NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO SUFFER FROM POSTNATAL POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

3 October 2023

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NOTICE PAPER NO. 2252
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 3 OCTOBER 2023

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye
MP for Radin Mas

Question No. 5211

To ask the Minister for Health (a) over the past five years, what is the annual percentage of women who suffer from postnatal post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and (b) how are doctors and nurses in public hospitals taught to recognise the signs of postnatal PTSD.

Answer

1 The KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the National University Hospital (NUH) had each seen a handful of postnatal post-traumatic stress disorder patients per year. This translates to a very small percentage of the total number of childbirths in these hospitals.

2 In KKH and NUH, healthcare professionals are trained to identify and manage mental health issues in pre- and postnatal patients. Since 2020, KKH has been providing trauma focused psycho-emotional assessment and interventions for women, including those with pregnancy- and birth-related trauma. Meanwhile, NUH routinely screens pre- and postnatal patients for mental health issues.