistic and asked why is it that we do not see half of the seniors being severely disabled. If you look around the House, some of us are above 65, but we do not look severely disabled. The simple reason is that we do not all become severely disabled all at the same time. So, it actually happens across a period of time, through our lifespan, and generally after 65. There is also uncertainty in the duration a person remains severely disabled. The median duration of disability is four years, but three in 10 could remain severely disabled for 10 years or more. If we save for four years of disability, but remain disabled for 10 years, we would not have saved enough. On the other hand, if we saved for 10 years, but we have been disabled for less, we would have over-saved, and therefore, insurance plays a role. Insurance allows each cohort of Singaporeans to pool our risks together to support the long-term care needs of that cohort in a more efficient way. Let me explain. There are two broad approaches to financing long-term care insurance across the world. The first is a pay-as-you-go system, where funds collected in a particular year, often through taxes, are used to pay for the claims for that year. That is why you pay as you go.”
“Therefore, the financing system should be flexible and enable individuals to use services most appropriate for their care needs and circumstances. Whether care is provided at home or by day care centres or nursing homes, and whether it is provided by formal caregivers or by family members, our financing system must have the flexibility to support these options. Third, it should be inclusive. All Singaporeans, regardless of their income or health status, should be well-supported by our overall long-term care financing scheme. They should be assured that our system will help them with their long-term care when they need it, be it from insurance, savings or subsidies. Finally, sustainability. Long-term care needs run far into the future with significant uncertainties. We have to ensure that our system is sustainable over the long-term and that we will have sufficient funds to meet the needs in the future when they occur. We should avoid passing the burden to future generations. Sir, generally, a long-term care financing system has three key components: insurance, personal and family savings, and Government or community assistance and support. These three components work together to achieve our principles of affordability, flexibility, inclusiveness and sustainability. Let me elaborate on how we plan to strengthen and carefully balance the three components to ensure that all Singaporeans can continue to access affordable and good quality long-term care. We will expand the role of insurance in our long-term care financing system, with the introduction of the new CareShield Life scheme. In this regard, I would like to thank Ms Sylvia Lim, Assoc Prof Daniel Goh, Mr Leon Perera and Mr Dennis Tan, for allowing us to address your Parliamentary Questions (PQs) at this debate.”
“We implemented MediShield Life in 2015 to provide universal coverage with better protection for all, for life, especially the seniors; we also introduced the Pioneer Generation (PG) Package to give our Pioneers greater peace of mind; we have been developing eldercare facilities and services, as well as strengthening support for the care of our elderly in our homes and in the community; we are also integrating health and social care better, and expanding the Community Network for Seniors; we have been growing and developing the long-term care workforce through recruitment, training and productivity improvement so that we are ready for the future. Our Government expenditure in long-term care increased six-fold from $140 million in 2011 to around $800 million in 2016. And this will continue to grow as our population ages. The next step is to ensure that our long-term care financing system is strengthened to complement our efforts to develop eldercare services and support. How should we finance our long-term care needs in a way that keeps costs affordable, yet sustainable for future generations to come? There are four key principles we need to bear in mind when we design our long-term care financing system. First, affordability. It should help those who need long-term care to afford basic and essential care, by tapping on the various sources of financing that are available, including Government and community support, personal and family savings, risk-pooling through insurance, and additional safety nets to prevent people from falling through the cracks. Second, flexibility. Long-term care needs of our seniors are by nature very diverse.”
“We have around five working adults to each Singaporean above 65 today, but by 2030, this ratio will fall to 2.7. Our rising life expectancy and falling mortality rates are positive developments. But living longer also means that we face higher risks of frailty in our old age. Some of us may require long-term care and assistance with daily living activities. This is why we had started investing and preparing years ago. We rolled out Healthcare 2020 in 2012, which included building long-term care and aged care facilities, improving the quality of these services and keeping them affordable. We then went Beyond Healthcare 2020, to ensure that we can meet our long-term healthcare needs in a sustainable manner. We want to go Beyond Hospital to the Community, by investing in community care and bringing social and healthcare services closer to our people. We are moving Beyond Quality to Value by spurring productivity improvement and providing better guidance on cost-effective treatment. We are moving Beyond Healthcare to Health by encouraging Singaporeans to lead healthier lives. We have also made several enhancements to better support our seniors.”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to move, "That this House endorses Paper Cmd 15 of 2018 on the 'White Paper on the ElderShield Review Committee's (ESRC's) Report' as the basis for designing CareShield Life, to strengthen our social safety net by providing Singaporeans with basic protection for their long-term care needs, in a scheme that is inclusive, affordable and sustainable." At the National Day Rally 2016, the Prime Minister announced the review of ElderShield to provide better support for Singaporeans who become severely disabled during their old age. We then appointed the ElderShield Review Committee in October that year. The Committee engaged widely and deliberated rigorously on how to enhance ElderShield and strengthen support for long-term care financing. The Committee submitted its report in May 2018, and we have accepted the Report, including the recommendation on the new name “CareShield Life”. The Committee’s Chairman Mr Chaly Mah and some of his Committee members are with us today in the Chamber. They are seated at the back. I would like to place on record my deep appreciation for their hard work over the last two years. [Applause.] I would also like to thank all Singaporeans who contributed their views and suggestions during the process. CareShield Life will offer better protection and greater assurance for Singaporeans’ long-term care needs. It is a significant step in strengthening our social safety net. Why the need for the review? It is part of our overall strategy to prepare for the future. Let me give an overview of our efforts over the years to provide the context. Singapore’s population is ageing. By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above, compared to one in seven today.”
“Mr Speaker, as I will be moving a Motion on CareShield Life shortly. May I have your permission to take Question Nos 5 to 9 during the Motion?”
“The Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) was launched in 2012. The Ministry reviews CHAS regularly to ensure that the scheme continues to meet the objective of providing Singaporeans with access to affordable and quality primary care in the community. For example, in 2014 and 2015, we increased the number of chronic conditions covered under CHAS. We will continue to review the scheme regularly and will take into account feedback from the Member.”
“The Ministry of Health will be developing a new Polyclinic, Kallang Polyclinic, in the Kallang-Balestier area. The new polyclinic will be located adjacent to Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital. It is within walking distance from Boon Keng Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, and one MRT stop from Potong Pasir MRT station.”
“For persons screened to have mental health or dementia symptoms, the teams offer basic emotional support for them or their caregivers and link them to appropriate services in the community. To reduce stigma of mental health conditions, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will be embarking on a multi-year public education campaign that aims to promote an inclusive society for persons with mental health issues, with support from Tote Board. This is in addition to NCSS' publication of the Removing Barriers booklet on Interacting with Persons with Mental Health Issues. IMH also spearheads annual World Mental Health Day events and public forums and collaborates with various Voluntary Welfare Organisations and schools to promote understanding of mental health through a variety of activities and events. We will also continue to work with grassroots and community partners to empower the broader community to recognise residents at-risk and better support them in the community.”
“There are various initiatives by the Government, as well as healthcare and community providers, to proactively reach out to increase awareness of mental health conditions and provide information on avenues to seek help. In the school environment, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) runs a series of psycho-emotional programmes to equip students with skills to manage stress and emotions, and collaborates with the Ministry of Education to equip educators and school counsellors with skills to provide support in challenging times. Students needing greater support are referred to school counsellors and mental health professionals, such as the Child Guidance Clinic at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Peer support structures are also being put in place in mainstream schools and Institutes of Higher Learning to support students in distress and encourage them to seek help early. To encourage a more supportive workplace environment for employees, HPB organises a workshop for managers to help them identify staff who are facing difficulties at work or may have mental health issues, as well as equip these managers with skills on how to approach, support and encourage staff to seek help early. In community settings, the Ministry of Health and HPB conduct a series of healthy ageing workshops, which include tips on dementia and depression education to facilitate seeking help early. The Community Resource, Engagement and Support Teams (CREST), set up by the Agency for Integrated Care, reaches out to persons who may be at risk of mental health issues or dementia. CREST teams also provide mental health information and education to the public through their outreach activities.”
“Phthalates are common substances added to plastics to improve their flexibility and durability. The Ministry of Health does not routinely monitor the health effects from exposure to phthalates among male infants, but we monitor global data and studies on the impact of exposure to phthalates on an ongoing basis. The findings of some studies have suggested that there is some potential for harm in humans, particularly when ingested, although the evidence is not conclusive. Nevertheless, Singapore has established regulations, based on international standards, to reduce exposure to phthalates as a precautionary measure. Enterprise Singapore regulates the use of phthalates in general consumer goods under the Consumer Protection (Consumer Goods Safety Requirements) Regulations (CGSR). The Regulations are aligned with applicable international, regional or national safety standards, and Enterprise Singapore monitors compliance through post-market surveillance. Additional regulatory requirements are imposed for toys and childcare articles in particular, including that on allowable concentrations of specified phthalates. The Health Sciences Authority administers the Health Products (Cosmetic Products – ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations and bans the use of plasticizers that are harmful to consumers in cosmetic products. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore administers the Food Regulations to ensure the safety of plastic food packaging, including plastic milk bottles. Through routine surveillance, any food with phthalate amounts above allowable limits would not be allowed for sale.”
“We will create good job opportunities for Singaporeans in the growing healthcare sector and enable our healthcare workforce to stay relevant through skills upgrading. For nurses, who constitute the largest group in our healthcare workforce, we will invest in a comprehensive Continuing Education and Training system and, in particular, build up capabilities for nurse-led, community-based care. We will update and align our Health Information Technology (IT) Master Plan to our priorities. We will leverage new developments in data analytics, artificial intelligence, robotics and other technological fields to transform how we work and deliver care. We will also continue to invest in health and biomedical research that can yield benefits for Singaporeans and our healthcare system. The transformation of our healthcare system will only be possible with the combined efforts of public and private healthcare institutions, voluntary welfare organisations and other agencies. It would require the involvement of patients, healthcare professionals, healthcare insurers, employers and the Government. MOH will facilitate participation and collaboration among all stakeholders. We are confident that our plans will help Singaporeans stay healthy and active at all ages, while ensuring that quality healthcare remains accessible, affordable and sustainable. Together, we can achieve Better Health, Better Care and Better Life for all.”
“To encourage more appropriate consumption of healthcare, MOH will publish fee benchmarks for medical procedures and services and has also introduced co-payment requirements for new Integrated Shield Plan Riders. We will continue our push for productivity improvements. A new agency will be set up to consolidate the procurement and supply chain functions across our public healthcare clusters. This will bring about better economies of scale and enable us to develop new models and capabilities that improve efficiency and benefit patients. MOH is also working with public hospitals to share information and practices that can enhance patient outcomes while managing costs. Such a value-driven care approach would help raise and maintain clinical quality across our hospitals in a cost-effective manner. We will press on with the implementation of the Action Plan for Successful Ageing. This includes efforts to expand community-based care facilities and experiment with new forms of housing for more accessible care. We will develop social nodes in the community to bring active ageing, preventive health, functional health screening and other programmes to the doorsteps of seniors. The formation of the Silver Generation Office and nationwide expansion of the Community Networks for Seniors will further facilitate better integration of health and social services and encourage more Singaporeans to volunteer and contribute towards successful ageing efforts. We will complete the review of ElderShield and strengthen the social safety net for long-term care. MOH will continue to build a strong local pipeline of healthcare professionals.”
“Our hospitals will also partner primary care and community care providers to bring about seamless care for patients. A new Healthcare Services legislation will be enacted to enhance regulatory clarity, strengthen governance and safeguard patient safety and welfare. The National Electronic Health Record will improve the continuity of care for patients. Beyond increasing capacity, we will transform care models. The new MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation will work with healthcare institutions to experiment with innovative and potentially game-changing concepts. New models will be tested, with successful ones scaled up. We will also deepen our efforts to develop Regional Health Systems, which will spearhead the development of new capabilities, such as community nursing and successful programmes that shift the nexus of care beyond the hospital to the community. We will selectively deploy regulatory sandboxes to facilitate experimentation in new services and innovative care models while ensuring patient safety. MOH will review healthcare financing policies to support new care models and to better integrate care in the community. This includes more targeted Government subsidies to better direct support towards those in greater need, as well as timely and appropriate changes to MediShield Life and to MediSave usage and coverage. Beyond ensuring good quality care, we will strive towards helping Singaporeans make better choices. To support healthcare professionals, patients and the public in making more informed and appropriate decisions, the Agency for Care Effectiveness will expand their range of education, advisory products and programmes beyond Drug Guidances and Appropriate Care Guides.”
“The Ministry of Health’s (MOH's) vision is for all Singaporeans to live well and live long, with peace of mind. To achieve this, we are embarking on major shifts in our healthcare system to move Beyond Healthcare to Health, Beyond Hospital to Community, and Beyond Quality to Value; and to promote and enable Successful Ageing in Singapore. MOH's first priority is to help Singaporeans stay healthy. We have promoted healthier food and lifestyle choices, encouraged disease screening, and declared War on Diabetes. We will expand these efforts and embark on new ones to move towards the goal of developing health promoting communities. Singaporeans will be empowered through information, technology and smart behavioural nudges to eat healthily, keep active and take charge of their health, while industries and employers will be encouraged to provide supportive environments for healthy behaviour. We will also explore measures to further discourage unhealthy habits, such as smoking and excessive sugar consumption. To continue to safeguard public health in Singapore in the face of increased globalisation and emergence of new diseases, MOH will enhance our surveillance, preparedness and response on infectious diseases. The upcoming National Centre for Infectious Diseases will serve as a focal point for these efforts. MOH will also lead in the implementation of a National Anti-Microbial Resistance Plan to prevent the emergence and spread of drug-resistant micro-organisms. Even as we build more hospital capacity with the completion of Sengkang General and Community Hospitals this year, we need to strengthen our primary care foundation by building new polyclinics, expanding existing ones, and establishing more Primary Care Networks comprising general practitioners.”
“In 2016 and 20171, 14,500 and 12,900 babies (those aged below one-year-old), respectively, sought paediatric care at KKH Children's Emergency (CE) from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am. The median waiting time was 20 minutes and 27 minutes respectively. Patients assessed to be urgent cases by KKH's CE triage will be attended to immediately. Less urgent cases (or P32 cases) made up about one in three of these attendances. KKH has assessed that many of these less urgent cases can be adequately managed by primary care doctors. Hence, KKH is developing a community partnership network with primary care doctors3 to provide care to non-emergency cases. MOH is also studying the possibility of piloting extended-hours paediatric urgent care clinics in regions with many young families. These would be operated by primary care doctors, to handle non-emergency cases. Besides KKH's CE, babies requiring emergency paediatric care can also seek treatment at the National University Hospital's (NUH) CE.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2018/2019 and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Chairman, may I seek your consent to move that healthy progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow?”
“Keeping fit is as much part of his work as it is his passion. Not only is he enjoying the benefits of better health, but he is also going the extra mile to influence others. He persuaded his family to start eating brown rice, more fruits and more vegetables and less fried food. Last year, he co-started a health programme, where he was the health coach. Every week, the group gathers to exercise. Mr Mohamed Irfan believes an active community can motivate individuals to sustain a healthy lifestyle. He exemplifies how taking ownership of one's health can have a ripple effect, to better the lives of many more. Mr Chairman, I believe that by working together, each of us playing our part, we can bring about Better Health, Better Care and a Better Life for all Singaporeans.”
“This will yield system-level gains for patients, providers and staff. This will also help to mitigate cost increases and bring greater convenience to patients. The transformation process must continue. Advances in medical science, increasing digitalisation and connectivity hold tremendous promises for rethinking healthcare. In addition to progressive improvements, we also need to explore game-changing ideas. That is why we have set up the MOH Office of Healthcare Transformation (MOHT), to identify and experiment with bold innovations. MOHT will focus on longer-term ideas that can be scaled up for system-level transformation. Some of these ideas will be tested at the health empowering Alexandra Hospital campus which the National University Health System (NUHS) will take over from the second half of 2018. Similarly, we will be initiating the master planning of NUH's Kent Ridge Campus in the West, to see how Kent Ridge can be best positioned to meet future healthcare needs. We have already started some development at the Kent Ridge campus. In 2013, we opened the NUH Medical Centre, and we will be opening the National University Centre for Oral Health next year. The master planning study presents us with the opportunity to plan ahead and reimagine how the future Kent Ridge campus, including the main NUH hospital building, which is more than 30 years old, can be rejuvenated to support current and future models of care. At the end of the day, we must remember that the state of our health primarily depends on our choices. As far as we can, we must choose to live healthily. This is the key not just to a sustainable healthcare system, but a vibrant society and good quality of life. Mr Mohamed Irfan is a good example. He is pursuing a sports diploma at Republic Polytechnic.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the unions and management for their support in this exercise, and all our staff who have worked very hard to ensure a smooth transition. That is the good news. The bad news is that this is not the end. In fact, this is just the beginning of a long journey to create synergy and deliver better care for Singaporeans. Let me share an example. A patient, Mr H, 73 years old, was admitted to SGH after a fall last year. Besides rehabilitation treatment for his fall, he also needed to manage his diabetes and hypertension. Miss Siti Hajar, a Patient Navigator and experienced nurse from SGH, coordinated both his health and social care even after he has been discharged. Miss Siti visited him fortnightly and ensured that his chronic conditions are well-managed from home. As Mr H lives alone in his flat in Kaki Bukit, the CGH Community Care team – now part of the SingHealth team – was activated to accompany him for follow-ups at Bedok Polyclinic and arranged for home help services for him. I am pleased to know that Mr H's condition has now stabilised, and the SingHealth team continues to provide him with strong support. This is what reclustering is all about – bringing healthcare institutions and the community closer together to provide good, seamless care for patients, such as Mr H, and many others. Another example of this synergy is the new national integrated supply chain we are setting up. This goes beyond the Group Procurement Office currently run by SingHealth. It pools the whole supply chain's functions, including procurement and resources of the three clusters, together to achieve economies of scale, create greater synergy, develop new capabilities and evolve innovative supply chain solutions.”
“Such riders encourage a "buffet syndrome" as patients do not need to pay anything when they receive medical treatment. It undermines the co-payment principle and dilutes the personal responsibility to choose appropriate and necessary care. This will encourage unnecessary treatment, leading to rising healthcare costs not only for those with such riders but for all of us. Therefore, MOH has been working with the insurance industry and we have issued a set of new requirements to IP insurers which will be applied to all new rider policies. We will require them to have co-payment features going forward. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will elaborate more. This will encourage responsible behaviour by both patients and healthcare providers. We will continue to review our healthcare financing policies to ensure that co-payment remains affordable, through targeted subsidies, MediSave use and for those who still have difficulties, MediFund will be a safety net. No one will be denied appropriate healthcare because they cannot afford to pay. But ultimately, the best way to beat rising healthcare costs is to stay healthy. This is a focus of our final shift Beyond Healthcare to Health. Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin will give an update on WoD and detail how we are encouraging and supporting healthier lifestyles. We will create a supportive environment for Singaporeans to lead healthy lives, but each of us must do our part. These three shifts will be a multi-year effort. To support these initiatives, we have taken the first steps to reorganise ourselves. Last year, I announced plans to reorganise the public healthcare system into three integrated clusters. I am pleased to report that the reclustering exercise has been successfully completed.”
“Six new polyclinics are being built under Healthcare 2020; two are already open, and four more to come by 2020. We will add another six to eight new polyclinics by 2030. This is part of our commitment to ensure Singaporeans can access primary care closer to their homes. We are not just building polyclinics; we are also partnering private GPs through the Primary Care Networks (PCN) to offer subsidised team-based care in the community under CHAS. Our second shift, Beyond Quality to Value, plays a pivotal role in ensuring sustainability. We adopted a multi-pronged approach to manage healthcare costs. We set up the Fee Benchmarks Committee earlier this year to provide a reference to guide doctors in setting reasonable fees and to help patients to make informed choices on their care options. We established ACE to provide guidance on cost-effective drugs and treatment, and I thank Dr Chia Shi-Lu for supporting the work of ACE. We also introduced the Healthcare Productivity Fund to spur productivity improvement efforts in our healthcare institutions. But we need to do more. 5.00 pm Mr Chairman, co-payment has been an integral feature throughout all our healthcare schemes, including MediShield Life as well as IPs. It plays an important role in ensuring our healthcare system is sustainable by emphasising personal responsibility in healthcare, by encouraging service providers to focus on appropriate and cost-effective interventions, and by nudging patients to make prudent decisions in healthcare services. This is important as it ensures that all stakeholders, including patients, have a stake in their decision. As Dr Chia Shi-Lu pointed out, some private insurance policies offer zero co-payment coverage. They are called "full riders".”
“On the other hand, Government expenditure on health grew twice as fast, by about 120% over the same period, to fund infrastructure investments and to keep healthcare affordable for Singaporeans, by reducing their share of out-of-pocket expenses from about 40% to 30%. With the introduction of the PG Package and MediShield Life and the extended use of MediSave, the out-of-pocket for eight in 10 subsidised hospitalisation bills was below $100. But we cannot simply keep increasing subsidy or insurance payouts. Higher insurance payouts will result in higher premiums or higher subsidies will need to be funded. All these will be borne by Singaporeans eventually through higher premiums and higher taxes. Therefore, we need to take a long-term view on this. Even as we implement Healthcare 2020, we need to look beyond 2020 and make three key shifts to ensure our healthcare system is future-ready. The Three Beyonds, which Dr Chia Shi-Lu reminded us about, provided the roadmap to a sustainable system beyond Healthcare 2020. First, we are going Beyond Hospital to the Community. Over the last decade, we have increased our total spending in the primary care and ILTC sectors by close to four times, from $1.3 billion in FY2007-2011 to $5.1 billion in FY2012-2016. These investments reflect our priority to anchor care firmly in the community. As we continue to invest in community care, we also need to bring social and healthcare services closer to better serve our people. This has led to the formation of the Silver Generation Office (SGO) as well as expansion of Community Networks for Seniors (CNS), which I elaborated earlier in my speech on SG Cares. Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min will share later how we are strengthening primary care for the future.”
“Not forgetting the central region, where the Integrated Care Hub and National Centre for Infectious Diseases are being built at Novena. Since 2011, we have added 1,700 acute hospital beds, 1,200 community hospital beds, and 5,300 nursing home beds. To support ageing in the community, we have also added 4,200 home-based and 2,900 centre-based care places. We have also grown our healthcare workforce by about 25,000, or about 36%, since 2011. To ensure healthcare remains affordable to Singaporeans, we increased subsidies at outpatient clinics and enhanced CHAS for primary care, commonly known as the Blue Card and the Orange Card. In 2015, we introduced MediShield Life for inpatient care. We are also investing in a future-ready workforce that will anchor the transformation of our healthcare system. Senior Minister of State Amy Khor will elaborate on our plans to grow and upskill our healthcare manpower later. We need to innovate and find new ways to deliver quality care to patients in a more effective and efficient way and for better outcomes. For example, at Pioneer Polyclinic, which opened in July 2017, patients are cared for by a team comprising doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. Having a regular primary care team will ensure better continuity of care for patients. This is one of the many initiatives that has improved the quality of care. Sir, our continued investment in healthcare means higher National Health Expenditure (NHE). NHE has increased by more than 60% in five years, from $10.9 billion in 2010 to $18.9 billion in 2015. At 4.6% of gross domestic product (GDP), this is lower than most developed countries, but we expect this to rise over time as our population ages.”
“Today, Singaporeans are living longer and our Health Adjusted Life Expectancy, which estimates the number of years a person is expected to live in good health, remains one of the best in the world, at 72 years for males and 75 for females. Women always beat men in this. But we cannot afford to be complacent. Our population is ageing rapidly, with a growing chronic disease burden. About three in four Singapore residents aged 65 and above are affected by diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension or a combination of these three. If nothing is done, diabetes, for example, is projected to affect more than one million Singaporeans by 2050. We want to not just live long but also live well. To do that, each of us must also do our best to adopt a healthy lifestyle. We also need a good healthcare system that is both accessible and affordable. Dr Chia Shi-Lu asked about our progress on Healthcare 2020 which outlined our strategy to improve accessibility, quality and affordability of healthcare. We have made good progress but much needs to be done from now until 2020 and beyond. Over the next few years, we will continue to add healthcare facilities across Singapore. To the north, we are developing Woodlands Health Campus, which will be ready progressively from 2022. Down south, we are developing Outram Community Hospital and the new National Cancer Centre as part of the redevelopment of the Outram Campus. In the north-east, we are on track to open Sengkang Hospitals later this year. The new Changi General Hospital Medical Centre in the east will also be ready this year. In the west, we look forward to the new Centre for Oral Health at the National University Hospital (NUH).”
“Mr Chairman, first, let me thank all the Members for their comments and the suggestions. With your permission, may I display a few slides?”
“We are working on new approaches, to embed dedicated support for caregivers within eldercare centres. For example, support could take the form of phone conversations with caregivers, face-to-face meetings or even home visits. We have a national toll-free hotline for seniors and their caregivers, the Singapore Silver Line (1800-650-6060), for assistance regarding our community care services and schemes. MOH and AIC will continue to take on board feedback from caregivers and work closely with our partners to support them. Mr Chairman, let me say a few words in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mencius once said, "Love the elderly as you would love your own aged parents". We must respect and care for our seniors who are an integral part of our society. The Government will do our best to help our seniors in their golden years. However, this cannot be done without the help of families and the community at large. We must work together to build a caring society for all ages. This way, seniors can age gracefully and confidently among their family, friends and community. (In English): Mr Chairman, I look forward to working with fellow Singaporeans to foster a caring society in the spirit of SG Cares.”