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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“As MediSave is intended to support healthcare expenses, especially, in old age, contributions to MediSave are sized accordingly, for healthcare needs only. Hence, allowing MediSave for non-healthcare expenses, beyond its intended scope, would not be prudent. Nevertheless, there is flexibility for individuals to withdraw their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings, including MediSave, in certain circumstances, such as if they have reduced life expectancy or are terminally ill. This cash can then go towards meeting their various needs. In addition, any remaining MediSave funds of deceased CPF members are distributed to their nominees in cash, allowing full flexibility of use. There are also welfare organisations that help with the funeral expenses of those in need.”
“All referrals to specialist mental health services at the National University Hospital (NUH) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) are triaged. Those requiring more urgent specialist assessment and/or treatment are given earlier appointments or are referred to the Emergency Services for review on the same day. The median times for specialist child and adolescent mental health services, based on available data in NUH and IMH, were 34 days in 2020 and 26 days in 2024. The 90th to 95th percentile wait times were 94 days in 2020 and 84 days in 2024. Majority of referrals come from the public healthcare system, mainly polyclinics, in 2024. Other referral sources include general practitioners and community mental health services. Our public child and adolescent mental health services employ multidisciplinary teams including nurses, allied health professionals and psychiatrists. Each psychiatrist sees between 1,300 to 1,500 outpatient attendances per year. So far, staffing has been stable. No-show rates have decreased from about 22% in 2020 to 14% in 2024. Various re-engagement actions have been taken including pre-appointment confirmation calls and telephone follow-ups for missed appointments.”
“As of September 2025, more than 87,000 Advance Care Plans (ACPs) have been completed, double the number since the Ministry of Health started its “Plan Your Legacy Today!” campaign in 2023, whereby 94% of these ACPs were by those aged 50 and above, 57% by females and 82% by Chinese residents, with Malay and Indian residents comprising 7% and 4% respectively. We will continue to promote the completion of ACP. Most recently, we launched the myACP digital tool that enables healthy individuals to make their ACPs online for free. Since June 2025, 4,350 digital ACPs have been completed through myACP. We also conduct targeted outreach to seniors through touchpoints in the community, including Active Ageing Centres and general practitioner clinics.”
“Additionally, HSA will conduct checks on SPF test reports from suppliers of other sunscreen products notified with HSA. Suppliers found to be selling or supplying non-compliant cosmetic products or cosmetic products with misleading claims may face penalties of up to $50,000 in fines or imprisonment for up to two years, or both. HSA will continue to ensure that our testing and laboratory accreditation standards are aligned with international best practices.”
“Sunscreen products are regulated as cosmetic products under the Health Products Act by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). No pre-market approval is required as they are not intended to prevent, treat or cure diseases. Instead, dealers have to notify HSA before placing their products on the local market. Dealers and sellers must also ensure that their products comply with labelling requirements and that the claims made on their product labels can be substantiated and are not false or misleading. Specifically for sunscreen products, they must only contain UV filters assessed to be safe and effective in providing protection against harmful UV rays. HSA conducts risk-based post-market surveillance to monitor the compliance of cosmetic products sold locally. Sunscreen products are sampled and tested to verify the presence of the UV filters declared on product labels and that the UV filters comply with regulatory limits. HSA monitors online news and regulatory actions by competent authorities, conducting follow-up actions when needed. HSA is therefore aware that there have been product recalls of sunscreen products in Australia. Australia's regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has listed 21 products with a base formula that are likely to fail SPF testing. These products are not notified for sale in Singapore. There are two products notified with HSA, which are under investigation by TGA after tests by an Australian consumer protection organisation which disputed the SPF test results. HSA is working with the local company marketing these products to verify the accuracy of their SPF claims, and not to distribute the products until the SPF test reports are found to be satisfactory.”
“Androgenic steroids and human growth hormones are prescription-only medicines which should only be used under medical supervision. These products are not approved for enhancing physical performance and individuals should not be consuming these drugs beyond their prescribed purposes. These drugs can cause serious side effects when used without medical supervision, including stroke, serious heart, liver and kidney problems. Members of the public who encounter the illegal supply or illegitimate use of these drugs should contact the Enforcement Branch of the Health Sciences Authority. The Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS) is working with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to deliver anti-doping education outreach programmes to their student-athletes. The aim is to create greater awareness among the student-athlete population over time on the consequences of abusing performance-enhancing drugs. Following the roll-out of these programmes, ADS will continue to work with IHLs to determine their effectiveness.”
“The Singapore Courts have recognised in precedent cases that insurers cannot reduce third-party damages awarded to victims by deducting sums paid out by the victim's MediShield Life policy. The Courts have taken this position based on the Insurance Exception to the rule against double recovery under the common law, which states that the injured victim's insurance claims are not deductible from damages payable by the wrongdoer. Courts in other common law countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, also recognise this doctrine. There is thus already an established legal principle in place to address the concern. The Ministry does not have data on the prevalence of the practices of motor insurers.”
“We assess the impact of Grow Well SG by monitoring and assessing the long-term impact of healthy lifestyle habits on the children's health outcomes. To do so, we track indicators such as the amount of time spent on screens, physical activity and sleep, as these have shown to have an impact on the health and development outcomes of children. We will also conduct surveys to measure parental awareness on healthy habits to evaluate and refine our initiatives and resources for Grow Well SG. Building healthy lifestyle habits is a lifelong process, and we will continue to monitor these efforts on an ongoing basis. We will share insights when ready.”
“With the recent refresh in MediShield Life and MediSave limits for inpatient and day surgery treatments on 1 April 2025, there is no out-of-pocket payment for the median subsidised day surgery bill at public healthcare institutions (PHIs). For chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), the median annual out-of-pocket cost of the CDMP bills at PHIs, after subsidies and MediSave, is around $50 per patient. MediShield Life and MediSave limits as well as Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) subsidies are reviewed periodically to ensure these remain adequate amid rising healthcare costs. The Ministry of Health (MOH) publishes hospital bill information annually for surgical procedures and inpatient medical conditions. This information is broken down by ward settings across hospitals, which allows patients to make informed choices about their healthcare providers. MOH will study if there is an impetus to publish the bill information for more conditions.”
“Clinical aesthetic procedures performed by registered medical and dental practitioners are regulated under the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA). Unauthorised persons who provide clinical aesthetic procedures are already subject to significant penalties. The Ministry of Health will continue to monitor the situation and review the adequacy of existing penalties to ensure that they serve as effective deterrents whilst protecting public safety. Medical and dental practitioners must also abide by their respective Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines, which stipulate taking reasonable care to ensure that patients do not have psychological or psychiatric illnesses involving self and body image before providing aesthetic procedures to them.”
“Suicide is multi-factorial and usually not attributable to any single cause. The Institute of Mental Health recently completed and released a study on suicide in September, which identified risk and protective factors as well as warning signs that families and friends can look out for. This enables timely support for at-risk individuals and can potentially prevent suicides. For all age groups, the best interventions include building mental resilience, spotting early risk indicators, encouraging timely help-seeking and supporting individuals in crisis. The Ministry of Health will continue to work with relevant agencies on improving suicide prevention measures.”
“The Healthcare Services (Cord Blood Banking Service) regulations 2021 are set in line with international standards and aimed at assuring quality and safety of the cord blood units stored and suitability for transplant purposes. Under this regulatory framework, the Ministry of Health (MOH) conduct regular audits and inspections to ensure compliance with requirements for collection, handling, processing, storage and distribution of cord blood, and any areas of concern or suspected lapses will be investigated. In this case, Cordlife fell short of the standards, and its lapses were quickly surfaced and actions taken. It was how the regulatory framework was meant to work. Cord blood banking is an elective, commercial service provided by the private sector. Contractual matters relating to storage and retrieval or compensation are private commercial arrangements between cord blood banks and their clients, outside of MOH's purview. MOH will continue to work closely with Cordlife to address their lapses and enhance their quality management system.”
“Experimental treatments, by definition, have not been assessed rigorously for safety, clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, it is not appropriate to fund such treatments under the mainstream financing or insurance schemes. Instead, they are typically supported through research grants and extended to selected patients.”
“Based on current available data, in 2024, the proportion of children who are overweight and severely overweight, those with body mass index (BMI)-for-age at or above 90th percentile1, across primary, secondary and pre-university levels is 13%. The Government continues to monitor the data on obesity for children and have efforts in place to address this issue. This includes Grow Well SG which promotes good nutrition, sleep, screen use and physical activity. Doing these well can help children maintain a healthy weight. Under this strategy, we engage students through lifestyle prescriptions to raise awareness and drive behaviour change. We also support parents with resources and practical tips to cultivate good habits in their children. Grow Well SG complements initiatives, such as the Health Promotion Board's Healthy Meals in Schools Programme and MOVE IT programmes, and the Ministry of Education's Physical Education lessons to offer a comprehensive approach to obesity prevention. Initiatives such as KidSTART also provide further support to families with fewer resources in early childhood development.”
“MediSave adequacy depends on individuals' utilisation of MediSave, which can vary greatly depending on one's lifespan and health status. It is not meaningful to study the adequacy picture at age 65 because much of the variation in healthcare needs happens later in life. Lower-income individuals may save less in their MediSave accounts during their working years. This does not mean that they all have inadequate MediSave, as they also benefit from higher healthcare subsidies. There are also other initiatives to support them to build up their MediSave balances. For example, seniors with lower MediSave balances received a MediSave Bonus this year. They can also benefit from the Matched MediSave Scheme from 2026. For Singaporeans who have exhausted their MediSave balances and face financial difficulties with healthcare expenses, there are safety nets such as MediFund in place at public healthcare institutions. No one will lose access to appropriate healthcare due to an inability to pay.”
“The Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS) is the maximum amount that a Central Provident Fund (CPF) member can accumulate in their MediSave Account. In 2024, 55% of active Singaporean CPF members aged 65 were able to accumulate MediSave monies up to their BHS. The BHS is reviewed annually to ensure it remains adequate for members' basic healthcare needs from age 65.”
“Public sector care is guided by clinical protocols and value-driven programmes to ensure discipline and prudence. Efforts such as Health Technology Assessments to subsidise only clinically- and cost-effective health technologies and right-siting care from hospitals to the community play major roles in keeping healthcare costs sustainable, which in turn ensure that premiums for MediShield Life remain affordable. The overly generous coverage of Integrated Shield Plans and Riders are a key distortion to healthcare costs today. They are designed for private healthcare and therefore do not have a significant spillover effect to public healthcare. However, they can indirectly affect public healthcare. If private healthcare becomes too expensive, patients that would have been able to afford private healthcare may instead seek public healthcare, adding to the already heavy workload. We need to manage the cost escalation of private healthcare, which in turn drives increases in private healthcare insurance premiums. As the Ministry of Health has explained in the oral reply in response to Parliamentary Question Nos 1 to 4 for the Sitting on 24 September 2025, managing private healthcare costs and insurance premiums will require efforts from all stakeholders including doctors, hospitals, insurers and policyholders to unravel the current situation. [Please refer to "Reviewing Regulatory Framework for Integrated Shield Plans and Assessing Practice of Pre-authorisation", Official Report, 24 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 4, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) has set up the Agency of Logistics and Procurement Services to aggregate procurement amongst public health institutions where practicable. Our procurement processes also enhance supply resiliency through contracts with multiple suppliers. Productivity extraction is generally not practiced in the healthcare industry internationally. Since 2023, we have shifted to capitation funding for our public healthcare clusters. This imposes stronger discipline on public healthcare expenditure by incentivising clusters to maximise value, through both productivity gains and investments in preventive health and population health. MOH will continue to monitor the public healthcare expenditure and overall bill sizes to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) provides regular training to equip healthcare professionals, including doctors, medical social workers, transplant coordinators, with the skills to communicate sensitively with families of deceased organ donors. There are no plans to enhance the protocols and training for them. We issue information packages on the Human Organ Transplant Act to all Citizens and Permanent Residents turning 21 years old to enable informed decision-making and encourage them to discuss their decision on organ donation with their family. We also support campaigns, like the Live On Festival, to foster broader discussions and meaningful conversations about organ donation. MOH's public awareness efforts will reach diverse population segments, including those of advanced age, so they can remain informed about their options.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not plan the development of polyclinics using a population-to-facility size ratio. This is because factors such as the age profile of residents, the availability of private clinics and accessibility of other polyclinics nearby, all affect demand for polyclinic services. Instead, MOH projects the demand for polyclinic services across various parts of Singapore using various factors and uses this as a basis to develop polyclinic development plans.”
“The question has been addressed in the oral reply to Parliamentary Question No 14 in the 14 October 2025 Sitting. [Please refer to "Analysing Mental Health Issues Faced by Students", Official Report, 14 October 2025, Vol 96, Issue 7, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“Reports of abandoned e-vaporisers in transport areas have not increased. E-vaporiser bins are placed where QuitVape and rehabilitation programmes are provided. Individuals are encouraged to discard their e-vaporisers at these locations, or where the e-vaporisers cannot be easily seen and picked up by another person. About 1,000 frontline Public Transport Operator staff have been trained by the Health Sciences Authority to carry out enforcement activities in a consistent, fair and safe manner.”
“The last salary review of allied health professionals (AHPs) in public healthcare institutions was implemented in July 2025. AHPs received increases of up to 7% to their monthly base salaries. The Ministry of Health will continue monitoring the review of the remuneration packages of healthcare workers regularly to ensure market competitiveness.”
“On 7 March 2025, the Ministry of Health announced plans to consolidate HealthHub and the three Cluster apps – Health Buddy, NHG Health and OneNUHS – into a single app by 2027. We want our digital health services to be inclusive and easy to navigate for all users. Current inclusive features include support for Singapore's four official languages and compatibility with assistive technologies, such as VoiceOver and text-to-speech tools, to support users with visual impairments. We will continue to review the functionalities and user interface as part of ongoing improvements.”
“Enforcement against e-vaporisers offences is a whole-of-Government effort. Today, over 10,000 officers from various agencies, including the Singapore Police Force, are involved in enforcement against e-vaporisers. In addition, the Health Sciences Authority contracts about 100 staff from an external enforcement vendor to reinforce its own team for e-vaporiser enforcement activities.”
“Under CareShield Life, policyholders pay premiums during their working years, for protection against severe disability, which occurs mostly at the older ages. Mandatory enrolment and coverage begin at age 30 as most Singaporeans would have started work by then and have MediSave savings to pay for their premiums. If we extend enrolment and coverage to below 30 on appeal, it will lead to adverse selection where those who more likely to make claims are more likely to opt in. This means pushing up premiums for everyone else. There is a clear trade off, and such a move needs to be considered very carefully. Young Singaporeans with disability requiring assistance to perform their activities of daily living, can access other Government schemes besides CareShield Life. These include the Home Caregiving Grant, as well as MediFund.”
“Advertisements of medicines must comply with Health Sciences Authority's (HSA's) legislation. The advertisements should not contain information that may lead to the promotion of specific medicines. However, campaigns or materials intended for educating consumers on diseases or medical conditions are permissible as they serve a public health purpose, such as advertisements to encourage vaccination to prevent disease outbreaks, without naming any specific medicines. As such, HSA did not identify any non-compliance with this said campaign on obesity. Consumers are advised to consult healthcare professionals if they need help in the management of obesity and related conditions.”
“It is not straightforward to track the impact of national preventive health programmes like Age Well SG. Operationally, we can monitor attendance and outreach numbers. Long term, the Ministry of Health monitors indicators such as frailty prevalence, chronic disease prevalence and health-adjusted life expectancy. In time, we also expect academics to conduct research on the impact of these projects.”
“There are also career guidance talks and an annual careers day organised for medical students and junior doctors, in addition to career counselling provided by faculty and mentors. Indeed, many students are still inclined to take up residency, but we hope that with the revised HC scheme and the recognition of Family Medicine as a specialty, students will seriously consider all three medical career tracks.”
“The response will also address similar questions filed by Dr Hamid Razak1,2 for a future Sitting. Under the new care team model introduced this year, the public healthcare sector has three main medical career tracks: Family Physicians, Hospital Clinicians (HCs) and Specialists. HCs are trained in broad-based competencies to coordinate care across specialties and serve as principal doctors. They are on a separate career track and not tied to specific specialties. To date, we have around 150 HCs deployed across various departments such as medicine, surgery, paediatrics and emergency medicine within public healthcare institutions based on service needs. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has reviewed the HC scheme to make it more attractive. This includes a new apex grade with professional development opportunities comparable to doctors in the specialist and consultant family physician tracks. We are also reviewing the remuneration of HCs, to ensure it is commensurate with doctors in the other career tracks who take on similar roles. Public hospitals track the care outcomes of patients closely, including readmission rates, infection rates, occurrence of adverse events and average length of stay. We track this across settings and disease groups. In fact, it was through monitoring patient outcomes and understanding of the needs of an ageing patient profile, that we decided it is time to take a decisive step to evolve the care team model, with the help of HCs. MOH works with the three local medical schools to update students on the medical career tracks in the public healthcare sector. Medical students undergo clinical rotations as part of their curriculum, where they have the opportunity to practise alongside doctors across family physician, HC and specialist tracks.”
“Healthcare professionals, like medical social workers and general practitioners, can already help eligible Singaporeans initiate applications for financial support schemes, like the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG). We have also made improvements recently to help more eligible Singaporeans access such schemes. For example, the Agency of Integrated Care has put in place a process to help care recipients who are undergoing a severe disability assessment identify schemes that could help them. Silver Generation Ambassadors will also continue to share about long-term care schemes with seniors during their ongoing home visits.”
“The Member may wish to refer to the written reply given to Parliamentary Question No. 21 on 7 August 2024. [Please refer to "Median Waiting Time for Cancer Treatment in Public Hospitals by Ward Class and Specialty", Official Report, 7 August 2024, Vol 95, Issue 139, Written Answers to Questions section.] The timing of chemotherapy depends on a range of reasons, including clinical considerations. The Ministry of Health therefore does not track the waiting times to treatment for cancer patients as it is not a meaningful indicator. We are not aware of any instances of late-stage cancer patients whose chemotherapy treatment had been denied or significantly delayed due to resource constraints in the public healthcare institutions. Our healthcare providers will continue to work closely with patients to optimise their treatment plans while ensuring appropriate and timely care.”
“Multiple agencies had come together in 2023 to organise a multi-year legacy planning campaign. This effort includes islandwide roadshows, mobile clinics, workshops, and so on. It promotes the adoption of legacy planning tools, such as Advance Care Planning (ACP), Central Provident Fund Nomination, Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and Wills. In July this year, we launched myACP, a free digital tool to document one's long-term care preferences. The relevant agencies continue to work together on public education to guide family members on the next steps when their loved ones pass on. For example, My Legacy@LifeSG is a one-stop Government portal for information on end-of-life planning, estate settlement and funeral arrangements, among other post-death matters.”
“Patients should be referred to Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) from their primary care physician only when they require specialised assessment or treatment for their condition. Conversely, medically stable patients requiring follow-up will be discharged from SOCs to primary care for management. However, that does not mean that there will be a strict nexus between the cost of seeking follow-up care at General Practitioner (GP) clinics and SOCs. This is because the two are very different settings. This is because GPs are private primary care providers. The Ministry of Health has included them into the public health system, through the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). The chronic subsidies claimed under CHAS are for more common chronic conditions with costs that are not widely variable. To keep charging at clinics simple, subsidies are capped at a specific dollar limit for each visit and subject to an overall maximum cap per year. On the other hand, SOCs are part of public health institutions. A wider range of chronic conditions are seen at SOCs, with more widely varying costs. SOC subsidies are based on a percentage of the bill, with no maximum cap whether per visit or per year. The difference in approaches between a funding scheme for private GPs, and institutional funding for public SOCs, will inevitably result in some disparity in cost of healthcare between the two settings.”
“Over the last five years, $2.4 billion has been committed to healthcare research under the national research, innovation and enterprise plans. About 50% of the funding has been allocated to cancer and chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic and endocrine disorders, such as diabetes; stroke; mental health conditions; musculoskeletal disorders; and inflammatory and immune system diseases. The rest goes towards areas, such as research talent development and artificial intelligence in healthcare.”
“Between 2022 and 2025, the number of unique visitors to mindline.sg rose by 82% to over 50,000 each month. Half of these visitors now explore beyond the first page, an increase from one-third previously. They also spend longer time on the website per session. Since its launch in June 2020, over 206,000 self-assessments and 795,000 mental health self-help exercises were carried out on mindline.sg. Users of mindline.sg are anonymous. Hence, there is no tracking of user demographics or health outcomes. The effectiveness of mindline.sg is determined based on periodic surveys among users. More than 80% of users who used Wysa, an Artificial Intelligence chatbot on mindline.sg, for its cognitive exercises found it helpful. Separately, more than 170 individuals with diagnosed psychiatric conditions reported good satisfaction with mindline.sg, particularly those with prior admissions for their conditions.”
“Currently, all public hospitals can deploy hybrid cooling, portable air coolers, additional fans and air purifiers to enhance patient and staff comfort in the event of a sustained heat wave or severe haze. To ensure the welfare of patients and staff, the Ministry of Health will continue to work with our public hospitals to assess the adequacy of ventilation and cooling measures, while balancing affordability and infection control objectives.”
“Palliative care, including home hospice services, are strongly supported by the Ministry of Health (MOH). MOH regularly reviews the operating costs of the services and adjusts our funding rates per patient accordingly. The latest round of funding increases was effected this year. Besides direct funding, we support the training and hiring of palliative care workers, and adoption of technology to improve productivity. To make the transition to home hospice care more seamless, public hospitals have developed a standardised compassionate discharge protocol and MOH has implemented the Equipment Rental Scheme, a subsidised rental scheme for medical equipment. These measures are all part of the National Strategy for Palliative Care. As a result, the capacity of home hospice care has increased significantly from 2,400 to 3,000 over the past two years and is targeted to reach 3,600 by end of this year. Total Government funding to the sector will continue to grow over time, as costs and patient numbers rise.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not require public nursing homes to provide in-house dialysis as a standard service. As only a very small proportion of clients in public nursing homes require dialysis today, it would be more cost and manpower efficient for such clients to receive treatment at community dialysis centres. Nonetheless, some public nursing homes are co-located with community dialysis centres as there is sufficient demand for such services by nursing home clients and patients residing in the vicinity.”
“Parents play a vital role in their children's growth and development, and healthy habit formation from birth. Therefore, Grow Well SG initiatives for infants and toddlers focus on educating parents, including first-time parents, about age-appropriate healthy behaviours and how to inculcate them. For example, we have introduced the Childhood Health Behaviours checklist as part of the Childhood Developmental Screening visits from age 0 to 6 years old, to raise parental awareness and encourage behaviour change early. Complementing this is a range of practical guidelines and resources, available through multiple platforms, like Parent Hub, Parenting for Wellness, Families for Life programmes and resources, and the Early Childhood Development Agency's (ECDA's) Beanstalk. In addition, ECDA's revised Early Years Development Framework and its Educators' Guide guide educators in preschool to provide meaningful experiences that promote children's overall well-being, learning and development. While parents are doing their best, we know that parents today face new challenges in managing children's digital use due to the growing prevalence of social media and technology. We will continue to enhance Grow Well SG to provide greater support to parents in this digital age. The indicators we use to assess the impact of Grow Well SG will cover the lifestyle habits of children, such as time spent on screens, physical activity and sleep. We will also conduct surveys to measure parental awareness on healthy habits to evaluate and refine our initiatives.”
“This question will be addressed at the next subsequent sitting, together with a similar Parliamentary Questions, for a more holistic reply.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) monitors the range of bill sizes after subsidy for Singaporeans for various hospital procedures, including deliveries. This is published on the MOH website. However, we do not specifically track bill data for premature births.”
“About 2,600 parents have participated in mental well-being workshops conducted by the Health Promotion Board every year, since its launch in 2020. Based on surveys conducted pre- and post-workshops, about 85% of parents who attended the workshops gained new knowledge and expressed intention to practise new skills learnt to better support their child's mental well-being.”
“Conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) are regularly reviewed by a Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising family physicians and specialists from the public and private sectors. In assessing the inclusion of conditions onto the CDMP, the CAC consults clinical experts in various healthcare settings, and considers factors such as disease burden, potential benefits of early interventions to patient outcomes, the cumulative cost to the patient from long-term treatment, and the availability of evidence-based clinical guidelines for appropriate care of the condition. Eczema will be assessed for inclusion into the CDMP. Even though eczema is currently not on the CDMP, patients can already access subsidised treatments for eczema today. Eligible patients may receive subsidies of up to 75% at polyclinics and specialist outpatient Clinics for their eczema treatment and medications. Patients aged 60 years and above can also tap on Flexi-MediSave to pay for eczema treatments and medications, up to the prevailing withdrawal limit.”
“For callers who agree to identify themselves and are referred to other services, national mindline 1771 tracks whether the referrals are accepted. Most service providers acknowledge referrals within three working days. Personnel from national mindline 1771 follows up with the service providers if the referrals are not acknowledged. Thereafter, the respective service providers will follow up with the referred clients, including tracking their appointments, compliance with treatment and clinical outcomes. For anonymous callers who need or request follow-on services, national mindline 1771 personnel will determine the most appropriate services, such as General Practitioner services, and provide the callers with relevant information for them to access the services.”
“Between 2021 and 2024, the median monthly base salaries of doctors in the public healthcare clusters increased from about $13,700 to $14,400, and that for nurses increased from about $4,300 to $4,700. This excludes other pay components, such as bonuses and allowances. Do note that median salary is influenced by seniority profile of the workforce. Salary data for 2020 was not collected due to COVID-19. The Ministry of Health would also like to highlight that we no longer categorise public sector doctors as "specialists" and "non-specialists". Under the new care team model introduced this year, the public healthcare sector has three main career tracks: family physicians, hospital clinicians, and specialists.”
“We do not have all the data requested by the Member. Tables 1 and 2 provide the breakdown of the median post-subsidy amount for the ten most common chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme, from 2019 to 2023.”
“In FY2024, the Community Intervention Team (COMIT) supported over 16,000 clients. About 35% of them were males, 2% were aged between 18 and 19, 30% were between 20 and 34, 41% were between 35 and 60, and 27% were above 60. They commonly presented with symptoms of depressive and anxiety disorders. To improve help-seeking, we have established various access points for mental health services, to facilitate access to other necessary mental health services. These include the national mindline 1771, self-help digital portal mindline.sg and in-person services through Community Outreach Teams. These are complemented by efforts to combat stigma and normalise health-seeking through public education campaigns.”
“MediSave can be used to pay for certain costly outpatient treatments, such as cancer drugs and radiotherapy, chronic disease treatments and diagnostic scans. The withdrawal limit for outpatient scans will increase from $300 to $600 annually from the start of next year. Patients aged 60 years old and above can also rely on the Flexi-MediSave limit to offset their bills for consultations, medications and tests in the specialist outpatient setting. The Flexi-MediSave limit will also increase from $300 to $400 from 1 October 2025. The Ministry of Health (MOH) regularly reviews the use of MediSave to strike a balance between keeping treatments affordable for Singaporeans and preserving MediSave for their future healthcare needs.”
“In the past three years, about 24,000 caregivers were supported by CREST and COMIT. Subsidised respite services are also available through agencies, like the Agency for Integrated Care or SG Enable, to provide support for caregivers on their caregiving journey.”