Speech by Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport at the Community Health Fair by Sengkang Health, 3 June 2017

Prof Christopher Cheng, CEO, Sengkang Health

Prof Ong Biauw Chi, CMB, Sengkang Health

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning.

            I am pleased to join you today to mark this very important milestone in the development of Sengkang General and Community Hospitals.

2          As part of the Ministry of Health’s Healthcare 2020 Master Plan to expand national healthcare capacity, Sengkang General and Community Hospitals were planned many years ago, and will add up to 1,400 hospital beds to the system when they open by the second half of 2018. We are on track, and we really look forward to the opening of the hospital in time to come.

3          Along with the development of the two Sengkang hospitals, the Sengkang Health team has worked with primary care providers and community care partners to co-develop a healthcare ecosystem within Sengkang, Punggol and residents staying in the northeast of Singapore. This week-long Community Health Fair is just one of the many programmes that Sengkang Health organises for the community, to raise health awareness and support the health needs of the residents.  When the two new hospitals are open next year, I look forward to even closer collaboration in services provision by all the healthcare partners in this region to take care of the health of the residents. I am also aware that Sengkang Health is very active in collaborating not just with healthcare providers but also with the community partners such as Sengkang West CCC, our grassroot organisation, and we organise activities together as well.  

Extending care into the community starts with primary care

4          Primary care plays an important role as the first line of care in the community. At the national level, primary care attendances for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia have risen to 27% today, compared to 18% in 2010.  To meet the increasing demand for primary care, we are enhancing resources to primary care doctors, in particular General Practitioners or GPs, who can in turn help their patients manage their chronic diseases holistically, so that they can remain well and in good health.

5         Since 2012, the Community Health Assist Scheme or CHAS, has played an important role in making subsidised primary care more accessible to Singaporeans. About 1.3 million Singaporeans are now able to benefit from CHAS. We have also progressively increased the number of chronic conditions covered under CHAS to 19 today. Besides CHAS, we are scaling up our efforts to help GPs re-organise into Primary Care Networks (PCNs) so that they will be better equipped to provide comprehensive chronic care to our patients. MOH will be providing funding support for nursing services and other resources to support patients managed under these Primary Care Networks.

6          I am glad to hear that the Sengkang team has been working closely with GPs here on various initiatives such as health screening and the management of stable chronic conditions. The team is also working with the community-based organisations to identify at-risk population so that early interventions can be provided to better manage their chronic ailments.

Good health starts with everyone

7          As much as possible, we want to move upstream in our efforts to ensure everyone stays healthy so that they do not have to visit the clinic or hospital in the first place. We therefore need to focus on prevention, early detection and management of chronic diseases. The War on Diabetes is one such example.

8          One in three Singaporeans have a lifetime risk of developing diabetes. In 2014, there were over 400,000 Singaporeans aged 18 years and above living with diabetes. Poor control of diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, eye problems, and even lower limb amputation. The good news is that healthy living habits - a balanced diet, regular physical activities and not smoking - all can help prevent diabetes. Early screening, detection and treatment of diabetes can slow its progression and prevent the complications I mentioned earlier. To facilitate early detection of chronic conditions including diabetes, MOH has announced that from 1 September this year, we will enhance Government subsidies for HPB’s Screen for Life programme to encourage individuals to take up appropriate screening and follow up at CHAS GP clinics.

9          Healthy habits should start as young as possible. Those who start early will continue to reap the benefits of good health even as they move on to adulthood. Since the middle of last year, Senior Minister of State for Education & Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary, and myself, have co-led the NurtureSG Taskforce, with the objective to inculcate healthy habits amongst the young. The Taskforce has since developed a suite of recommendations to enhance the health outcomes among our children and youth in key areas including physical activity and nutrition. We also want to deepen and strengthen health promotion across all ages, from pre-schools to Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and to extend health promotion beyond schools to homes and the community.

10        I am happy to be part of Sengkang General Hospital’s Millennia Kids Programme for the past three years. It is a school outreach effort supported by the Health Promotion Board, Sport Singapore and Tobacco-Free Generation, to help school children develop healthy lifestyles and become a positive influence to their families and friends. I am heartened that the number of participating primary schools has increased more than three times, from 3 to 11 this year. I am hopeful that the healthy lifestyle habits in our children will in turn encourage those around them to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Closing

11        I would like to congratulate the Sengkang Health team for coming this far in the development of the two hospitals. I look forward to its opening and serving the residents in Sengkang as well as in Punggol.

12        I wish you an enjoyable time learning about your health and taking part in the activities at this fair.

Thank you.