MOH Addendum to President's Address - Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

ADDENDUM TO THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 2016

MR GAN KIM YONG
MINISTER FOR HEALTH

1        MOH’s vision is for all Singaporeans to live well, live long, and with peace of mind. We will continue to invest in improving the health of Singaporeans and enhancing accessibility, affordability, quality and sustainability of healthcare for Singaporeans as outlined in our Healthcare 2020 Master Plan introduced in 2012.

Looking Back

2        In the past few years, MOH has increased the capacity of our healthcare system in line with our Healthcare 2020 Master Plan. We expanded the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) to allow about 1.4 million Singaporeans, including our Pioneers, to benefit from subsidised care at private General Practitioners (GPs) and dental clinics. In partnership with the private sector, we established Family Medicine Clinics to care for the increasing number of Singaporeans with chronic diseases. We opened the Changi General Hospital–St. Andrew’s Community Hospital Integrated Building, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Jurong Community Hospital, and Yishun Community Hospital, adding a total of 1800 beds when fully opened. We increased the capacity of nursing homes, senior care centres and home care services. We also introduced new care standards for nursing homes, as well as guidelines for centre-based and home care to improve the quality of care for our seniors.

3        We invested in expanding, upgrading and recognising our healthcare workforce to raise the quality of healthcare. In particular, we worked with the Singapore Institute of Technology to launch new local allied health degree training programmes in Academic Year 2016. A CARE (Career, Autonomy, Recognition, Education) package was introduced to boost the nursing profession.

4        We made healthcare more affordable for lower- to middle-income patients through significant subsidy enhancements for outpatient drugs, subsidised specialist outpatient care, community hospitals and long-term care. We also allowed more flexibility in the use of Medisave. The Pioneer Generation Package has significantly helped our Pioneers with their medical expenses and given them greater peace of mind with respect to healthcare costs.

5        MediShield Life was rolled out on 1 November 2015, providing better coverage and higher pay-outs so that patients pay less for large hospital bills. MediShield Life will cover all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, including the very old and those who have pre-existing conditions.     

6        To support successful ageing, we worked with the community to develop holistic health and social programmes, and invested in infrastructure to create senior friendly communities and make ageing a fulfilling journey. In addition, under the Health Promotion Board (HPB)’s Healthy Living Master Plan, we launched new initiatives both within the community and at workplaces to enable Singaporeans to stay fit and healthy.

7        We faced renewed public health threats from emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola and MERS, as well as Haze, and continued to strengthen our emergency preparedness against these.

Moving Forward

Enabling Singaporeans to lead healthy and fulfilling lives

8        MOH’s foremost mission is to help Singaporeans stay healthy. We will continue to invest in Singaporeans’ health by enabling citizens to adopt healthy lifestyles in workplaces, schools and the community. In partnership with other government agencies, we will step up efforts to reduce obesity and smoking, and also work in tandem with Singaporeans to overcome barriers to leading a healthy lifestyle.

9        We will collaborate with various government agencies, the people and private sectors, to jointly implement the Action Plan for Successful Ageing. The Action Plan aims to promote active ageing, build a cohesive community with inter-generational harmony, and improve our city infrastructure to enable seniors to age confidently in place.

Making healthcare more convenient and accessible for our people

10        Our vision is to achieve “One Singaporean, One Family Doctor”, where more Singaporeans will establish a long-term partnership with a regular family doctor. Over time, the family doctor, being the first stop of care, will develop a more holistic understanding of each family member’s health needs. This will enable them to provide care that is most appropriate for the patient. We will continue to engage and work closely with the primary care community to strengthen the sector, and provide convenient, affordable and good quality care to Singaporeans.

Re-shaping healthcare delivery to provide high quality and seamless care

11        We will build on our six Regional Health Systems (RHSes) to re-shape healthcare delivery by bringing care beyond hospital walls, and integrating preventive, primary, hospital, long-term and home care services. This is so that patients can receive seamless care that is convenient, appropriate and cost-effective. The RHSes will strengthen partnerships among public sector, private sector and Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) healthcare providers, and also leverage on technology, to provide care that is organised around patients’ needs. We will redouble efforts to enhance patient safety and the quality of care in our healthcare system.

12        The quality of our healthcare system relies on the knowledge and skills of our healthcare professionals. We will embark on efforts to develop a future-ready healthcare workforce by leveraging on SkillsFuture initiatives to strengthen healthcare career pathways. We will also continue to recruit and retain healthcare workers and enhance efforts to raise productivity and become leaner in terms of manpower. In parallel, we will invest in the development of telehealth and robotics to enable us to achieve higher productivity in healthcare, and bring better care closer to Singaporeans, while being manpower-efficient.

Investing in the future through healthcare research and innovations

13        We will continue to invest in healthcare research to improve care delivery and outcomes. As our population ages, we will also need to develop innovative methods to help Singaporeans remain healthy and dynamic even as the average lifespan increases.

Enhancing accessibility and affordability

14        From 2015 to 2020, MOH will continue to add more healthcare facilities to cater to the needs of our ageing population. Within this period, we will add more than 10,000 beds in acute hospitals, community hospitals, and nursing homes, as well as more than 7,000 places to community care, home care, and palliative home care. We will also increase primary care capacity through partnerships with GPs and the development of primary care facilities. 

15        Following the introduction of MediShield Life, MOH will work on developing a standardised private Integrated Shield Plan. We will also continue to review our financing policies to keep health and aged care affordable for Singaporeans.

16        To ensure long-term affordability and sustainability for patients and society, we will also need to focus attention on providing appropriate and cost-effective care, to ensure that new treatments, drugs, devices/implants, and medical technology are effective in improving health outcomes.

Health for all

17        Our plans will enable Singaporeans stay healthy and active throughout their lives.  We will have access to high quality care, and those of us who need support and assistance will receive them. Together, Singaporeans will age with confidence and live more fulfilling lives as members of a cohesive and caring Nation for All Ages.