Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health, at the opening of the World Diabetes Day Singapore, 12 November 2017

SPEECH BY DR AMY KHOR, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH, AT THE OPENING OF THE WORLD DIABETES DAY SINGAPORE 2017, 12 NOVEMBER 2017

Mr Yong Chiang Boon, President of the Diabetic Society of Singapore

Dr Kevin Tan, Chairman of the Organising Committee for World Diabetes Day Singapore

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Afternoon

1.            I am pleased to join you this afternoon to commemorate World Diabetes Day.

2.            Many of us are aware that diabetes is a serious health concern in the world and in Singapore. Today, over 400,000 Singaporeans live with diabetes and one in three Singaporeans has a lifetime risk of developing diabetes. It is most worrying that one in three diabetic patients were unaware that they had diabetes, and among those who were aware that they had the disease, one in three had poor management of their condition. Recognising this, Singapore declared a war on diabetes last year.

3.            The Government cannot fight this War alone. I am heartened to see our community partners such as the Diabetic Society of Singapore (DSS) play an active role in fighting this War. DSS has initiated educational and outreach programmes to raise awareness, and help those living with diabetes better manage their condition. For example, DSS’ diabetes support group programme provides a platform for diabetic patients and their family members to share their experiences of managing diabetes with newly diagnosed members. Through their diabetes management and care programmes, individuals with diabetes are empowered with the skills and knowledge to better manage their condition.

Empowering Women in the War on Diabetes

4.            The theme for this year’s World Diabetes Day – “Women and Diabetes” – is relevant and timely. Women play a key role in taking care of our families and wield a significant influence over the dietary and lifestyle habits of our family members. If we lead by example in living a healthy lifestyle, our family members and friends may be inspired to do likewise. 

5.            Most of us understand the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise in preventing diabetes. We have also heard many say that healthy food is expensive and requires more effort to prepare. But healthier options need not be more expensive! Let me share some tips on how you can eat healthily without spending more. For example, when you dine out, you can opt for the lower-calorie dishes in hawker centres, food courts and coffee shops under the Healthier Dining Programme (HDP). For example, the mee soto at the food court in Our Tampines Hub is a healthier dish at 500 calories and costs only $2.80. There is also healthier seafood soup with rice at Pasar 216 Bedok Central that costs only $2.00! 

6.            When you are shopping for groceries at the local supermarkets, keep an eye out for wholemeal bread or brown rice which may be priced similarly to their white counterparts. For example, Paddy King’s Jasmine White Fragrant Rice is priced at $3.70 per kg, while its Brown Fragrant Rice is priced quite similarly at $3.80 per kg. In fact, prices for brown rice have dropped by about 20% over the past eight years. As demand for these products grows, leading to greater economies of scale, it is likely that their prices will fall further. If you are preparing meals at home, you can also opt for healthier cooking methods such as steaming instead of deep frying, and using less sugar and salt.  Most importantly, healthy eating also means eating in moderation, watching our calorie intake, limiting snacks, reducing fat and sugar intake, and incorporating fruits, vegetables, and wholegrains. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) has also developed lower cost healthier recipes titled “Healthy Kitchen, Healthy Women”, which have been shared with the community through partners such as the DSS.

7.            Besides healthy eating, we can fight diabetes by incorporating physical activity into our daily lives. Women have to juggle many different roles – in the workplace, caring for our children and our parents. We may believe that it is too difficult to find the time and energy to exercise. However, we can start by making many simple adjustments to our lives. Let me share some ideas with you. For those in the workplace, using a mug of smaller capacity will encourage you to walk to the pantry more often for a refill of water. You can also skip the phone calls and instant messages to walk to your colleague for a discussion. For homemakers, household chores, such as floor mopping, are counted as moderate levels of activity – so just 20 minutes of chores a day can make you sufficiently active!

8.            Exercises and activities can also be a part of your family’s leisure routine. You can bond over walks in the park together, or encourage one another during Zumba classes at the community centre. This will not only keep you active, but also gives you the opportunity to spend valuable time with your loved ones. If you can’t spare any time for exercise classes, don’t worry! You can still exercise by walking while you carry out your regular daily activities. HPB has just launched Season 3 of the National Steps Challenge^TM. We welcome you to join this season where you can accumulate steps, earn points and redeem them for rewards and lucky draw chances. In the first two seasons, the National Steps Challenge™ has motivated over 500,000 participants to become more active. In fact, Season 2 saw 26,000 participants complete all six reward tiers, which meant that each of them had walked 1.2 million steps, or almost 1,000 km in total. If you haven’t signed up yet, I encourage all of you to do so.

Gestational Diabetes (GDM)

9.            I would like to highlight an aspect of diabetes that is unique to women – gestational diabetes. In Singapore, close to 1 in 5 pregnant women are affected by it. Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery. They also have an increased risk of gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies, and Type 2 diabetes later in life. Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are also at a higher risk of developing childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes.  

10.         It is therefore important that we identify pregnant women with gestational diabetes early, so that they can receive the appropriate clinical management and follow-up. To do so, we have extended routine gestational diabetes screening to all pregnant women at public healthcare institutions with maternity services. This is a shift from previous guidelines where only pregnant women assessed to be at high risk of gestational diabetes were screened. 

11.         It is also important that women who had gestational diabetes adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle habits such as having a balanced diet, doing regular physical activities and avoid smoking, to reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes subsequently. They should also be screened for diabetes regularly.

12.         We also encourage women between 18 and 39 years of age, especially those with a history of gestational diabetes to answer a quick and simple online questionnaire called the Diabetes Risk Assessment (DRA) tool. The DRA will assess their current risk for diabetes, and determine if they should go for diabetes screening. If they are found to be at a higher risk after completing the DRA, they will receive an email invitation to be screened and go for a follow-up consultation with their CHAS GP under the enhanced Screen for Life (SFL) Programme. They would only need to pay a fee of no more than $5 for their screening test and first post-screening consultation. To further increase the uptake of diabetes screening among younger women with a history of gestational diabetes, we are exploring to allow them to have access to SFL subsidies without needing to complete the DRA. We are confident that these initiatives will go a long way in promoting good health and preventing the onset of diabetes.

13.         Wherever possible, we try to leverage technology to provide people with the information they need to better manage their health. HPB and KK Women and Children’s Hospital (KKH) have collaborated to develop the Healthy Pregnancy Track on HealthHub Track. This is a personal health management mobile application that helps mothers-to-be to better manage their health with personalised and localised information, throughout the course of their pregnancy. Expectant mothers will have easy access to pregnancy advice such as healthy recipes and exercise videos, and receive daily healthy lifestyle tips to guide them through a healthy pregnancy for both mother and child.

Conclusion

14.         I would like to commend DSS for its efforts in organising the World Diabetes Day event annually. This event serves as a good platform for Singaporeans to learn more from healthcare professionals on how they can take charge of their own fight against diabetes. I also hope that more women will be inspired to champion healthier living in their families and our society.

15.         Even as the Government does its best to create a supportive environment for people in Singapore to prevent or better manage diabetes, health is ultimately a personal responsibility.  All of us have a part to play by taking ownership of our health – for ourselves and our loved ones. We can all work together to beat diabetes!

16.         I wish you all an enjoyable and informative afternoon. Thank you.