Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health appointed as Chairman of the National HIV/AIDS Policy Committee

24 Oct 2011

1     Minister of State for Health, Dr Amy Khor has been appointed to chair the National HIV/AIDS Policy Committee. The appointment will take effect from 1 Oct 2011. The 16-member committee includes representatives from civil society organisations such as Action for AIDS and AIDS Business Alliance, health agencies such as the Communicable Disease Centre and the Health Promotion Board as well as representatives from various ministries. The list of members is appended at Annex A.

2     Inaugurated in 2006, the National HIV/AIDS Policy Committee assists MOH on national policies and strategies for HIV prevention, treatment and care.

3     Since the Committee’s formation, the Ministry of Health (MOH) together with the Health Promotion Board, have worked to strengthen HIV prevention measures. Most notably, education programmes have been implemented for various target populations such as youth and workplaces. Over the years, the Government has also expanded the accessibility of HIV testing by increasing the number of anonymous HIV test sites in Singapore and introducing opt-out HIV screening at public hospitals. The MOH has also worked to improve the care of HIV patients through the extension of Medifund to needy Singaporeans who require HIV treatment.

4     Dr Khor will be succeeding the late Dr Balaji Sadasivan who chaired the first committee when it was established in 2006. Dr Khor will continue to raise awareness of HIV prevention and education in the community. Said Dr Amy Khor, “The challenge in Singapore's fight against HIV and AIDS involves the early identification of those infected. The Government will continue with public education and to reach out to the high-risk groups and the young. I hope to work with the committee to reduce the ignorance, fear and stigma that work against the early detection and treatment of HIV”.

Annex A