Ong Ye Kung
Singapore
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) recently enhanced the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) dental subsidies, which are tiered by income, for common preventive and restorative procedures.”
“Healthier SG GP clinics may also refer their enrolled patients to Active Ageing Centres and Community Health Posts to fulfill their social prescriptions and for subsidised services, such as medication management.”
“Public hospitals, such as the National University Hospital, the Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, have deployed robotic-assisted surgical (RAS) systems for minimally invasive soft-tissue surgeries.”
“The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) welcomes drug producers to choose Singapore as part of their first-wave filings. As long as a pharmaceutical product is approved by at least one regulatory agency, such as China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), it would also qualify for the abridged route.”
“A decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with diabetes can be due to multiple reasons. Doctors will first investigate the underlying cause before determining whether the patient should be referred to a specialist. Some causes are reversible and cause transient reduction in renal function.”
“Information on the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) cannot be made visible on the National Electronic Health Record system as it is protected under the Mental Capacity Act. Such information may only be disclosed by the Public Guardian to specified persons upon satisfactory submission of evidence(s) required under the law.”
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“In line with the Health Promotion Board's guidance on limiting unsupervised screen use, the KK Women’s and Children's Hospital discourages children from keeping digital devices at their bedside, unless supervised by a caregiver. To reduce reliance on screens, nurses and volunteers engage children in activities, such as board games, and interactive art and music sessions, where available. Children with specific emotional needs may be referred for further interventions, where therapists will use play, recreation, art and music to help them cope with the hospital stay.”
“Between 2021 and 2025, the number of children below the age of 18 admitted for non-medical or social reasons in KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) averages at 230 per year. The average length of stay is 12.4 days. Most were due to problems at home or the social environment and alleged abuse.”
“The Ministry of Health provides funding support for Primary Care Network schemes (PCNs) referencing manpower ratios in public healthcare settings. As private entities, PCNs in turn calibrate their own resourcing based on service demand and each network's needs. On average, PCNs have employed care coordinators based on a ratio of one care coordinator to approximately 3,400 Healthier SG enrolled residents with chronic conditions, comparable to polyclinics.”
“This question has been addressed in Oral reply to Parliamentary Question No 36 on 7 July 2026. [Please refer to "Tracking and Publishing Number of Seniors who Die Alone in Their Homes", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]”
“The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) welcomes drug producers to choose Singapore as part of their first-wave filings. As long as a pharmaceutical product is approved by at least one regulatory agency, such as China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), it would also qualify for the abridged route. Life-saving innovative therapies that address critical public health needs in Singapore, such as cancer or infectious diseases, will also qualify for priority review by HSA. Regardless of where the drug is developed, we would apply the same rigor in our evaluation. Specifically on NMPA, HSA has been deepening our engagement, including signing a renewed Memorandum of Understanding in May 2026, to explore facilitative regulatory pathways and pilot innovative initiatives to bring safe and effective products to patients more quickly.”
“The Holistic Approach to Lowering and Tracking Chronic Kidney Disease (HALT-CKD) programme enrolled over 165,000 patients since its launch in 2017. The care model has been integrated into routine care for eligible patients since April 2026. More than half of the patients enrolled from 2017 to 2019 maintained or improved their estimated glomerular filtration rates over a five-year period.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) recently enhanced the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) dental subsidies, which are tiered by income, for common preventive and restorative procedures. We also extended the Flexi-MediSave scheme to higher-cost dental restorative procedures, such as permanent crowns and root canal treatments at public healthcare institutions and CHAS dental clinics, to better support patients in affording these procedures in Singapore. We periodically review requests to expand MediSave coverage but will need to strike a balance between helping Singaporeans defray their current healthcare costs and ensuring they retain sufficient MediSave savings to meet their future healthcare needs. MOH monitors the capacity of public dental services across polyclinics, national specialty dental centres and hospital dental clinics through indicators, such as attendances, workload and wait times. We refresh demand projections to assess whether services can meet future needs and to ensure capacity planning keeps pace with demographic shifts and evolving oral health needs.”
“This year, the Ministry of Health (MOH) significantly enhanced long-term care financing support schemes to improve care affordability. These enhancements include increased subsidies for long-term care services such as nursing homes as well as home and community care. We also increased monthly cash payouts provided by the Home Caregiving Grant and CareShield Life schemes, and expanded coverage of subsidised home healthcare items under the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund. These help to address other expenses outside of formal care, including transport and assistive technologies. Long-term care expenses could vary widely across ages, needs, care preferences and insurance coverage. With the enhanced support, we estimate the out-of-pocket expenses to be about $110 per month, for a person with severe disability from a low-income household, who uses a typical set of care services in the home and community setting, and is covered by CareShield Life. Persons with severe disability may also withdraw up to $200 per month from their MediSave, via the MediSave Care scheme, to further defray their out-of-pocket expenses. Finally, our safety nets, such as MediFund and ElderFund, ensure that no patient is denied appropriate care due to an inability to pay.”
“Information on the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) cannot be made visible on the National Electronic Health Record system as it is protected under the Mental Capacity Act. Such information may only be disclosed by the Public Guardian to specified persons upon satisfactory submission of evidence(s) required under the law. Typically, the appointed donees would present the LPA to healthcare providers when acting for donors who have lost mental capacity. If the healthcare provider does not know the identity of the donor's next-of-kin or donee, or is unable to contact them after reasonable attempts, they may request for information on the donor's LPA via the Office of the Public Guardian Online portal.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not coordinate with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) on complaints involving contracts between cord blood banks and their clients. Cord blood banks are regulated by MOH under the Healthcare Services Act primarily to ensure the safety of cord blood for use in treatment. However, cord blood banking is an elective, commercial service provided by the private sector. Contractual matters relating to storage are private agreements between cord blood banks and their clients, and not where the Government can intervene. Parents should directly approach the cord blood banks if they wish to exit their contract, transfer their cord blood or seek recourse with respect to contractual matters. They may also approach CASE for assistance over their contractual disputes. Presently, the Healthcare Services (Cord Blood Banking Service) Regulations 2021 already establishes the need to have formal arrangements for the prompt restoration of services or transfer of cord blood to another licensed provider, including the need to seek express written consent for any such transfer in the event of any service disruption. MOH will review areas to strengthen these regulations, where appropriate.”
“The Ministry of Health is reviewing the inclusion of atopic dermatitis to the Chronic Disease Management Programme and will share the updates early next year. If atopic dermatitis is included, guidelines for medical professionals will be updated with the treatments claimable under MediSave.”
“Table 1 below provides the number of visits for eczema-related skin conditions at public health institutions from 2023 to 2025.”
“We do not track the intensity of and frequency of medical interventions. The focus for patients with life-limiting illness should shift towards quality of life and if required palliative care. The proportion of patients receiving palliative care has grown from 46% in 2023 to 51% in 2025. The proportion of deaths in acute hospitals has decreased from 62.5% in 2023 to 60% in 2025. The Ministry of Health encourages Singaporeans to complete their Advance Care Plan (ACP) to document their care preferences. The ACP tool helps their healthcare team and loved ones fulfil their care preferences towards the end of life based on their prior expressed wishes.”
“Public hospitals, such as the National University Hospital, the Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, have deployed robotic-assisted surgical (RAS) systems for minimally invasive soft-tissue surgeries. These hospitals possess relevant clinical expertise and sufficient demand based on accepted clinical indications to justify procurement of these RAS systems. The results, such as clinical outcomes and post-operative complications, for conditions indicated under RAS have so far been comparable to conventional surgical approaches. Robotics and automation technologies can potentially improve operational efficiency, ease staff workload and improve care to patients. With rising patient numbers and workload, appropriate usage of such technology can help mitigate the manpower shortages in the healthcare sector, including allied health and supportive roles over time. At an appropriate juncture, we can commission a detailed academic study on its impact.”
“A decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with diabetes can be due to multiple reasons. Doctors will first investigate the underlying cause before determining whether the patient should be referred to a specialist. Some causes are reversible and cause transient reduction in renal function. They do not need a referral for specialist review once these causes are corrected. Where clinically indicated, clinical practice guidelines and protocols guide doctors to make urgent referrals to a specialist. The frequency of kidney panel screenings is dependent on an individual patient's medical profile and rate of decline in renal function. Patients at higher risk of deterioration or complications are monitored more closely.”
“The Ministry of Health will provide a combined reply to this Parliamentary Question (PQ), together with other PQs, which have been filed on this topic, at the next available opportunity.”
“Healthier SG GP clinics may also refer their enrolled patients to Active Ageing Centres and Community Health Posts to fulfill their social prescriptions and for subsidised services, such as medication management. MOH also encourages family doctors to complete either the Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (GDFM) or the Master of Medicine (Family Medicine) (MMed (FM)) programmes to attain higher clinical competencies and greater confidence in managing more complex chronic conditions and coordinating care. In 2025, Family Medicine was recognised as a specialty, partly in recognition of the critical role family physicians can play in managing patients with complex chronic conditions in the community. Based on current trends in recruitment and attrition, we expect the healthcare workforce, including family doctors, nurses and care coordinators, to increase by 20% by 2030. MOH closely monitors the primary care caseload and regularly reviews our medium- to long-term manpower plans to ensure adequacy.”
“My response will also address a similar question raised by Mr Dennis Tan for a subsequent Sitting. If the question has been satisfactorily answered, the Member may wish to withdraw the question after the sitting. As Singapore ages, the prevalence of chronic diseases rises. To manage this, we need to leverage our entire medical talent pool. Today, general practitioners (GPs) attend to the great majority of acute outpatient cases, such as cough and cold, while polyclinics shouldered close to half of the chronic disease cases. We should address this imbalance. GPs, given their strong presence in the community and relationships with patients, can contribute a lot more to population health, including preventive care and chronic disease management. This is one of the key objectives of Healthier SG. Having implemented the national programme for a few years, the Ministry of Health (MOH) recently included new Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) conditions in the Healthier SG protocols, so that more chronic disease patients can benefit from the support of their GPs. As the nature of chronic disease management work is different from acute cases, GPs are remunerated through annual service fees disbursed by MOH. Last year, MOH disbursed a total of $350 million to the GP sector, for their services to population health and chronic disease management. GPs are not left to manage the increased workload on their own. All Healthier SG GP clinics are part of primary care networks (PCN), which they can rely on support from care coordinators and implement shared services. Eligible Healthier SG GP clinics also receive information technology enablement grants to defray the cost of clinic management systems.”
“The hantavirus outbreak has already subsided. Due to the co-operation of various country jurisdictions, the infected patients and potentially exposed passengers and crew disembarked from the cruise ship, were transferred safely via chartered flight to their destinations, and quarantined. The coordinated global response has successfully contained further spread.”
“Mr Speaker, my response will also address Written Question 29 raised by Dr Neo Kok Beng in today's Order Paper. [Please refer to "Small Home Robots to Monitor Well-being of Seniors Living Alone Following Undetected Senior Death Cases", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Written Answers to Questions section.] We do not track or publish data on seniors who pass away alone at home and are only detected later. Our focus is upstream – to reach out to as many seniors as we can and provide support to those who are vulnerable, such as referring them to Active Ageing Centres. The Silver Generation Office (SGO) under the Agency for Integrated Care conducts such outreach and identify seniors at-risk systematically. Neighbours, community groups and Grassroots organisations can also play a part and keep a lookout for these seniors and provide support. The Government has also been leveraging technology to support seniors living alone. For example, the Housing and Development Board has been progressively extending the wireless alert alarm system to seniors staying in public rental blocks, so that they can call for help during emergencies. The Ministry of Health rolled out the enhanced home personal care service islandwide since April 2026. Under this service, eligible seniors may opt to subscribe to a 24/7 monitoring and response system that detects falls and provide timely support.”
“Currently, mental health professionals who are members of the Singapore Association for Counselling, the Singapore Psychological Society and the Singapore Association of Social Workers are guided by their respective professional codes of practice to seek parental consent before providing care to minors in general. The Ministry of Health is consulting stakeholders on our draft parental consent guidelines and will share more when ready.”
“The Ministry of Health has developed draft guidelines for a tiered approach, which includes the provision for young people to obtain basic and preventive care without parental consent. We have sought input from parents, young people and service providers through focus group discussions, and are consulting more stakeholders including professional bodies in the coming months. We will provide further updates later this year.”
“Geriatric medicine services are available in all public acute hospitals. It is provided by multidisciplinary teams to ensure holistic care for elderly patients. The planning of hospital-based paediatric services is guided by clinical considerations and demographic trends, which drive demand. Given birth trends and our demography, the KK Women and Children's Hospital (KKH) and the National University Hospital (NUH), and private hospitals, such as Thomson Medical and Mount Alvernia, are adequate to serve the needs of our population. This also ensures sufficient case volume for paediatric specialists to maintain their expertise and provide treatment with good outcomes, particularly for children with rare or more complex conditions. In addition, General Practitioners are trained to manage a wide range of common ambulatory medical conditions in children, supported by community-based paediatricians. KKH and NUH have also planned for outpatient satellite paediatric clinic services to be sited in some of our regional hospitals, such as Sengkang General Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Woodlands Hospital. Ambulatory child development clinics are also available islandwide.”
“HealthHub's Terms of Use (TOU) is broadly similar to those of other digital health apps. It covers the full range of HealthHub's functions, from access to health records and appointment scheduling to bill payment, the caregiver module and more. The TOUs set out protections and liabilities to safeguard against illegal or inappropriate use that could compromise the platform for all users. We will continue to review the TOU to ensure clarity for users. Users who require assistance in understanding the TOU or managing their HealthHub access can call 1800 225 4482 or email contact_us@healthhub.sg.”
“Singapore scored 5.66 out of 10 for the death literacy index. Similar studies placed the index at 4.7 for Australia in 2019, and 4.76 for the United Kingdom in 2022. In 2023, we embarked on a national legacy planning campaign. The campaign promotes the adoption of legacy planning tools, such as Advance Care Planning, the Central Provident Fund Nomination, Lasting Power of Attorney and Wills through ground engagements and publicity. To further expand the reach of this effort, we have formed more than 70 partnerships with various commercial, social and community entities. The Singapore Hospice Council also engages the public to normalise conversations on death and advocate for a supportive palliative care environment. The legacy planning campaign also promotes MyLegacy@LifeSG, a one-stop online portal consolidating information on legacy planning, end-of-life care and post-death matters, such as funeral arrangements from relevant agencies, including the National Environment Agency.”
“These questions have been addressed in the oral answer to Parliamentary Question No 32 at the Parliament Sitting on 7 May 2026. [Please refer to "Measures to Prevent Unregistered Individuals and Companies That Hire Them from Offering Counselling and Therapy Services", Official Report, 7 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 31, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]”
“Cases where registered traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners knowingly lend their names as a front for non-registered practitioners to administer massage without a Massage Establishments (ME) licence, or to facilitate vice activities can adversely affect legitimate TCM practitioners and clinics. The Ministry of Health and the TCM Practitioners Board (TCMPB) work closely with the Singapore Police Force to identify such errant registered practitioners. Since 2018, TCMPB has concluded four disciplinary cases involving registered TCM practitioners convicted of offences under the ME Act. Penalties imposed have ranged from suspension of registration to permanent cancellation of registration.”
“The Ministry of Health is not aware of any long-term studies conducted in Singapore that specifically compare the physical and mental health outcomes of children born via in-vitro fertilisation and those conceived naturally and born to younger couples.”
“My reply will also address written Question Nos 9 and 10 raised by the Member in today's Order Paper. [Please refer to "Defining High-Risk Psychological Services and Mandating Unregistered Practitioner Disclosure Under the Psychology Registration Framework", Official Report, 7 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 31, Written Answers to Questions section.] The five psychological subdisciplines were selected through structured risk assessments conducted by expert panels of psychologists. These considered the magnitude and probability of harm to clients and patients arising from psychological services provided by clinical, clinical neuropsychology, counselling, educational and forensic psychologists. Once implemented, the Allied Health Professions Act (AHPA) will protect registered job titles pertaining to the five sub-disciplines and reserve their use for registered psychologists. Unregistered practitioners will not be permitted to use these titles in any context, including in advertisements and service agreements. The Ministry of Health and partner Ministries will also work with the Singapore Psychological Society to raise public awareness of the registered psychological sub-disciplines and their scopes of practice. A register of psychologists will be made publicly available. With this, other unregistered mental health practitioners do not need to explicitly state their status in their advertisements and service agreements. The Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) will oversee and enforce psychological practice under the AHPA and AHPC's Code of Professional Conduct. Enforcement action will be taken against errant practitioners or those falsely claiming to be registered psychologists.”
“The Healthy Meals in Schools programme (HMSP) is part of a broader suite of school-based efforts which complement Grow Well SG to cultivate healthy eating habits from young, such as nutrition education and parent engagement initiatives. As it would not be straightforward to attribute outcomes to the programme in isolation, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) tracks more broadly the eating habits of students under Grow Well SG. HPB does not collect data on actual food consumption rates or plate waste in schools under the programme. HPB engages regularly with schools and canteen vendors to ensure that meals served continue to meet the required guidelines and incorporates their feedback to refine the implementation of the guidelines. HPB also provides resources, such as the HMSP Toolkit for Schools, which includes sample recipes using healthier ingredients and cooking methods. HPB will continue to work with stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Education, schools and canteen vendors to strengthen and review the programme and better support students in developing healthy eating habits.”
“The Government has implemented several measures to develop healthy screen use habits in children early as part of Grow Well SG. This includes issuing screen use guidelines to provide parents with clearer guidance, leveraging the childhood development screening visits from zero to six years old to raise parental awareness and encourage behaviour change early, and disallowing smart phones in primary and secondary schools. These measures are showing effectiveness in changing parenting methods and screen use habits, and we are studying further measures, including for adolescents. There are no plans to require retailers of mobile phones, laptops, tablets and computers to display public education and warning advisory messages.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) will continue to review continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for subsidy coverage beyond patients with Type 1 diabetes. This includes assessing potential subgroups of patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus if the use of CGM is shown to be clinically and cost effective. Cost effectiveness depends on the price quoted by the suppliers for the Singapore market. Suppliers look to charge more here given our small market size and status as a high-income country. MOH is in constant discussion with suppliers while reviewing subsidy coverage for CGM systems.”
“Public healthcare institutions have been progressively building up palliative care competencies amongst our nursing workforce. Institutes of Higher Learning have also incorporated palliative care training in their respective courses of study for healthcare. We have always emphasised skills upgrading and training and will tap on existing training budgets for palliative care training. As palliative care training has become increasingly embedded across the healthcare system and is no longer confined to palliative care specialists, The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not currently track the specific number of healthcare workers trained in palliative care. MOH will plan for and monitor progress towards equipping 10,000 nurses and healthcare workers with general palliative care competencies by 2030.”
“The Ministry of Health tracks the progress of the National Strategy for Palliative Care by monitoring the proportion of patients who receive palliative care in their last year of life, currently at 51%, as well as the proportion of deaths occurring in hospitals, currently at around 60%. We also track the development of palliative care competencies within the healthcare workforce, to ensure that the expertise to deliver quality care is in place. This includes planning for and monitoring progress towards equipping 10,000 nurses and healthcare workers with general palliative care competencies by 2030.”
“Both artificial intelligence- (AI-)developed and conventionally developed drugs must meet the same international standards of quality, safety and efficacy. The Health Sciences Authority's regulatory approach is aligned with international agencies, such as the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, that have outlined key principles on the responsible use of AI in drug development. Patient data is robustly protected, including when used for AI development. Existing data protection and cybersecurity safeguards, including those under the Personal Data Protection Act, ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained and that the data is protected. We will continue to monitor developments and strengthen our safeguards as needed.”
“PRECISE-SG100K and the Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS) are large-scale longitudinal cohort studies to drive research, improve disease understanding, and enable more targeted care. The majority of their datasets were accessible from 2025 through TRUST, our national health research and analytics platform supporting the analysis of anonymised data for health research. Based on applications for data access on TRUST, there have been 40 approved applications to access PRECISE-SG100K and HELIOS' data. Of these, 34 were from public-sector researchers and six were from private companies. Since then, one publication has resulted from these applications, with more in the pipeline as projects mature. Publicly available listings of approved projects are maintained on the TRUST website.”
“We no longer have detailed data on the TraceTogether Programme as records have all been deleted when we stood down the programme. We estimate that about 600,000 quarantine orders were issued, with TraceTogether supplementing conventional contact tracing methods. This would have a significant impact on suppressing the spread of COVID-19, preventing infections and saving lives. Unlike the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, where the reproduction number, or R0, was two to four and spread was limited mostly to healthcare facilities, COVID-19 was transmitted more widely in the community with an R0 of five to 10, especially during the Delta and Omicron waves. It was not possible to conduct contact tracing for COVID-19 in the later stage of the pandemic through conventional, manual methods sufficiently quickly to control transmission in the community. Fortunately, we were able to deploy technology to strengthen our contact tracing capabilities. Together with vaccination, safe management measures and adaptive healthcare protocols that preserved hospital capacity, we were able to weather through the pandemic crisis with one of the lowest COVID-19 fatality rates globally and enable a strong recovery. The total cost of the TraceTogether Programme, including development of the TraceTogether qpp for handphones and the provision of TraceTogether tokens, was about $180 million. Majority of the cost was incurred for the TraceTogether tokens, which were made available to all residents on request.”
“Gender Dysphoria is a recognised clinical condition that has to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist based on established diagnostic criteria for children and adolescents. Youths experiencing gender dysphoria have complex medical needs. Our intervention approach is based on ensuring appropriate professional standards and evidence-based care. Hence, under the Ministry of Health's (MOH's) Treatment Guidelines, children and adolescents with gender dysphoria have to be cared for by a multidisciplinary team to ensure holistic and safe medical care. Psychological support should be the first line of treatment, and hormonal and surgical treatment should not be offered for children and adolescents under 18 years old. For adolescents aged 18 to 20 years old, hormonal therapy, excluding pubertal suppression, may only be offered in exceptional circumstances, with clear evidence of benefit, multidisciplinary team agreement and informed consent from the adolescent and their parents. MOH, the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education had also refreshed the Counselling Guidelines, following consultation with local sector professionals. The Counselling Guidelines recommends focusing on youths' overall adjustment and well-being by addressing presenting issues, such as mental health risks or family and peer interactions. To support youths in clarifying issues of sexuality and identity development, therapists should focus on providing non-judgmental and objective care and avoid influencing youths or their families towards a pre-determined outcome.”
“As of 28 April 2026, a total of 31 measles cases had been reported this year. Two were tourists, and 29 were residents. Among the residents, five were infants under 12 months of age who were not yet eligible for their first dose of the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Of the remaining 24, one is fully vaccinated, two cases had one dose of MMR and the remaining 21 cases had unknown or no vaccination history. The profile of those infected with measles is consistent with the evidence that completion of the two-dose MMR vaccination confers a high level of protection against measles. Hence, individuals who are unvaccinated or lack evidence of immunity are recommended to complete the two-dose MMR vaccination as per the national immunisation schedules.”
“The Healthpoints for blood donation is a small gesture of appreciation, just as Healthpoints is a small recognition for adoption of healthy habits. It is consistent with the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of voluntary non-remunerated blood donation, which permits small tokens of appreciation, refreshments and reimbursement of reasonable travel costs. It is not conceivable that people treat Healthpoints as a primary motivation for donating blood.”
“As the Minister said in his recent speech at the 9th Singapore Palliative Care Conference on 18 April 2026, the Ministry of Health has taken steps to make Home Palliative Care even more affordable for end-of-life patients since 2024. We enhanced means-tested subsidies and removed the lifetime MediSave withdrawal limits for patients using their own MediSave. Palliative care patients who need to defray other costs, such as non-medical costs, can tap on the Reduced Life Expectancy scheme to withdraw their Central Provident Fund savings.”
“Patients are usually first seen at the polyclinics and general practitioner clinics, where an assessment and appropriate treatment may be provided. Non-urgent cases will be referred to the mental health clinic if needed. In 2025, the median wait time for non-urgent referrals to the mental health clinic was 23 days. Those who have more urgent or complex needs requiring specialist care will receive earlier appointments or are referred to emergency services at the Institute of Mental Health or other acute hospitals. Services, such as assessments, counseling and psychotherapy, are also available in the community at Community Outreach Team and Community Intervention Team, which do not require referrals. The Ministry of Health will continue to right-site care and expand mental health services progressively in the community.”
“This enables the early detection of dental problems and referral to Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) dental clinics for follow-up. To further improve affordability of dental care within the community, CHAS dental subsidies were enhanced in October 2025, extending subsidies for 10 preventive dental procedures to CHAS Orange cardholders and increasing subsidy caps for seven restorative procedures (including dentures) for Pioneer Generation, Merdeka Generation and CHAS Blue and Orange cardholders. The Government has introduced different initiatives to tackle malnutrition. We encourage everyone to take advantage of these and play an active role in caring for their own health by adopting good dietary and dental habits.”
“My response will also address the Parliamentary Question 31 for written answer raised by Ms Elysa Chen for the sitting on 5 May 2026. [Please refer to "Introduction of Standardised Malnutrition Screening at Polyclinics and Active Ageing Centres", Official Report, 5 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 29, Written Answers to Questions section.] The Ministry of Health had addressed the issue of malnutrition screening when we shared our comprehensive approach to tackle senior malnutrition in our response to Parliamentary Question No 43 at the 4 November 2025 Parliamentary Sitting and Parliamentary Question No 18 at the 3 February 2026 Sitting. [Please refer to "Contributing Factors to Rise in Malnutrition among Older Singaporeans", Official Report, 4 November 2025, Vol 96, Issue 9, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section; and "EatWise SG Performance Indicators for Detecting Malnutrition Risk among Seniors, Current Performance Levels and Annual Targets for Nutrition Screenings", Official Report, 3 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 15, Written Answers to Questions section.] We will continue with these efforts to enhance the capability of healthcare providers to identify seniors at risk of malnutrition and provide better diet and nutrition guidance, as well as ensure the provision of affordable meals. We recognise that good dental health is an important enabler for seniors to have a nutritious diet. We have put in place several measures to help seniors access dental care regularly, including those at risk of malnutrition. First, dental screening is available through Project Silver Screen, where seniors aged 60 and above can receive dental, vision and hearing screening in community nodes, such as Active Ageing Centres.”
“Integrated Shield Plan insurers introduced panel arrangements in 2016, but this remained small panel until 2019, when insurers and providers began to reference the Ministry of Health (MOH) fee benchmarks for surgeons and anaesthetists charges. As of 2024, most insurers have at least 600 specialists on their panels. From 2019 to 2024, average private hospital bills grew at about 13% per year. Average professional fees, comprising surgeon fees, anaesthetist fees and inpatient consultation charges made up about 40% of the bills and grew at 9% annually over the same period. Fees charged under hospital-related fees comprising components, like facility fees, ward fees as well as medication and implant charges, made up the remaining 60% and grew at 15% annually. MOH recognises that escalating costs in the private healthcare sector continues to be a concern. We have taken steps to address this situation, including developing claim rules and enforcing against inappropriate claims, publishing benchmarks for hospital charges and private specialist fees, as well as tightening the design of Integrated Shield Plan riders and enhancing public education on right-sizing insurance. We are studying what more can be done through the Multilateral Healthcare Insurance Committee comprising representatives from MOH, private hospitals, insurers and medical professional associations.”
“The Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) and the Nutri-Grade grading system help consumers choose products that are lower in sugar, salt and saturated fat. Additionally, the HCS helps consumers identify options that contain more beneficial components, such as wholegrains and calcium, within the same food category. Food additives, such as preservatives, colourings and flavourings, are separately regulated by the Singapore Food Agency for food safety purposes. The Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Board regularly review the HCS and Nutri-Grade measures to ensure that they remain relevant in supporting consumers to adopt healthier diets that are higher in beneficial nutrients while limiting those of concern. We will review the suggestions to consider possible refinements to our labelling schemes.”
“The lubricating eyedrops manufactured by K.C. Pharmaceuticals and recalled by United States Food and Drug Administration in March 2026 are not registered for sale in Singapore. All eyedrops need to be registered with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prior to any import or supply in Singapore. As part of the registration process, HSA reviews the product's quality, safety and performance, including the sterilisation process and shelf life in accordance with relevant international standards. Manufacturers must also hold a valid ISO 13485 certification, which is a validation that robust quality controls are in place throughout the design and production to ensure that stringent hygiene standards are met. In addition, HSA conducts post-market surveillance of any eye drops marketed if there are any adverse events reported, both locally and globally, to review if product recalls should be initiated.”
“The answer to Question No 31 will be addressed together with similar questions filed by the Member at a subsequent sitting. [Please refer to "Incorporating Dental Screening and Malnutrition Risk Assessment into Healthier SG", Official Report, 6 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 30, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]”
“The Ministry of Health has not conducted such studies on the unit cost of specific surgical procedures against other developed economies because it is not meaningful. Cost structures vary across countries due to differences in labour market, economic conditions, demography and healthcare financing systems. A broader comparison shows that Singapore spends less on healthcare as a share of gross domestic product than other developed economies, including Japan, yet maintains overall good health outcomes. Key cost drivers of healthcare are our ageing population, medical advancements to improve life spans and increases in healthcare manpower and other operating costs. To manage these drivers, we promote value-based care, focus on population health, develop and publish fee benchmarks and curtailed over-coverage of insurance.”
“The Ministry of Health does not track the number of pregnancy losses. Advanced maternal age is associated with an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus and pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, which increase the risk of pregnancy loss. In Singapore, the median age of resident live-birth for first-time mothers has increased from 30 to 32 years old over the last 10 years. All women with pregnancy loss at the public hospitals are given medical support. Psychological support is also available to all who require it.”