World Hospice & Palliative Care Day

07 Oct 2006

By Mr Heng Chee How, Minister Of State

Venue: One-North Biopolis

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, friends and supporters of the hospice cause.

2. I am delighted to join you on this World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. All over the world today, people are showing their support for hospice and palliative care. 

Access to Care for All

3. This year's theme of "Access to Care for All " is an important one.  Some 5,000 people last year received care from the eight hospices under the Singapore Hospice Council. As Singapore's population ages, the need for such care will grow.  The need to further integrate such care into the overall healthcare system will also grow.

4. To enhance access to hospice and palliative care services, patients and their families must know where and how to get such help. 

5. In this regard, I applaud the public awareness campaign driven by the Singapore Hospice Council and the Lien Foundation. People living with life-limiting illnesses and their families and caregivers need to know the help they can receive. For example, hospice care is not provided only in institutions but is also widely available in the community. In fact, about 75% of hospice and palliative care is provided in the homes of patients. This is the right direction to go. We should encourage community-based care as much as possible so that terminally ill patients can spend their remaining time with their family members in familiar settings, and in dignity.

Developing Professional Expertise in Intermediate and Long-term Care (ILTC)

6. Healthcare professionals form a key component in the delivery of palliative care and other intermediate and long-term care services. By equipping this multidisciplinary team with the necessary expertise and skills, we can give patients the optimal level and quality of care. In 2003, the Ministry of Health launched the Healthcare Manpower Development Programme for the intermediate and long-term care sector (HMDP-ILTC). Under this programme, healthcare professionals obtain advanced training at local or overseas healthcare institutions in areas such as geriatric medicine, dementia care and palliative care. This programme has yielded value, and we will be extending it to healthcare administrators in Intermediate and Long-term Care institutions from 2007.

7. I am also pleased that community organisations are also playing an active part in enhancing professional expertise in this area.  I congratulate the Singapore

Hospice Council and the Lien Foundation for launching their 1-year palliative care scholarships and fellowships with Flinders University, Australia, for nurses and doctors in April this year. The award recipients will gain a graduate certificate in palliative care.  I understand that the initiative has been well received, attracting ten applications since its launch. This augurs well for the future of hospice and palliative care in Singapore.

Regional Leader

8. Such enhancements to the skills and qualifications of our healthcare professionals in palliative care will also strengthen Singapore's position as a regional centre for medical training in hospice and palliative care.

9. For example, I am told that the Singapore Hospice Council's well-established training programme for doctors in palliative medicine consistently attracts strong participation.  Since 1997, the SHC has trained some 500 doctors, of which 60 are from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam.

10. Separately, the Singapore International Foundation partnered the Asia Pacific Hospice Network in a 3-year project to have Singaporean palliative care doctors and nurses to train the trainers in Vietnam.  These are helpful efforts and serves to strengthen the networking and practice of such care in Singapore and the region.

Admirable Spirit, Making Every Moment Count

11. In conclusion, I commend our hospice and palliative care professionals for your utmost dedication, compassion and perseverance. 

12. To our hospice volunteers and supporters, you have chosen a noble cause worthy of your support in time, service and contribution. Your commitment gives hope and meaning to those your help. 

13. I wish your campaign every success. 

Thank you.