Eye & Hearing Treatment for Elderly

12 Nov 2007

Question No:  445  

Question

Name of the Person: Assoc Prof Kalyani K Mehta, Nominated MP

To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry (i) has plans to address the very low rates of senior citizens above 55 years old who are receiving treatment for hearing and eyesight problems as reported in the National Survey of Senior Citizens 2005; and (ii) would consider the idea of “Eye and Ear Camp” programmes which some countries, such as India, conduct regularly to render free treatments by professional volunteers to needy seniors.

Reply

Reply From MOH

In large developing countries, like India, that have a large rural poor population, access to basic healthcare is a challenge.  To supplement the limited healthcare services provided by their Governments, some of their healthcare professional volunteers set up “Eye and Ear Camps” to provide free treatments for the rural poor. 

The situation here is very different. We have an urban population and basic healthcare is easily accessible.  Residents are well served by family physicians and polyclinics for any screening of eyesight and hearing problems.  Optometrists and opticians in shopping centres and HDB estates provide competent eye checks.  When patients require further medical follow-up, they are referred to specialists for management.  Needy patients are heavily subsidised and Medifund provides an additional financial safety net.  Many Voluntary Welfare Organisations supplement the Government’s efforts with additional assistance.

The survey quoted by Prof Mehta asked very basic questions of its respondents.  For example, it asked the residents: “do you have an eye or vision problem”.  Given the high myopic rate of Singaporeans, we are surprised that only 14% of those above 55   answered “yes” to such a question.  Among these respondents, about half answered “no” to a question asking: “are you receiving medical treatment from a doctor?”.    As not all problems need to be attended to by doctors, the answer by a layman to such a question may not be particularly enlightening. 

The key is to ensure that basic healthcare is available to all. In Singapore’s situation, we believe that unmet medical needs are not a severe problem.  But we can certainly do more to raise awareness amongst Singaporeans, young and old, regarding the need to seek professional help for any eyesight or hearing problems.