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Parliamentary QA

Adult Immunisation Vaccinations Take-Up Rate

3 February 2020

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NAME AND CONSTITUENCY OF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Ms Joan Pereira
Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC


QUESTION NO. 3405 

To ask the Minister for Health (a) over the last three years, what have been the take-up rates of adult vaccinations recommended by the Ministry; and (b) how is the Ministry helping to raise awareness of adult vaccination, especially for those in the high-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with medical conditions.

ANSWER

1     The Ministry of Health established the National Adult Immunisation Schedule or NAIS in November 2017 to provide guidance on important vaccinations for adults. These vaccinations include catch-up vaccinations and vaccinations that high-risk adults should receive. MediSave will be used to pay for NAIS vaccinations.
2     To encourage take-up, some public healthcare institutions held vaccination awareness campaigns, and conducted road shows and talks during the annual World Immunisation Week. Information on the NAIS is available on the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) HealthHub Portal.

3     The NAIS also serves as a guide for doctors on the vaccinations they should recommend their patients. MOH periodically reminds doctors to do so.

4     We have been observing a steady increase in the take-up of NAIS vaccinations since its introduction, with more using MediSave to pay for them. Around 24% of adults between 65 to 79 take up the vaccinations according to the National Health Population Survey 2019. In 2017, 39,000 adults used MediSave for flu vaccination. The number increased to 74,000 in 2018.

5     In July 2019, the HealthySG Taskforce recommended that to further boost adult vaccination rates, subsidies should be provided to help Singaporeans pay for NAIS recommended vaccinations. The subsidies are targeted to be rolled out before the end of2020, and details will be announced on a later date. MOH is also planning a series of population-level vaccination awareness campaigns to increase the public’s awareness on the importance of vaccination.