Health — Topics | PAPERCUTS

7 Mar 2024

Singaporeans Diagnosed with Young Onset Dementia and Support and Insurance Coverage Available

The Ministry of Health does not track the annual number of Singaporeans diagnosed with young onset dementia (YOD), but support is available through means-tested subsidies of up to 80% at public healthcare institutions, along with coverage under MediShield Life, Integrated Shield Plans, Community Health Assist Scheme, and MediSave for treatment.
Eligible individuals with YOD can access financial support schemes like the Home Caregiving Grant and CareShield Life to alleviate caregiving expenses, and Post-Diagnostic Support Community Outreach Teams provide resources and coping skills for families.
Efforts to raise awareness of YOD symptoms and screening are being made through the Dementia-Friendly Singapore initiative and Community Outreach Teams, which conduct outreach activities for early identification among those aged 35 and above.

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7 Mar 2024

Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill

The amendment clarifies that guardians must facilitate compliance for minors or individuals lacking mental capacity under the Infectious Diseases Act, while the Mental Capacity Act continues to apply, and grants the Ministry of Health power to act against irresponsible guardians.
The bill streamlines public health surveillance by allowing information requests from classes of persons (e.g., lab managers) instead of individuals, with assurances that data protection standards and strict disclosure controls for public health purposes are maintained.
It updates HIV disclosure rules, exempting those with a stable undetectable viral load for at least six months from informing sexual partners, while retaining the requirement for others to disclose, based on scientific evidence of near-zero transmission risk.
The amendments replace the DORSCON alert system with four new tiers (Baseline, Outbreak, Threat, Emergency) for clearer internal and external communication, as confirmed by the Minister for Health.
Officials emphasized that the changes balance public health needs with individual rights, address stigma by aligning laws with current HIV science, and prepare Singapore for future infectious disease threats.

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7 Mar 2024

Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill

The Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill introduces a tiered public health response system with a new "Public Health Threat" category, moving beyond the previous binary "peace or emergency" framework to allow more calibrated measures like circuit breakers, while retaining the existing "Public Health Emergency" declaration for direst situations with enhanced criteria.
The Bill incorporates powers from the expiring COVID-19 Temporary Measures Act, such as contact tracing and safe management measures, into the Infectious Diseases Act, and introduces stricter enforcement measures, including higher penalties for repeat offenders and expanded roles for Health Officers.
The amendment aligns HIV disclosure laws with medical advancements by exempting individuals with an undetectable viral load from disclosure requirements, aiming to encourage testing and treatment while maintaining safeguards against irresponsible transmission.
The Bill updates operational provisions, such as expanding the definition of "medical examination" to include self-administered tests, enhancing pre-departure and exit-screening measures, and introducing "at-risk individuals" for early public health interventions.
The government proposes to repeal Part 11 of the COVID-19 Temporary Measures Act, which governed digital contact tracing data, as the systems are no longer active, with future data protection measures to be addressed separately if needed.

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7 Mar 2024

Review of and Actions Taken Following Study on Teachers' Mental Health

The Ministry of Education monitors teachers' well-being through internal surveys and regular engagements, and provides support channels including supervisors, school Wellness Ambassadors, and in-house and external counselling services.
The Minister confirmed that MOE reviewed the 2021 study on teachers' mental health but noted the situation may have changed post-COVID-19, and senior officials regularly visit schools to understand and address teachers' concerns.
The Ministry does not have specific figures on the number of teachers seeking counselling help, but emphasized its commitment to creating a supportive infrastructure and ecosystem for teachers.

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7 Mar 2024

Comparative Assessments of Similar Medical Procedures across Countries to Understand Cost Variations

Yip Hon Weng asked whether the Ministry of Health has conducted comparative assessments of medical procedure costs across countries and sought details on factors driving higher costs in Singapore, including the role of insurance, and proposed bi-annual reviews of healthcare charges to ensure fairness and affordability.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary responded that cross-country comparisons are generally not advisable due to differences in quality, labor markets, care models, and protocols, noting that Singapore may be more affordable for some treatments while costlier for others compared to other countries.
The Ministry emphasized a holistic approach to moderate healthcare costs through value-based care, fee benchmarks, insurance discipline, cost-effective treatments, and preventive care and population health.

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7 Mar 2024

Incidence of Patients Waiting for Triaging at Hospital Emergency Departments and Public Education Efforts Launched

The Senior Minister of State for Health stated that hospital emergency departments can promptly triage patients, with protocols for ambulance diversions and additional resources during peak caseloads, while noting that 40% of emergency department attendances are non-urgent and encouraging use of GP clinics through the GPFirst programme, Urgent Care Centres, and the NurseFirst helpline.
MP Yip Hon Weng asked if the Ministry is exploring partnerships with telehealth providers for non-emergency cases and if best practices from other countries are being considered for public awareness campaigns, highlighting the need for a more accessible healthcare network.
Dr Janil Puthucheary confirmed that the Ministry is exploring telehealth partnerships and studying global best practices, while emphasizing the importance of reinforcing local messages to reserve emergency departments for urgent cases and use alternative channels like NurseFirst, Urgent Care Centres, and GPs for non-emergencies.

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7 Mar 2024

Selection of Organisations to Operate Active Ageing Centres

The Ministry of Health aims to increase Active Ageing Centres from 157 to around 220 by 2025 through a Request-for-Proposal process and direct appointments based on merit, track record, and financial viability.
Providers will be selected via a fair and transparent system that considers existing local presence to minimize disruption to seniors, while ensuring flexibility to meet growing demand.
Pritam Singh asked if all centres, including those in opposition wards, will be run on a non-partisan and non-political basis, similar to current charitable operations.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary confirmed that all Active Ageing Centres will be run in a non-political and non-partisan manner, with the selection process open to all applicants.
The Ministry emphasised that the dual approach of RFPs and direct appointments aims to balance fairness, transparency, and operational efficiency in expanding services for seniors.

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7 Mar 2024

Capacity Increase at IMH and Alexandra Hospital for Patients Seeking Mental Health Specialist Care

IMH will refurbish 11 acute psychiatric wards and expand capacity, while Alexandra Hospital will provide 70 acute psychiatric beds for outpatient and inpatient care by 2030.
The government plans to increase psychiatrists by 30% and healthcare workers training in psychology by 40% by 2030, alongside expanding mental health services in primary and community settings.
Training opportunities will be expanded by working with educational institutions, focusing on clinical placements and mentorship in clinical settings to address capacity limits.

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7 Mar 2024

Ensuring Mental Well-being of National Servicemen

MINDEF and SAF have doubled mental health professionals to 80 and established Care Hubs in BMT camps to provide integrated support, while continuing pre-enlistment screening and deferring severe cases from NS until assessed safe.
All BMT recruits receive psychological first aid training and commanders are trained to identify distress, supplemented by a 24-hour anonymous hotline and close monitoring by mental health teams throughout service.
A MINDEF/SAF Mental Health Office was set up in 2022 to coordinate efforts, promote well-being campaigns, and collaborate with other ministries to address mental health as a national challenge.

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6 Mar 2024

Clarification by Minister for Health

Minister Ong Ye Kung corrected his earlier statement, noting that Changi General Hospital has six ambulance bays, not four as previously mentioned.
He clarified that the intake for local medical schools has increased by about 30% over the past 10 years, reaching approximately 500 students annually.
The total student cohort is slightly over 35,000, with about half attending autonomous universities and 500 training to be doctors, not 30,000 and 15,000-17,000 as earlier stated.
The corrections were made to address inaccuracies from a previous speech during the Committee of Supply debate for the Ministry of Health.
The Minister acknowledged the issue of Changi General Hospital's aging structure and limited ambulance bays, as reported in the Straits Times.

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6 Mar 2024

Proposal for Singapore Psychological Society to Report to Allied Health Professional Council

Yip Hon Weng proposed that the Singapore Psychological Society report to the Allied Health Professional Council to improve accountability and accessibility of mental health services.
Ong Ye Kung highlighted the broader issue of regulating psychologists due to rising mental health concerns, noting ongoing discussions among relevant stakeholders.
The debate centers on whether formal oversight by the Allied Health Professional Council would enhance the governance of psychological services in Singapore.

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6 Mar 2024

Effectiveness of National Myopia Prevention Programme's Strategies for Primary School Students

Louis Ng Kok Kwang questioned the Ministry of Health on the specific targets set for the National Myopia Prevention Programme to delay onset and reduce progression of myopia in children, and how its effectiveness is measured.
The Health Promotion Board screens children from Kindergarten 1 to Primary 4, using annual vision screening and workshops to promote eye care habits, and has achieved its target of keeping myopia prevalence in Primary 1 students at or below 30%, with rates stabilizing at 26% in 2023.
The programme also tracks myopia severity levels in selected schools, showing stable or decreasing prevalence of low, moderate, and high myopia among primary and secondary students between 2013 and 2023.

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6 Mar 2024

Detection and Prevention of Potential Zika Transmission at Boon Lay Place

The detection of a Zika case at Boon Lay Place was made through the National Environment Agency's enhanced surveillance of mosquito samples from Gravitraps and wastewater testing, which showed persistent Zika virus signals.
Immediate steps included intensive vector control operations such as indoor spraying of insecticides and larviciding, alongside outreach activities to raise awareness on preventing mosquito breeding.
The Ministry is tracking the situation through ongoing monitoring of mosquito and wastewater samples and has alerted doctors to test for Zika among patients with compatible symptoms.
Specific prevention measures involve sustained vector control, personal precautions like using insect repellent, and urging residents, especially pregnant women, to monitor their health.

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6 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply – Head O (Ministry of Health)

The government will invest S$3.5 billion over the next decade for the Age Well SG initiative to support seniors aging in the community, including expanding Active Ageing Centres and enhancing home and neighborhood infrastructure.
To address hospital capacity and rising healthcare costs, plans include adding 4,000 hospital beds by 2030, making Mobile Inpatient Care at Home a mainstream service, and reviewing MediShield Life to increase claim limits for major illnesses, which will raise premiums but be supported by MediSave.
Healthier SG has enrolled over 760,000 residents since its launch, focusing on preventive care through family doctors, with initiatives to expand mental health support and promote healthier lifestyles, including actions against vaping and sugar/sodium reduction.

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5 Mar 2024

Consideration of Past Years of Service for Nurses Rejoining Public Healthcare Institutions

Yip Hon Weng asked if nurses who resigned and rejoined public healthcare would have their past years of service counted toward the new long-term retention scheme.
Ong Ye Kung explained that the scheme aims to encourage lifelong nursing careers in the public healthcare system.
Starting September 2024, nurses on the scheme will begin accumulating years of service, and resignation counts as an exit from the scheme.
If a nurse rejoins the public system, their previous years on the scheme can be reinstated regardless of why they left.
This approach ensures continuity in service counting while maintaining the scheme’s incentive for long-term retention.

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5 Mar 2024

Data on Doctors Aged 29 to 40 Resigning from Public Hospitals

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Ministry of Health for the annual number and percentage of doctors aged 29, 30, 31, 31–35, and 35–40 who resigned from public hospitals in FY 2022 and FY 2023.
Ong Ye Kung provided attrition rates for the requested age bands across the two fiscal years in a table, without specifying the exact numbers in the speech.
The debate focused on tracking resignations among young doctors in public hospitals over two years.

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5 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply – Head O (Ministry of Health)

Multiple MPs highlighted challenges with long hospital waiting times and insufficient bed capacity, urging MOH to expand home care, publish more detailed waiting time data, and expedite hospital developments to meet the needs of an ageing population.
Concerns were raised about healthcare affordability and financing, with calls for better cost control, subsidies for new treatments like gene therapy and egg freezing, and support for patients with rare diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy to reduce financial toxicity.
Several members emphasized the need to enhance community and home-based care, including scaling up mobile inpatient care, supporting ageing caregivers, and improving accessibility for seniors with mobility needs, such as sheltered pathways to polyclinics.
The Healthier SG initiative was discussed, with requests for updates on enrolment, health outcomes, and support for GPs, alongside broader calls to address vaping, mental health services, and the integration of care across multiple ministries.

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5 Mar 2024

Savings Scheme to Pool Undisbursed Payouts from Nurses Retention Scheme

Mr Xie Yao Quan asked whether the Ministry of Health would consider a savings scheme to pool undisbursed payouts from the nurses retention scheme to protect their value against inflation.
The Ministry responded that the question had already been addressed in a written reply dated 4 March 2024, and invited the Member to seek clarification if needed.
The debate highlighted ongoing concerns about preserving the real value of future nurse retention payouts in the face of inflation.

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4 Mar 2024

Trend of Couples Seeking Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatment at Private Clinics

There is an increasing trend of couples seeking Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment at private clinics from 2018 to 2022, though the majority still use public clinics.
The Ministry of Health has data showing the proportion of women choosing private ART centres has increased over this period.
The debate focused on whether the Ministry collects and intends to collect data on ART trends at private clinics.

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4 Mar 2024

Inclusion of Inflation-adjusted Metric to Payouts in Scheme to Retain Nurses

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked if the new ANGEL scheme for nurses should include inflation-adjusted payouts over their careers.
The Ministry explained that ANGEL is a retention scheme with payouts spread over up to 20 years, not a long-term savings scheme, limiting long-term investment potential.
The Ministry will regularly review nursing salaries and ANGEL deposits to keep the overall compensation package competitive.

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