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Parliamentary QA

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

16 February 2024

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NOTICE PAPER NO. 2582
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 16 FEBRUARY 2024


Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song
MP for Aljunied GRC


Question No. 5747


To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many people in Singapore are currently diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); (b) what is the median age of persons diagnosed with ADHD; and (c) what financial support is available for persons living with ADHD who are (i) under 21 years old (ii) between 21 years and 65 years old and (iii) older than 65 years.


Answer

1     Mr Speaker Sir, academic research has estimated the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children and adolescents to range between 5 percent and 8 percent, and among adults to range between 2 percent and 7 percent. 

2     Children aged six years and below are eligible to receive subsidised consultations and therapy of up to 70 percent for ADHD under the Child Development Programme (CDP) at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and National University Hospital, if referred to the programme from polyclinics or from Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioner (GP) clinics. For school-going students aged seven years old and above, school counsellors and special educational needs officers provide school-based interventions at no charge, in consultation with the Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health (REACH) teams when necessary. Cases requiring further medical attention will be referred by REACH to the Child Guidance Clinic (CGC), which offers subsidised consultations and therapy of up to 70 percent. 

3     Eligible patients referred from polyclinics and CHAS GP clinics to public Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) for the management of ADHD can also receive means-tested subsidies of up to 70 percent. Singaporeans who face difficulties with their remaining bills can approach medical social workers for financial assistance, such as MediFund.