Debated in Parliament on 19 Nov 2018.
Ms Anthea Ong asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the status of the Community Mental Health Master Plan launched in 2017; (b) with the need for upstream prevention to promote mental well being, whether research has been done on the effectiveness of mental health education in countries with mandatory mental health literacy programmes in schools; and (c) whether there is a plan to study the impact of mental health on skills, productivity and innovation.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been working with healthcare institutions and professionals to implement the community mental health plan since its launch in 2017. One key emphasis is to make care in the community more accessible for persons with mental health conditions and dementia. As at June 2018, mental health and/or dementia services are available at 10 of our polyclinics. This will increase to 12 polyclinics, or half our polyclinics, by 2021. In addition, 155 general practitioner (GP) partners have been trained to diagnose and support persons with mental health conditions. These GPs are, in turn, supported by 19 trained community intervention teams, that enhance care for persons with mental health conditions through allied health services, such as counselling.
The Agency for Integrated Care has also established a network of 34 community outreach teams, to reach out to persons with depression or dementia. These teams also carry out public education programmes to raise awareness on mental health and dementia conditions. To complement these outreach efforts, we have established six Dementia Friendly Communities to create an inclusive and supportive environment for persons with dementia and their caregivers.
I understand that internationally, mandatory mental health school programmes are still in the nascent stage. Various initiatives have been implemented in our schools to promote the understanding of mental health. For example, the Health Promotion Board offers psycho-emotional programmes in schools to promote mental health literacy.
On the impact of mental health conditions on different aspects of life, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) conducted a study in 2016 to better understand the quality of life of persons with mental health conditions. Persons with mental health conditions surveyed expressed desires for improvement in their psychological well-being, level of independence and social relationships. In particular, a significant number were keen on employment. In the 2017 NCSS Study on Attitudes towards Persons with Mental Health Conditions in Singapore, negative attitudes from co-workers were found to be a major barrier to employing people recovering from mental health conditions. A follow-up study by NCSS found that implementing workplace adjustments, such as increasing work support and supervision, training of supervisors and managers, will facilitate the employment of persons with mental health conditions.
The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices state that employers should recruit employees on the basis of merit. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) treat workplace discrimination seriously and workers who face any form of workplace discrimination should promptly report the matter to MOM or TAFEP.
PAPERCUTS