Debated in Parliament on 25 Feb 2026.
Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health whether the Ministry plans to expand the national genetic testing programme beyond single-gene disorders to include common multifactorial conditions, such as Type II diabetes to facilitate early preventive interventions.
When it comes to genetic tests for preventive care, the Ministry of Health takes a disease-centric approach, where there are established gene-disease relationships and proven interventions. We have started on a couple of diseases and will explore others, including Type II diabetes in due course.