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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“A small number of babies born to pregnant women with Zika infection may develop microcephaly, a congenital condition that affects the development of the brain. Research is still ongoing to better understand the association between Zika and microcephaly. We had expected Zika to come to Singapore sooner or later, given the large volume of travel in and out of Singapore. When it did, we also expected to see local transmission, because of the presence of Aedes mosquitoes here. Hence, we have put in place an action plan with a three-pronged approach: first, preparing for Zika; second, responding to initial cases; and third, managing Zika in the long term. Let me first talk about preparations for Zika. We prepared for Zika on a few fronts. First, the Ministry of Health (MOH) worked with the National Environment Agency's (NEA) Environmental Health Institute to put in place a sentinel surveillance programme for Zika two years ago. We partnered about 200 clinics island-wide to collect blood samples from selected patients with symptoms associated with Zika, which are quite similar to dengue, and tested them for the Zika virus. From January this year, we stepped up our surveillance and testing efforts and increased the number of samples tested for Zika to more than 500 a month, a majority of them from people who had no travel history to Zika-affected areas. Close to 4,000 samples were tested between February and August, before the first confirmed case happened. All the test results then were negative. At the same time, we strengthened our laboratory capabilities to facilitate the testing and management of patients. As a second layer of defence, we kept our doctors, especially our general practitioners (GPs), abreast of the developments on Zika.”
“Madam, on 27 August 2016, Singapore detected its first confirmed case of locally transmitted Zika virus infection. As of noon yesterday, 333 persons have tested positive for Zika, including eight who are pregnant, and involving seven clusters. Most of the patients have recovered and are no longer symptomatic. Although we had been expecting it, many Singaporeans were concerned when Zika cases first emerged in Singapore. Their anxiety is understandable, given that Zika is little known here. We have learnt much over the last two weeks. Allow me to give the House an update on the situation. First, what is Zika? Zika is not a new disease. The first documented case of Zika was in Africa in 1947. The first reported large outbreak occurred in 2007, in Micronesia. Zika was unknown in the Americas until last year when a number of cases were reported in north-eastern Brazil. By now, 72 countries and territories have reported evidence of Zika virus transmission. On 1 February 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the recent cluster of microcephaly cases in Brazil, which are suspected to be linked to Zika, constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Zika is transmitted via the Aedes mosquito, which can also carry the dengue and chikungunya viruses. Zika can also be spread through sexual transmission in some cases. About four out of five persons infected with the Zika virus will not have symptoms. They are asymptomatic. The rest will only have mild symptoms, which include fever and rash, and other symptoms such as red eyes and joint pain. On rare occasions, patients may also develop Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a disease that temporarily affects the nervous system. Zika is, however, of concern among pregnant women.”
“Mdm Speaker, as I will be making a Ministerial Statement on Zika, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 2 to 6 in the Ministerial Statement later?”
“Under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), Singaporeans can use up to $400 per MediSave account per year to pay for their chronic disease treatment. Nineteen chronic conditions are covered under CDMP, which accounts for more than 90% of chronic attendances seen at polyclinics today. Page: 171 In 2015, the $400 CDMP limit was fully sufficient for nine in 10 subsidised patients with common chronic conditions. This was higher than eight in 10 in 2014 and was due to the full effect of outpatient subsidy enhancements for lower- and middle-income Singaporeans and the Pioneer Generation Package in 2015. Patients whose medical bills for chronic conditions exceed the $400 cap can also use the MediSave of their family members to pay, or apply for MediFund at the polyclinics or subsidised specialist outpatient clinics in public hospitals if they face financial difficulties. The Ministry of Health will continue to monitor the affordability of subsidised care, especially for chronic diseases, and review the MediSave withdrawal limits regularly, while taking into consideration the need to ensure that MediSave balances are not depleted prematurely.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) fully funds the development costs of healthcare infrastructure at our public healthcare institutions. This includes the cost of building in Page: 167 spare capacity to cater for future expansion to meet increases in demand. Spaces catering to future expansion are designed so that the institutions are able to put them to productive uses in the interim. This minimises the holding cost associated with such spare capacity. When institutions encounter difficulties doing so, MOH will work with them on possible solutions and assist them with separate funding to defray these additional costs if necessary. Therefore, the cost of expansion of our healthcare institutions is separately funded and should not affect the funding for the remuneration of our healthcare staff. Page: 168”
“The National Dental Centre and Singapore Dental Association jointly run a National Institute of Technical Education Certificate (NITEC) in Dental Assisting Programme. The programme trains between 25 and 30 Dental Surgery Assistants (DSA) annually. After they start their job, DSAs have further opportunities to upgrade their skills professionally. For example, besides undergoing training that enable them to better prepare dental surgeries and assist dental surgeons during procedures, they may also undertake courses in infection control, managing patients with mobility impairments, and emergency management. DSAs who perform well may progress to become Senior DSAs who have larger responsibilities, such as coordinating the operations at dental clinics and teaching and training new DSAs. As DSAs assist the dental surgeons but do not treat or manage patients directly, our assessment is that registration and licensing of DSAs are not necessary. Dental surgeons are ultimately responsible for the safety and standards of care to patients who undergo dental surgery.”
“In January 2016, for example, MOH launched a campaign on job opportunities in the community care sector, and a Community Care Traineeship Programme to train and place locals to take on these jobs. Some seniors with dementia are cared for at home by caregivers and foreign domestic workers (FDWs). Under our Caregivers' Training Grant, subsidies are provided for caregivers, including FDWs, to attend caregiving courses. There are currently 28 dementia care courses addressing a range of needs, such as managing mealtimes and creating a comfortable and safe environment for persons with dementia. Between 2013 and 2015, about 1,000 out of more than 11,000 FDWs who had utilised the subsidy had attended courses on dementia care. Our public hospitals also provide Page: 163 training and guidance to family caregivers caring for dementia patients, where needed, before the patients are discharged home.”
“Today, seniors with dementia may be cared for at home, or at aged care facilities, such as day centres or nursing homes. Nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare assistants work together to care for these patients. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) are working to improve the attractiveness of a career in professional caregiving for dementia patients in a few ways. First, through more structured training and capability development. We promote and fund training for care staff. Between 2013 and 2015, AIC offered over 2,400 training places in dementia-related courses and talks to equip care staff with the necessary skills to provide better care for seniors with dementia. In addition, our public hospitals arrange for other dementia care training for their care staff and those from other aged care partners like nursing homes and eldercare centres on skills, such as managing challenging behaviours and communicating with dementia persons. MOH and AIC are now also working on a comprehensive competency framework to better define the skills and competencies required in dementia care. Besides enhancing skills and career development for the staff, it will help guide us in levelling up the skills content and productivity of the jobs. Second, through better remuneration and recognition. MOH has provided funding to our subvented aged care institutions to raise the pay of the care staff in these settings to be more competitive. The remuneration levels will be adjusted further in future, in tandem with progress in our work to raise skills and productivity. Finally, through promoting awareness among locals of careers in community care services, including dementia care.”
“An Expert Committee on Immunisation advises the Ministry of Health (MOH) on vaccination. The Committee comprises specialists from public and private healthcare Page: 151 institutions in infectious diseases, microbiology, paediatrics and public health. For adults, the Expert Committee has recommended a targeted approach of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations in specific high-risk groups. They include seniors aged 65 years and above, and persons with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and heart diseases. These patients can use their MediSave to pay for influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations. There is room to improve the vaccination rates in these high-risk groups. To achieve this outcome, MOH needs to work together with healthcare professionals and the public to raise awareness and encourage patients in these high-risk groups to go for the recommended vaccinations.”
“About 670,000 MediFund applications were made per year in the past five years. These applications were surfaced to the MediFund committees of the public healthcare institutions after assessment by medical social workers. Less than 0.15% of the applications were not approved by the MediFund committees. The amount of MediFund granted to each recipient varies widely, depending on the patient's bill size and copayment required, frequency of treatment and his financial circumstances. On average, in the past five years, more than 92% of MediFund applications were granted full assistance. In 2014, the average assistance provided ranged from $450 for day surgery to $1,800 for hospitalisations, $100 for outpatient treatment and $300 for care in the Intermediate and Long-term Care facilities.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) Standard Drug List (SDL) is reviewed regularly to include new medications. Feedback from doctors regarding commonly used drugs, including those for age-related illnesses, is taken into account in these reviews. Over the last three years, 44 drugs have been added to SDL, of which, 34 (77%) drugs are used for common age-related conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. MOH will continue the practice of regular reviews of the SDL drug list.”
“In 2015, around 39,000 patients were referred by general practitioners (GPs) to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments of public hospitals. About 70% of them were not required to be warded after being assessed and treated by the A&E doctors. We should not assume that a patient who is not warded has been inappropriately referred by his GP. These patients may require further review or monitoring in the A&E setting. They may also require additional tests or treatment using specialised instruments that are not available at the GP clinics. For the large majority of patients, the A&E referrals by their GPs are appropriate for their medical conditions. Our Regional Health Systems and Restructured Hospitals will continue to work closely with their GP partners to provide good quality primary care and minimise the need for Singaporeans to seek treatment at acute hospitals.”
“The procurement policies in our public healthcare institutions are guided by the same principles as those in the Singapore Public Service – transparency of process, open and fair competition, so as to secure best value for money. Our institutions also take reference from national advisories, such as the Tripartite Advisory on Best Sourcing Practices. As long as these principles and advisories are observed, our institutions have the flexibility to design their procurement and tender evaluation processes. Therefore, while all our public healthcare institutions use the Price-Quality Method (PQM) to evaluate tender proposals, the emphasis on quality and price will differ depending on the nature, type and complexity of services being procured. For example, the weightage of quality used in the evaluation for manpower and outsourced services procurement is typically 60% to 80%. Where there is less need for differentiation in the quality of products and services being contracted, the price component may be weighted higher. Similarly, the duration of the contracts also varies. For multi-year contracts, some institutions make provisions for annual salary increment and performance bonus for manpower deployed. Outsourced workers in our public healthcare institutions, such as cleaners, housekeepers, porters and security guards, are important partners in delivering good healthcare service. We recognise and value their contributions and will continue to bear this in mind in the way we tender for their services.”
“MediFund provides help for needy patients who require additional financial assistance with their healthcare bills after Government subsidies, MediShield Life claims and MediSave withdrawals. Over the last three years, about one in five MediFund recipients visited more than one public hospital or national specialty centre in a year. Eligibility for MediFund is determined by the MediFund Committee in each healthcare institution, based on assessment by medical social workers. Today, medical social workers across public healthcare institutions share information with one another in cases where the patient is known to require financial assistance across institutions. MediFund assistance is also extended to needy patients on the Public Assistance scheme, without requiring them to go through additional means-testing. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the public healthcare institutions have been working on sharing of medical social worker case records. For example, under SingHealth's One MediFund Assessment initiative which Dr Tan Wu Meng had spearheaded while he was working at the National Cancer Centre, MediFund patients only need to be assessed once at any of the SingHealth institutions. Last year, medical social workers across all public healthcare institutions also undertook a comprehensive review to streamline the Medifund assessment process and improve information sharing. The intent is to make it more convenient for MediFund patients who visit more than one institution, while allowing the MediFund committee of each institution to continue having flexibility to decide on individual cases.”
“Tuberculosis (TB) is usually spread by prolonged close contact with infected persons. The recent cluster, where a few cases of the same TB strain were discovered among residents of a single housing block, was highly unusual, as the TB Control Unit has so far not been able to uncover where some of the residents concerned could have had close interactions. As a precautionary measure, the Ministry of Health worked with grassroots leaders to conduct TB screening for past and current residents of the block. Two of the residents screened had signs of active TB, are undergoing treatment and are no longer infectious. Residents who had latent TB are not infectious, and the vast majority, nine in 10 of them, will not develop active TB in their lifetime. We have advised them on the TB symptoms to look out for, and to report to the TB Control Unit for medical review if they develop such symptoms. Early detection and prompt treatment are essential to ensure effective control of TB infections.”
“Assoc Prof Daniel Goh asked if it is timely for the Ministry to review the existing "opt-out" consent model under HOTA, and instead consider the "mandated choice" policy, where individuals are required to indicate their preferences on organ donation while interacting with the Government on other matters. We understand that some countries have experimented with the "mandated choice" policy with varying outcomes. Some states in the United States (US), such as Montana and Illinois, have adopted the mandated consent system with some success. However, other US states, such as Texas, as well as Australia, eventually abandoned their mandated choice policy and reverted to an opt-in consent model. It is not clear whether a mandated choice policy would have enhanced our organ donation rate. We need to study this carefully, taking into account the local context. Nonetheless, we will continue to reach out and encourage Singaporeans to support organ donation. Their gift will go a long way towards saving lives and easing the suffering of patients with organ failure.”
“While our rate is higher than that of some developed countries, such as Japan (at 13 pmp) and Hong Kong (at 11 pmp), it is lower than Australia (at 40 pmp) and the United Kingdom (at 49 pmp). Deceased organ donation is not only a complex medical process, but also a highly emotive and sensitive issue. Our doctors and healthcare staff are trained to be empathetic and considerate in attending to the grieving families. There are clinical protocols as well as ethical guidelines in place to facilitate the deceased organ donation process at the public hospitals. These ensure that the organ donation process is carried out in a timely, appropriate and dignified manner, with family members constantly informed and attended to. MOH supports the regular training of doctors and healthcare staff involved in organ donation and a large part of the training focuses on the skills required in communicating sensitively and empathetically with family members. Improving organ donation goes beyond the roles played by the hospitals and healthcare staff. Social attitude and culture also play an important role. MOH will continue to promote greater awareness of organ donation and facilitate shifts in societal attitudes and views towards organ donation. As a follow-up to the "Live On" Campaign, MOH will be launching a new outreach campaign in the upcoming months on organ donation. Other efforts include expanding the training of more healthcare professionals on organ donation, working with doctors to raise organ failure patients’ awareness in considering living organ transplant as a treatment option, and encouraging individuals to share their decisions on organ donations with their loved ones. This will help their family members to understand and respect their decisions.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) adopts a multi-pronged approach to promote and facilitate organ transplants. The Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act was enacted in 1972 to facilitate donation of deceased organs and tissues for the purposes of transplantation, education or research. The Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) was introduced in 1987 to facilitate deceased organ donation through an opt-out scheme. HOTA was subsequently expanded in 2004 to include heart, liver, corneas, as transplantable organs, instead of only kidneys, and institute a framework to regulate living donor organ transplants. Dedicated public awareness efforts were also made to educate the public of the life-saving benefits of organ donation. In 2008, MOH launched a three year "Live On" campaign aimed at raising societal consciousness and acceptance of organ donation as an acceptable and generous act of goodness. These efforts have helped to bring about close to 2,000 transplants from deceased organ donations between 2004 and 2015. These included 442 kidney, 157 liver, 42 heart and 1,333 cornea transplants. Over the same period, there were 478 living donor organ transplants. These included 379 kidney and 99 liver living donor organ transplants. Specifically, from 2008 after the launch of the "Live On" campaign, we observed an increase in the number of organ transplant conducted, from an average of 174 cases per year between 2004 and 2007 to 220 cases per year between 2008 and 2015. While more patients had benefited from organ transplants through these efforts, there is still room to further improve the organ transplant rate in Singapore. Singapore's combined, both deceased and living, organ transplant rate for kidney was 20 per million population (pmp) in 2015.”
“Public healthcare institutions procure manpower from recruitment agencies primarily to meet short-term and temporary manpower needs. In doing so, the public healthcare institutions would typically specify to the recruitment agencies that all mandatory statutory contributions have to be made to the workers. However, other terms and conditions of the employment contract, including the tenure and renewal of the contracts, are negotiated between the recruitment agency and its employees, and are not under the purview of the public healthcare institutions and the Ministry.”
“Our Standard Drug List (SDL) is reviewed annually based on assessments by the Drug Advisory Committee (DAC). The DAC receives applications from public healthcare clinicians for additions to the SDL. In assessing these applications, the DAC may consider research evidence and consult other clinicians. Page: 102 The DAC is guided by three main considerations (a) Whether the drug is essential for the treatment of medical conditions that are important causes of morbidity and mortality in Singapore; (b) Whether the drug offers a significant improvement in terms of efficacy and effectiveness, as compared to existing drugs in the SDL; and (c) Whether there is sufficient evidence of long-term safety and cost-effectiveness of using the drug. Our public healthcare institutions procure generic versions of the drugs where available. As generic drugs are generally cheaper, patients prescribed these generic drugs would benefit from the lower costs.”
“Between 2013 and 2015, our public hospitals diagnosed about 16,300 Singaporean seniors aged 60 and above with hearing loss requiring the use of hearing aids. Of these, about 5,500 seniors eventually took up the use of a hearing aid. These figures would include seniors who visited polyclinics for hearing loss problems who were referred to specialists at our hospitals for further assessment and prescription. We do not have figures on diagnosed cases at private healthcare institutions. Over the same period, 3,954 seniors applied for subsidised hearing aids under MOH's SMF, with 3,934 seniors, that is, 99.5% of applicants, eventually received the subsidies. On average, seniors paid about $300 as co-payment, after about $2,700 subsidies from SMF, to purchase a pair of hearing aids. Seniors who have difficulties with the co-payment can approach the medical social workers to apply for further financial assistance. Of the 3,954 seniors, about 640 needy seniors, such as those who were on public assistance or Medifund assistance, received 100% subsidy from SMF for their hearing aids. About 100 seniors with disabilities have also tapped on the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF) and the former Special Assistance Fund (SAF)1 under MSF to purchase hearing aids. A total of $10.4 million from the three funds – SMF, ATF and SAF – was disbursed to subsidise seniors for hearing aids between 2013 and 2015.”
“An Advance Medical Directive (AMD) is a legal document that enables a person to voluntarily and, in advance, register his or her wishes not to have any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment to prolong his or her life when the person becomes terminally ill and unconscious or unable to make a rational judgement on his or her own treatment. The AMD was introduced in 1997. A cumulative total of 24,682 Singaporeans made an AMD between 1997 and 2015. During the same period, 10 AMDs were effected. Between 2010 and 2015, the numbers of AMDs made by Singaporeans were listed in the table below. Besides AMDs, Advance Care Planning (ACP) is also available and practised at hospitals. This allows forward planning for end-of-life care arrangements, such as the extent of medical treatment and place of death. Though not legally binding, the care preferences of the person are recorded as a document to guide medical professionals and family members in the care arrangements for the patient. We formally rolled out ACP through the Agency for Integrated Care in 2011. Between then Page: 101 and 2015, about 5,100 Advance Care Plans were completed.”
“All nursing homes are licensed under the Private Hospitals & Medical Clinics (PHMC) Act. The licensing requirements cover standards in areas, such as medical and nursing care, facilities maintenance and up keeping and general hygiene. Page: 100 MOH conducts regular checks to ensure that nursing homes meet the licensing requirements and care standards. MOH also engages independent auditors to further assess care standards in areas, such as infection control, wound care and nursing management, in the nursing homes. In addition, we have the Nursing Home Visitors Programme where volunteers will visit the nursing homes to obtain direct feedback from residents and their family members, as well as observe the living environment. MOH regularly reviews and enhances the care standards in our nursing homes. In 2014, an industry-led workgroup was convened to develop enhanced nursing home standards in the areas of clinical care, social care and organisational excellence. The workgroup's recommendations were subsequently incorporated into licensing requirements in April 2015 and enforced with effect from April 2016.”
“With the implementation of MediShield Life for all Singaporeans, we have streamlined our processes so that Singapore Citizens who choose Class B2 or C wards will not need to pay deposits. There is an exception of a small number of patients, who will need to pay a deposit if they choose Class B2 against financial counselling advice so as to encourage them to choose the class they can better afford. The public hospitals will also advise patients who need help with their healthcare bills and discuss with them options for assistance. For private patients who choose private hospitals or Class A or B1 wards in the public hospitals, their bills are much higher as they do not enjoy the heavy subsidy for B2/C wards. Thus, hospitals may require them to make upfront payment, such as a deposit pre-admission, to cover their estimated hospitalisation cost. Once the bill and the insurance payout are finalised, they will be reimbursed for any excess payments. Even if the patient has private insurance, hospitals have no certainty over the patient’s insurance payout, given the range of private insurance policies with different coverage, terms and exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Therefore, they may collect a deposit. However, hospitals may waive or reduce the deposit if the patient’s insurer issues an upfront Letter of Guarantee to cover all or part of the estimated bill. Today, all the six Integrated Shield Plan insurers issue Letters of Guarantee, usually with coverage of up to $10,000, if the patient meets their criteria.”
“Evidence from other countries suggests that requiring calorie labels on menus can be effective in reducing the number of calories consumed, if consumers are aware of the labels and understand how to use them. Calorie labels also help to incentivise food and beverage businesses to modify their recipes and offer lower calorie options on their menus. We have made some progress on this front in Singapore. Restaurants, such as Dian Xiao Er and The Soup Spoon, have shown the calorie values for all their menu items. Food court operators like Kopitiam have also done so at selected outlets. Other operators, such as Foodfare and Koufu, highlight the calorie value of their healthier dishes, while McDonald's and Subway provide calorie information online. There is scope to do more in this area and we will continue to work with the food and beverage industry to provide Singaporeans with a larger variety of healthier meal options. The Diabetes Prevention and Care Taskforce will study Mr Zaqy Mohamad's proposal in consultation with our stakeholders, including hawkers and small businesses, and look at how we can balance the benefits and associated costs of implementation. I thank the Member for his suggestion.”
“The idea of a "No Claim Discount" on MediShield Life premiums was considered by the MediShield Life Review Committee when they conducted their review in 2014. After careful deliberation, the Committee decided against the idea. The Committee felt that having a "No Claim Discount" may lead Singaporeans to delay seeking essential treatment even though they are ill. This may result in worse outcomes, such as medical complications, prolonged illness and even larger hospital bills, down the road. Furthermore, a person could take good care of his health and still require medical treatment. For example, he may encounter an accident. Introducing a "No Claim Discount" may unduly "penalise" such individuals who are hospitalised for reasons beyond their control. Page: 77”
“Currently, with 900 Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) general practitioner (GP) and 650 CHAS dental clinics islandwide, Singaporeans enjoy good access to subsidies at CHAS clinics. On average, each constituency has around 30 GP and 20 dental clinics under CHAS. Over 96% of CHAS cardholders and Pioneers have a CHAS clinic within 15 minutes by public transport from their homes. Since the introduction of CHAS in 2012, the number of clinics participating in CHAS has increased significantly. Today, 70% of our primary care GP clinics are already participating in CHAS. We will continue with our targeted engagement efforts to bring on board more GP and dental clinics to participate in CHAS and to play a bigger role in providing appropriate and affordable primary care to our residents.”
“The Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) provides means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of assistive devices, home healthcare items and transport services to Ministry of Health (MOH)-funded eldercare and dialysis centres. It supports caregivers in caring for seniors at home. Over 29,000 seniors have benefited from SMF since its establishment in 2011. Of these, about 15,800 seniors received subsidies for mobility devices, such as wheelchairs, motorised wheelchairs and walking aids. The demand for devices and transport services for seniors is growing. We have, therefore, prioritised our funding to target the purchase of essential mobility equipment, rather than maintenance and repair, including battery replacement. Nonetheless, we have provided, on a case-by-case basis, SMF subsidy to some seniors with a critical need for the device but no financial means to replace a battery or repair the device. We will continue to review the scope of the SMF as needs of seniors evolve, within the fiscal resources available for this scheme.”
“Madam, I will keep it short. Our priority is to train our own doctors, to provide them with opportunities to go into specialist training if they are able to. But we do also want to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of local doctors that go into family medicine because family medicine is going to play an increasingly important role. As I explained just now, family medicine will play a very important role in our review of primary care. Therefore, we want to encourage our doctors to pursue further education, both in specialist as well as family medicine training. Having said that, despite the expansion in the pipeline, expansion in our training capacity, we will still need to look at the need of supplementing our local manpower with foreign trained manpower. The first part of foreign trained manpower is our own Singaporeans who are trained overseas. We have a lot of programmes to reach out to them, including our Pre-employment Grant (PEG), where we work with our students who are receiving training overseas to attract them back to Singapore to serve in our public sector. Our greatest allies are the parents because the parents do want their children to return. So, we work with them to bring them back. I have one parent who came to me to say, "Can you please give my son the PEG? I will fund you, but make sure he signs the contract to come back." We do go out of our way to reach out to them, engage them, provide them with the opportunity to return. In between their studies, if there are opportunities, we will also want to bring them back for internship, training and so on, so that they remain connected to Singapore. We hope to be able to do more of this, going forward.”
“But we have developed protocols to facilitate primary care doctors to make a preliminary diagnosis and, in many cases, you do not require the services of a specialist and you can refer patients directly to a physiotherapist. This is still at the pilot stage. We want to try it out to see whether this works well for us. If it does, we will encourage more in the primary sector to take on this responsibility. In doing so, you will find that between GPs and polyclinic, between primary care and specialist care, it is going to be more and more integrated. The indicators that we use will also have to take that into account. How do we measure the outcome, not in a segmented way, each individual department's or setting's performance, but an integrated performance measurement? It is something that is evolving, and we will consider the Member's suggestions and incorporate some of them.”
“Madam, I may take a little bit longer. Usually, I try not to reject ideas and suggestions, so we will consider Mr Leon Perera's suggestion carefully and see whether we could enhance our indicators and publish the wait times for both appointments and walk-ins. In saying that, I should also clarify that in the primary sector, such as polyclinics that the Member was referring to, we have more critical issues at hand because we are in the process of restructuring the whole primary care sector, as Dr Lam has outlined. Over time, we should look at primary care not just between polyclinics and GPs. In primary care, polyclinics and private GPs should work together. We have also introduced Family Medicine Clinics which are still in the pilot phase. We have six or seven of them and we hope to expand and have more. They play a very important role. We are in the process of restructuring and revamping the primary care sector. Our indicators and performance targets have to be in line with the new model that we are evolving. We will take on board the Member's suggestion and study very carefully but, at the same time, bear in mind that the sector is going through a transformation. This is not just between polyclinic and GPs. We are also trying to integrate SOCs with primary care, so that we minimise the need to refer cases to the SOCs and to also facilitate discharge of SOC patients to primary care, so that they can be taken care of in a primary care setting. One example is orthopaedics. In orthopaedics today − I think Dr Chia Shi-Lu would be very familiar with − primary care and polyclinic patients cannot have direct access to physiotherapy without being referred to orthopaedic specialists because we are concerned about the missed-diagnosis.”
“Madam, yes, I will try to keep it short. I had been working with the unions and the employers' group when I was in the Ministry of Manpower, to look at the portable medical benefits, and I continue to do so after I have moved over to MOH. I am very supportive of these portable medical benefits and I think it is a great thing. The most portable medical benefit is really MediShield Life. I would encourage employers to think about helping their employees with their MediShield Life, either by topping up their MediSave so that they can use their MediSave top-up to pay for the MediShield Life premiums, or purchase IPs for their employees. These are possibilities, and we do have tax incentives for them. They can claim up to 2% tax deductions for the cost of the portable medical benefits. I will now ask my colleague, Minister of State Chee Hong Tat, to talk about MediSave withdrawal limits that the Member has asked about, as well as healthy eating habits, how to help the low-wage workers. On the health records from birth to school, adult and retirement, we have introduced an app called "My Health Hub" which draws data from your personal health records, including your screening and vaccination records from birth to the end of life. So, I would encourage you to download this app which you can carry in your handphone and it is available to you 24/7 all the time. It is something that we are working on and we will continue to enhance this app. This is just a pilot application and it is still at the beta stage. We encourage you to download it, use it and let us have your feedback on how it is working and we will continue to enhance its features to make it useful for individuals. We want to use this to empower our individuals to lead a healthy lifestyle.”
“Madam, we will take onboard the suggestion and study what are the implications. There are pros and cons. From the patients' point of view, whether the data is meaningful or not, is something we need to consider. From the patients' point of view, what we do for SOC services is to prioritise their needs and fix their schedule according to the seriousness of their conditions. For those who have more serious and time-sensitive conditions, we will give them priority. The published wait time may not mean a lot to them and may create more confusion, because some of them may have to wait longer than the median wait time because their conditions are less critical, and some may have earlier appointments because of their serious conditions. From the patients' point of view, we have to be careful with the data we publish. But we do monitor the wait times at our SOCs for our hospitals. Whether they are published or not, it is a performance indicator that we keep track of.”
“Madam, let me just address the first clarification on the Health Product Act. Dr Chia is right that we are looking at health product regulations and looking at the pharmaceutical products that are currently regulated under the Medicines Act. Pharmaceutical products will be ported over to the Health Products Act to be regulated under the Health Products Act as therapeutic products, in addition to the medical devices and cosmetic products that are already under the Health Products Act. This is in line with our plan to update our legislation and to consolidate the regulation of health-related products in one Act for greater clarity. We have conducted extensive stakeholder engagement. We held two rounds of public consultation recently. The feedback has been supportive and we hope to be able to finalise the review shortly and to bring over the therapeutic products into the Health Products Act by the end of this year.”
“We will be increasing public awareness about diabetes and empowering individuals to take control of their health. To coordinate the strategies on the war on diabetes, I will be co-chairing a Diabetes Prevention and Care Taskforce together with Mr Ng Chee Meng, Acting Minister for Education. The task force will include representatives from Government agencies, private sector, patient advocacy and caregiver groups and will: (a) develop and implement a multi-year action plan for the war on diabetes; (b) reach out and mobilise the nation to fight the disease together; and (c) monitor and evaluate the outcomes of our efforts. The war on diabetes will not be a quick battle, but a long war requiring sustained efforts. Results of our efforts can only be seen in the long term, but we must persevere. And if we succeed in shifting mindsets and changing habits, we will be able to curb not just diabetes but other related chronic diseases, such as heart disease, as well. And we will improve the lives of Singaporeans and reduce the burden on their families. Madam, health is, ultimately, a personal responsibility. All Singaporeans need to play an active role in their health journey and in the war on diabetes. We all need to make sensible lifestyle choices and informed decisions in our health. The Government will do its part to provide a supportive environment, but we cannot do this alone. If we are able to do this together, we will achieve better health, better care and a better life for all Singaporeans.”
“For those with diabetes, we need to do our best to help them have a good quality of life, at all stages, by having good control over their disease. This can help to reduce or delay complications and give patients better quality of life. Madam, let me speak in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] This year, we are going to declare war on diabetes. Many of my colleagues asked me, "Why so serious? Why do you want to say, 'declare war'? Why so aggressive?" Diabetes is a problem that is getting more serious by the day. Our Singaporeans have a one-third possibility of contracting diabetes during their lifetime. The possibility of them contracting diabetes as they grow older also increases. And it is not just them who suffer. Their families and relatives will also suffer. Therefore, we have no choice but to mobilise the entire population to declare war on diabetes. We should not just talk. We should also, each of us, play a part by eating responsibly and exercising and ensuring our own health. At the same time, we also need to do intervention earlier and do screening much earlier. Together, we can also seek help if we need to. Together, nationwide, we can have a healthier lifestyle. (In English): The key to winning the war on diabetes is for all Singaporeans to be engaged in the battle. The key partners in this war are the individuals, his family and the community. By working together, we hope to create an environment that makes healthy choices easy, but Singaporeans also need to play their part by eating healthily, exercising often and going for the recommended screenings and follow-ups. We can also play a part in encouraging and helping others to do so.”
“To encourage more people to exercise, we will expand ongoing programmes, such as the National Steps Challenge and Sundays@The Park, as well as introduce new programmes and bring them to schools, workplaces and our community. The risk of developing diabetes is 30% to 40% higher among active smokers than non-smokers, and we will be doing more to curb smoking rates as part of this plan. Healthy habits start young. Minister of State Lam Pin Min will be leading our efforts in developing the NurtureSG Plan to tackle many of the preventable risk factors for our youths. We will be working closely with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to develop and implement this plan. Second, we will strengthen early screening and intervention to identify the disease early, especially those at risk. Screening plays an important role in our war by picking up cases earlier, starting interventions and, thus, reducing the likelihood of the gory images I showed you previously. This is like intelligence in warfare. But, follow-up after screening is equally important. We hope that earlier intervention and basic lifestyle changes can even reverse the pre-diabetes state and get such individuals back to health. In a US study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, pre-diabetics can reduce the overall incidence of diabetes by 58% through diet, exercise and behaviour modification. That is why I said we still have hope. These lifestyle changes worked particularly well for participants aged 60 and older, reducing their risk by up to 71%. So, you are never too old to make lifestyle changes and take back your health. 12.15 pm Third, we will support better disease control to slow disease progression and reduce complications.”
“But the good news is: we can change. We do not have to accept it and we can reduce the risk. Of those who have diabetes, one in three Singaporeans has not been diagnosed. And among those diagnosed, one in three has poor control of their condition. The following images on-screen may be graphic but they are examples of what some Singaporeans endure daily. Left undetected, untreated or poorly managed, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputations. In fact, four Singaporeans a day lose a limb or appendage due to diabetic-related complications. These complications reduce the quality of life for the patient and increase the burden on the individual, families and society as a whole. A Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health study estimated the total economic burden of diabetes for working-age adults at more than $1 billion a year. However, the long-term cost of diabetes, taking into account the psycho-social burden, is far more than this. We need to tackle the diabetes challenge. Therefore, I am declaring War on Diabetes. We want to help Singaporeans live lives free from diabetes, and for those with the disease, to help them control their condition to prevent deterioration. This is a multi-year effort. We will engage stakeholders and develop detailed action plans together, but let me outline our broad strategy. First, we will work on upstream prevention to promote a healthy lifestyle and reduce obesity rates in order to cut down on new diabetes cases. Broadly, we are doing this by ramping up our health promotion efforts through a twin food-and-exercise strategy. We will improve the dietary quality in schools, communities and workplaces, and learn from successful international regulatory strategies.”
“As we move beyond hospitals to the community and beyond quality to value, we also have to move beyond delivering healthcare and focus on providing good health to nurture a healthy nation and a healthy people. To do this, we need to arrest the causes of ill health early and reduce the progression of long-term chronic diseases. While the Health Adjusted Life Expectancy has improved over the years, as I mentioned earlier, Singaporeans are also living with ill health longer – one-and-a-half years longer than in 1990. We have observed several worrying trends in recent years. Decreasing activity across all age groups and the increasing consumption of excessive calories and fat leading to a rising obesity rate. Obesity is the major risk factor for chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes. As noted by Dr Lily Neo and Dr Chia Shi-Lu, diabetes is, indeed, fast becoming a major global healthcare concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced that the global number of adults living with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980 to over 400 million in 2014; and of this 400 million, over 400,000 are in Singapore – they are Singaporeans. Among Singaporeans, about 400,000 have diabetes, and one in three Singaporeans has a lifetime risk to develop diabetes; 30% lifetime risk. What is one in three? When I sat in my seat, I looked to my left and I looked to my right. On my left is Mr Lim Swee Say and on my right is Ms Grace Fu. I looked at Mr Lim. I asked him yesterday, "Do you have diabetes?" He proudly declared, "No". So, I turned to Ms Grace Fu. I was too polite to ask her, but she does not look like she has diabetes. That is the good news. The bad news is: one in three means I have the highest risk of getting diabetes. [Laughter.] That is one in three.”
“It is for this reason that we have a co-payment feature throughout our healthcare system. For example, MediShield Life has co-payment features like claim limits, deductibles and co-insurance to help guard against over-consumption or over-provision of services. However, many Singaporeans have private Integrated Shield Plans that are "as charged", which means they have no claim limits, and some buy extra riders to cover the deductibles and co-insurance. Such features could lead to a "buffet syndrome" since all the cost will be paid for by third parties, by someone else. This contributes to rising healthcare costs for everyone and eventually pushes up premiums. We will need to study this carefully to ensure sustainability. Emerging healthcare technologies are becoming increasingly expensive and we need to ensure that the outcomes derived from these technologies are commensurate with the costs. As part of the "Choosing Wisely" campaign, medical bodies in the United States (US), Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), Australia and Japan have identified 400 areas of unnecessary or low value tests and treatments. We, too, have recently set up the Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE) to expand our capacity in evaluating the clinical and cost effectiveness of health technologies. ACE will look into high-cost treatments and technologies, systematically evaluate and develop guidance to guide the proper use of such treatments and technology, and encourage providers to manage costs while providing quality care. This will help patients, care-givers and physicians to make more informed decisions on treatment and avoid over-provision of services that will eventually drive up costs.”
“This requires a whole-of-society approach and we are encouraged to see organisations, such as the Lien Foundation, raise these topics at the national level. Through the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), we have also been working with our hospitals and community partners to raise the awareness of Advance Care Planning (ACP). ACP allows individuals and their families to better understand their preferences towards the end of life and to fulfil their wishes. Take, for example, the late Mr Phang who was admitted to Dover Park Hospice after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Through ACP, the hospice staff were able to establish that his preference was to pass on at home, so that he was able to spend his last days in a familiar environment, together with his wife. This was a great source of comfort to his wife. She was grateful to the hospice staff for establishing his end-of-life wishes. Madam, we need to continue this conversation. Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will be elaborating on further enhancements we are making in palliative care. As we transform our healthcare system, we have to be mindful of the long-term implications on sustainability. Our healthcare budget has more than doubled from $4.7 billion in financial year (FY) 2012 to $11 billion this year. This has come about partly because of ageing and the need to invest in infrastructure, but also because of the Government's policy shift to take on a greater proportion of healthcare costs. The current challenging economic outlook is a timely reminder of the need to ensure sustainability, not just for ourselves but for future generations. Therefore, we need to choose care that is appropriate to needs, so that we can make the best use of our limited resources.”
“As Dr Chia Shi-Lu pointed out, the key is to build a trusted relationship between GPs and Singaporeans, so that your family doctor has a deeper understanding of you and your family's health needs and can, therefore, provide better guidance and more appropriate treatment when needed. Minister of State Lam Pin Min will elaborate on how we are strengthening the primary care sector later on. As we reshape our health delivery system and move beyond the hospital to the community, we need to make similar shifts in how we develop and deploy our healthcare workforce. Our healthcare workforce must be future-ready, so that healthcare professionals can continue to enjoy fulfilling careers and can readily acquire new skills and capabilities. Senior Minister of State Amy Khor will talk about how we are creating good healthcare jobs for Singaporeans and fostering industry-relevant skills through the national SkillsFuture framework. MOH, together with our public healthcare institutions, will be looking into job redesign and the use of technology to not just simplify the work for our healthcare teams, but to also work in a different way to deliver care to our patients. Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will share how productivity and innovation can support our healthcare workers and improve patient care. Dr Chia Shi-Lu said we must care for Singaporeans from birth to death, and I agree. The issue of death is a sensitive one, especially in our "pantang" Asian society. These are difficult conversations which we must have, not just among family members, but also at the national level, that is, if we want our loved ones and family members to have dignity, comfort and peace of mind as they walk through their last journey.”
“To do this, we need to reshape our health delivery system. The first aspect in reshaping our system is to link up care through the Regional Health System (RHS). Over the last few years, we have done this by building up the primary, intermediate, long-term and home-care sectors, and the networks between hospitals and these care partners. These have helped to streamline processes, enable shorter hospital stays and support faster recovery for patients. We will need to further strengthen the integration of RHS. An example of this is to develop structured care pathways to better care for patients across settings. Let me illustrate. The Eastern Health Alliance RHS has introduced an integrated care pathway for patients with hip fracture, across providers. Patients who have sustained hip fractures are quickly identified and put on the hip fracture pathway. The pathway organises the different care providers in the RHS into a coherent workflow to efficiently care for the patients, allowing for a more timely surgery, shorter acute hospital stays, and faster transition to rehabilitation at St Andrew's Community Hospital next door. This is crucial, as starting the rehabilitation process early leads to better mobility outcomes. Upon discharge, patients attend day rehabilitation near their homes, as needed, to optimise their functional outcomes. Such pathways require various partners in the RHS, and sometimes among RHSes, to work closely to deliver seamless care to patients, for better outcomes. Our vision of "One Singaporean, One Family Doctor" remains relevant. We want to transform primary care to be the first and continuous line of care so that Singaporeans can access good quality care in the community.”
“The effort to pilot Community Networks for Seniors announced by the Minister for Finance earlier, is a whole-of-Government approach to "close the last mile" in supporting successful ageing for seniors in our community. As highlighted by Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef and Ms Tin Pei Ling, this pilot is not about introducing another new service for seniors in the community, but an effort to strengthen partnership and coordination among key stakeholders, such as agencies and community organisations, so that we can work together, as a team, to better meet the needs of our seniors and build a stronger community for our seniors to age in place. 12.00 pm We have studied the system in other countries. Many developed countries with ageing populations are facing similar challenges as us. One important lesson we can learn from them is that doing more of the same cannot be the solution. We need a paradigm shift in our approach to ageing and health. Singapore can and must be different. It will take time, but we must start now. We must make good use of the next few years to plan ahead and design a system that meets our growing needs in a cost-effective and sustainable manner beyond 2020. We can do so, with three paradigm shifts: first, to move beyond the hospital to the community; second, to move beyond quality to value; and third, to move beyond healthcare to health. Let me elaborate. Beyond hospital-centric to community-based care, we are transforming our healthcare delivery system from one that is built around the hospital, to one that is directed at meeting the needs of Singaporeans. We will make it easier for patients to access appropriate care, help them recover faster and enhance health outcomes while keeping costs affordable and sustainable.”
“She has four children, 10 grandchildren and six great grandchildren – a great example for our population strategy. A few weeks ago, the whole family came together to celebrate her 85th birthday. We wish Mdm Sung and her family the best of health. Overall, from last December to February this year, MediShield Life approved about $136 million for 95,000 claims, or about $45.3 million per month. This is a 29% increase, compared to the average monthly claim for MediShield in 2015. MediShield Life, together with Government subsidies, MediSave and MediFund, will continue to help many Singaporeans like Mdm Sung and low-wage workers mentioned by Nominated Member Thanaletchimi in her Budget speech earlier, giving them greater peace of mind that their medical treatment will be affordable. Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the coverage for overseas Singaporeans. MediShield Life was introduced to give all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents assurance of universal healthcare coverage, regardless of their health condition, situation and background. MOH is aware that Singaporeans based overseas are concerned that MediShield Life coverage is mandatory. We recognise that the overseas Singaporean community is diverse and individual circumstances vary considerably. The MediShield Life Council will conduct targeted engagements with overseas Singaporeans as part of their MediShield Life coverage review, while bearing in mind the principle of universal coverage. Madam, the report on the Action Plan for Successful Ageing released in February outlined our strategy to develop a senior-friendly nation and a caring community.”
“In 2014, we launched the PG Package which provided 450,000 Singaporeans with more help with their healthcare costs. For lower- to middle-income Singaporeans, we have raised the subsidies for outpatient drugs and specialist care. As of December 2015, 715,000 Singaporeans have benefited from these enhanced subsidies. With CHAS, I spoke about this just now, about 1.4 million Singaporeans, including Pioneers, are able to benefit from Government subsidies at participating GPs and dentists close to their homes. Since 2012, we have more than doubled the number of participating clinics to 1,500. We have introduced more flexibility in the use of MediSave to help Singaporeans with their healthcare costs. Today, Singaporeans can also use up to $400 per MediSave account per year to pay for their outpatient chronic disease management. Last November, we introduced MediShield Life to provide better protection for all, for life. To date, many Singaporeans have benefited from MediShield Life. Take, for example Mdm Sung, a Pioneer living in Ang Mo Kio. Late last November, Mdm Sung had a stroke and her family brought her to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where she was warded for 11 days. She continued her rehabilitation and recovery for eight days at the Ang Mo Kio Thye Hwa Kwan Community Hospital near her home. The total bill for the stay came up to $16,900 and, after subsidies, Mdm Sung needed to pay $6,400. Before MediShield Life, Mdm Sung, who was uninsured, would have had to pay the full $6,400, but with MediShield Life coverage, she only had to pay about $3,300, close to half the original bill. And all of this was paid through her MediSave. Today, Mdm Sung is back to living with her son and his family.”
“Mr Perera is correct that wait times for patients with appointments is, indeed, lower than wait times for walk-in patients. Over the past few years, polyclinics have been encouraging more patients to use the appointment system. Currently, all patients with chronic conditions, many of whom are elderly, are offered appointments for their next chronic visit. In 2015, 70% of these chronic patients visited the polyclinics by appointments. We will continue to help more patients use the appointment system. In the meantime, we are adding capacity and improving processes to meet the primary care needs of our population. The last four years, we redeveloped the Geylang and Tampines Polyclinics and have just completed an expansion of Marine Parade Polyclinic. Currently, we are redeveloping Bedok, Ang Mo Kio and Yishun Polyclinics and are on track to open new polyclinics in Jurong West, Punggol and Bukit Panjang, and a new primary care facility in Sembawang by 2020. Madam, many Singaporeans choose to visit polyclinics, instead of private GPs, because of the significantly lower costs at polyclinics as a result of Government subsidies. Lower and middle income patients and all PG patients now have an alternative as they can tap on the PG package and the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) to enjoy subsidised primary care at private GP clinics instead. Madam, our healthcare professionals are at the heart of delivering quality patient care. To meet the increasing healthcare demand, we have grown the healthcare professional workforce of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals by 24% from 46,000 to 57,000 between 2011 and 2015. We have also made significant moves in addressing Singaporeans' concerns over affordability.”
“Third, we have added new SOC capacity through developments, such as the Nnational University Hospital (NUH) Medical Centre, National Heart Centre and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. Mr Low Thia Khiang cited the case of a patient experiencing a long wait for an appointment and biopsy results. I would like to explain that the usual turnaround time for laboratory biopsy results is around three days. So, I would be happy to look into the circumstances of the specific case if Mr Low can provide the details. Mr Low also asked about the time taken for computed tomography (CT) scans. For the first quarter of 2016, the median wait time for a routine subsidised outpatient CT scan was between one and three weeks for most hospitals and has remained stable over the past three years. I should explain that the timing of the CT scans may also be a result of scheduling to coincide with the reviews by doctors. For conditions that require urgent scans, hospitals are able to fast-track these cases, whether in the wards, in the SOCs or at the accident and emergency (A&E), on the same day or the following day. Other than hospital capacity, we have also added about 1,200 nursing home beds and 60% more home-care, day care and home palliative care places between 2011 and 2015. Looking forward to 2020, we are on track to add more than 6,600 places in community care, home-care and palliative care, as well as 7,900 beds in acute hospitals, community hospitals and nursing homes. Mr Leon Perera asked about wait times at our polyclinics. Polyclinic attendances have been growing over the years, from 4.5 million attendances in 2011 to 4.9 million in 2015. Median consultation wait times have improved from 32 minutes in 2011 to around 14 minutes in 2015.”
“Despite the increasing workload, the median wait times for subsidised new appointments remained fairly constant, at about 29 days over the past three years, while the 95th percentile wait times increased from 110 to 125 days. For private patients, median wait times stayed about the same at eight days, while the 95th percentile wait times also increased, from 47 to 58 days. Nevertheless, we have made improvements in the 50th percentile and 95th percentile wait times for specialties, such as Rheumatology and Immunology, Gastroenterology, Ophthalmology and Neurology, despite increasing attendances at these SOCs. SOC wait times vary across hospitals. At Alexandra Hospital, for example, the overall median wait time is less than a week and, at the 95th percentile, 12 days. So, patients who need an earlier appointment can ask their doctor to refer them to hospitals with a shorter wait time. For patients with more serious and time-sensitive conditions, our hospitals and polyclinics have protocols in place to arrange for faster appointments at our SOCs. For example, the median wait time for new subsidised appointments for urgent cardiac conditions and suspected cancers was around one week. In fact, for cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, the median wait time has improved from 14 days to six days. We have been managing the wait times for our SOCs in three ways. First, we optimise the SOC appointment system to give priority to urgent cases. We also reduce "no-shows" by reminding our patients of their appointments via messages. Second, we are working with polyclinics and general practitioners (GPs) to ensure that only patients who need a specialist's care are referred to our SOCs and, for patients who have recovered and are well, to help them transition back to primary care.”
“Madam, our healthcare system has served Singaporeans well. The average lifespan of Singaporeans born in 2014 is now 82.8 years, 7.5 years longer than in 1990. Life expectancy in Singapore is among the highest in the world and our Health Adjusted Life Expectancy, which measures years lived with "full health", is among the top three globally. In short, Singaporeans can expect to live longer and healthier. There are encouraging signs that more Singaporeans are choosing a healthier lifestyle. The proportion of adult smokers fell from 18.3% to 13.3% over the last 20 years. We are also choosing healthier foods. Today, more than a quarter of Singaporeans consume at least one serving of wholegrain products per day, more than three times the rate in 2004. But the picture is not all rosy. There are some worrying trends which I will elaborate later. But, first, let me give an update on our Healthcare 2020 Master Plan. First, on accessibility. Over the last five years, MOH has expanded our capacity in all sectors. In 2015 alone, we opened three new acute and community hospitals progressively and added over 900 beds − Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital in the West, and Yishun Community Hospital in the North. The three hospitals will continue their ramp-up this year and are expected to bring online another 270 beds. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked about wait times for our Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs). From 2013 to 2015, SOC attendances increased by 5%, largely due to the increase in subsidised attendances by our seniors, which grew by 26%. These patients would have benefited from higher subsidies, especially for the Pioneer Generation (PG). During the same period, private SOC attendances actually fell by 5.3%.”