Health — Topics | PAPERCUTS

15 Feb 2022

Data on Caregiving-related Expenditures Incurred by Families Caring for Elderly Persons

Carrie Tan asked if the Ministry of Health tracks annual caregiving expenditures for families caring for elderly persons based on the number of daily activities they assist with, where such data is published, and whether the Home Caregiving Grant will be enhanced for different care needs.
Ong Ye Kung stated that while MOH does not track expenses by specific daily activity needs, it monitors care service expenses and reviews financial support, noting the Home Caregiving Grant provides a $200 monthly cash grant for eligible individuals with permanent moderate disability and is being studied for enhancement.
The Minister highlighted other financial support measures including subsidies for long-term care, the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund, and cash payouts from CareShield Life, ElderShield, and MediSave Care, with additional help available through AIC Link or Social Service Offices.

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15 Feb 2022

Conditions Diagnosed through Employer-arranged Health Screenings and Implications on Future Health Insurance Eligibility

Tan Wu Meng asked if there are HR best practices for employer-arranged health screenings and whether they include counselling on potential impacts to future health insurance eligibility if a condition is diagnosed.
Tan See Leng responded that employer-arranged screenings are a voluntary staff benefit with no HR community complications reported, so no specific recommendations have been made.
The government does not require health screening providers to counsel individuals on insurance implications, regardless of whether the screening is employer-arranged or personal.
Given the voluntary nature of these screenings, the government prefers not to be overly prescriptive.

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15 Feb 2022

Potential Breaches of COVID-19 SMMs at Sky Gardens of HDB Blocks and Proposal to Gate Up such Gardens

Joan Pereira asked if the Ministry for National Development would review policies to gate sky gardens and provide key card access to residents due to potential breaches of COVID-19 safe management measures and disamenities.
Desmond Lee responded that HDB estates are designed with open community spaces to encourage social interactions, and gating sky gardens would alter their open character.
Instead, HDB collaborates with Town Councils and agencies to implement targeted measures, such as increased patrols, enforcement against breaches, and using the OneService App for resident feedback.
During events like New Year’s Eve, agencies worked to restrict access after 10pm and increase patrols to mitigate disamenities while keeping sky gardens open.
HDB will continue working with MPs, Town Councils, and agencies to minimize disamenities while maintaining open communal spaces.

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15 Feb 2022

Amount and Breakdown of Funds Disbursed to Town Councils for Implementation of Safe Management Measures

The Ministry of National Development provided funding to Town Councils for safe management measures from April 2020, with cost caps that were regularly reviewed and increased as COVID-19 guidelines evolved.
For FY2020, Town Councils submitted $1.38 million in claims, and $1.24 million was disbursed; for FY2021, $4.66 million was claimed, with $4.65 million approved, with differences due to cost cap limits or non-claimable items.
The claims process involved batch processing to analyze trends, and payment typically took about one month, but delays occurred due to late or incomplete submissions from some Town Councils.
From August 2021, the Ministry shifted to a subvention model where Town Councils no longer need to submit supporting documents, with audits conducted instead to speed up reimbursement.
Town Councils were told to expect FY2021 claim payments by end-March 2022, with late or incomplete claims processed in the next cycle.

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15 Feb 2022

Annual Budgets Provided to Primary Care, Community Hospitals and Nursing Homes in Last Three Financial Years and Plans for Higher Allocations Given Ageing Population with More Chronic Diseases

MOH’s expenditure on public acute hospitals and specialist outpatient clinics rose from $6.7 billion in FY2017 to $6.9 billion in FY2019.
Expenditure on primary care and intermediate and long-term care, including community hospitals and nursing homes, increased from $1.4 billion in FY2017 to $2 billion in FY2019.
Investment in primary and long-term care is expected to continue rising to support an ageing population with more chronic diseases.
Plans include expanding polyclinics from 23 to 32 by 2030, building three new public community hospitals, and growing aged care services to help seniors age in place.

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15 Feb 2022

Actions to Verify Vaccinations or ART Results Administered by Clinics Linked to Alleged Vaccine Fraud Case

MOH has reported the alleged vaccine and ART fraud case to the police and is working with them to verify and correct false records in the national database, with patients referred for investigation.
The ministry is auditing clinical systems and licensing processes to ensure the accuracy of pandemic-related records, though the current system is considered effective.
Proactive checks are being conducted to identify other clinics involved in false certifications, but no additional irregularities have been found so far.
The government’s response focuses on correcting records and investigating clinics, with no specific action outlined for patients who knowingly obtained falsified documents.

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15 Feb 2022

Toll on Public Service at Forefront of Fight against COVID-19 Pandemic and Measures to Ensure It Remains Competitive

Patrick Tay asked about attrition, welfare, and competitiveness of compensation for Public Service workers amid COVID-19 pressures, with the Minister confirming a rise in attrition and outlining support measures like mental health resources and salary reviews.
The Minister highlighted localized shortages, especially in ICT, and emphasized redeployment and flexible work arrangements, but noted frontline roles limit remote work options.
Concerns were raised about higher ICT sector attrition, with strategies including external recruitment, retraining existing staff, and aggregating projects to manage talent demands.

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15 Feb 2022

Assessment of Use of Non-mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Wider Population

The government clarified that approximately 1,000 individuals who completed their primary vaccine series with non-mRNA vaccines would have their fully vaccinated status expire by 14 February 2022, with medically ineligible adults aged 18 and above able to receive Sinovac-CoronaVac as a booster under the National Vaccination Programme.
For children and adolescents, Sinovac-CoronaVac and Sinopharm are not routinely recommended due to lack of WHO endorsement and manufacturer filings, though a dedicated program (SAM) offers Sinovac to those aged 5-17 who are medically ineligible for mRNA vaccines, and Novavax has been approved for adults with evaluations for younger age groups ongoing.
The health ministry noted that while mRNA vaccines are preferred for optimal protection, it is working to introduce additional non-mRNA options like Novavax for those ineligible, and during the Omicron wave, healthcare systems are coping with high case numbers but face operational pressures, leading to new measures like supervised ART testing at Quick Test Centres.

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14 Feb 2022

Percentages of Migrant Workers Living in Dormitories Infected with COVID-19 in 2021 and Their Respective Medical Outcomes

In 2021, 98% of migrant workers in dormitories were fully vaccinated, and the vast majority of infected cases had no or mild symptoms.
Among vaccinated workers who tested positive, only 0.05% required oxygen or ICU care, compared to 0.32% of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated workers—a rate over six times higher.
There were no COVID-19-related deaths among migrant workers living in dormitories in 2021.

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14 Feb 2022

Anticipated Respective Budgets Required for Each of Next Five Years for Expansion of Seniors' Mobility & Enabling Fund and Assistive Technology Fund

Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Health about the anticipated budgets for each of the next five years to expand the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund and the Assistive Technology Fund as announced in January 2022.
The estimated average additional annual budget for the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund expansion is $49 million over the next five years, compared to an average annual utilisation of $27 million in the previous five years.
The estimated annual budget for the Assistive Technology Fund over the next five years is $7 million, compared to an average annual utilisation of $4 million in the previous five years.

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14 Feb 2022

Annual Prevalence of Obesity for Children Aged Below 18 over Past Five Years, Their Profile and Assessed Effectiveness of Preventive Measures

From 2017 to 2021, the proportion of students who were overweight increased from 13% to 16%, with the rise mainly observed in the last two years, potentially linked to reduced physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More studies are needed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on obesity prevalence by housing type and race, as current data breakdowns are not available.
Various preventive measures are in place, including school health promotion, healthier meals, community programs, and lifestyle coaching for severely overweight students, with 64% of participants in the 2021 coaching program achieving significant BMI reduction.

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14 Feb 2022

Number of Persons with Caring Responsibilities Approaching Agency for Integrated Care for Assistance and Types of Help Provided in Last Five Years

Over the last five years, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) received an average of 100,000 enquiries per year, but this figure does not represent unique individuals and AIC does not track whether enquirers were caregivers or the duration of assistance.
AIC supports caregivers by referring seniors to eldercare services such as day care, home care, palliative care, nursing homes, and respite care, with about 34,000 seniors referred annually over the past five years.
AIC administers support schemes including the Caregivers' Training Grant, Home Caregiving Grant, and expanded Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund, with around 34,400 beneficiaries receiving the Home Caregiving Grant and 19,500 receiving the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund in 2021.

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14 Feb 2022

Singaporeans with Ongoing Follow-up at Restructured Hospitals or National Specialty Centre Outpatient Clinics and Their Travelling Time for Such Appointments

In 2020, about 1.05 million Singapore citizens and permanent residents had ongoing follow-up appointments at restructured hospitals or national specialty centre outpatient clinics.
Over 90% of these patients had a travel time of less than one hour by public transport from their residence to the facility.
The Ministry of Health provided a table detailing the breakdown of travel times into four categories: under 30 minutes, 31–60 minutes, 61–90 minutes, and over 90 minutes.

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14 Feb 2022

Number of Migrant Workers Enrolled into COVID-19 Clinical Trials Since Start of Pandemic and Measures to Ensure Appropriate Informed Consent Obtained Without Duress

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one approved COVID-19 clinical trial in Singapore recruited 4,257 migrant workers to assess treatments for reducing SARS-CoV-2 spread.
All clinical trials require regulatory approval from the Health Sciences Authority and ethical approval from an Institutional Review Board, with written informed consent obtained under strict legal requirements.
The law prohibits coercion, intimidation, deception, or misrepresentation in obtaining consent, and principal investigators must ensure participants understand the trial and can withdraw at any time without penalty.

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14 Feb 2022

Safeguards or Checks to Ensure Junior Doctors Not Pressured to Under-report Working Hours and Estimates on Rate of Such Under-reporting

Leon Perera asked the Ministry of Health about safeguards against junior doctors under-reporting working hours and any estimates on the rate of under-reporting.
Healthcare institutions use electronic logging, surveys, and proxy indicators like late-night transport claims to monitor hours and well-being.
A whistle-blowing channel allows junior doctors to anonymously report wrongful practices, which MOH Holdings investigates.
Based on collected data and feedback, there is no detected systemic under-reporting of working hours.

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14 Feb 2022

Measures to Alleviate Healthcare Manpower Crunch from Recent Surge of COVID-19 Omicron Variant Cases and Resignation Rates of Healthcare Workers in 2021

Minister Ong Ye Kung confirmed that MOH has already mobilized healthcare resources from the Public Service, including the SAF and SCDF, as well as the private sector, to manage the surge in COVID-19 cases and support healthcare staffing.
A specific example was the joint operation of a COVID-19 Treatment Facility by staff from Woodlands Health, SAF medical corps, and the Health Promotion Board during the end-of-year case surge.
Private healthcare workers have also contributed to national efforts such as the vaccination drive and case management at general practitioner clinics and treatment facilities.
The Minister acknowledged the immense stress experienced by healthcare officers over the past two years and thanked all partner organizations for their close collaboration.
The response indicates that cross-sector resource sharing is an ongoing practice rather than a new consideration for the current Omicron variant surge.

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14 Feb 2022

Projected Annual Healthcare Spending for Next Decade

Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Health about the projected annual healthcare spending for the next decade.
Ong Ye Kung responded that Singapore's National Health Expenditure could rise from $22 billion in 2018 to $59 billion in 2030 due to an aging population.
The projection highlights a significant increase in healthcare spending over the next decade, driven by demographic changes.

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14 Feb 2022

Voluntary Enrolment of Persons Born Before 1980 into CareShield Life Scheme to-Date and Their Profile and Premium Payable

As of end-January 2022, about 537,000 ElderShield 400 policyholders born from 1970 to 1979 were automatically enrolled into CareShield Life, and around 60,000 voluntary applications from persons born before 1980 were approved.
Premiums for upgrading from ElderShield 400 to CareShield Life in 2022 vary by age and gender, with annual premiums for 50-year-olds around $470 (male) and $600 (female), and for 65-year-olds around $630 (male) and $830 (female).
The government is conducting outreach to encourage voluntary enrolment and offers participation incentives of up to $4,000 for those born before 1980 who join by 31 December 2023, to be offset over 10 years.

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14 Feb 2022

Proportion of Omicron Cases Comprising B2.A Sub-variant as of January 2022 and Assessment of Its Threat vis-a-vis B1.A Sub-variant

As of January 2022, about 15% of local Omicron cases sequenced were the BA.2 sub-variant.
Preliminary studies overseas indicate BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 but does not cause more severe illness or reduce vaccine effectiveness.
The Ministry of Health will continue monitoring COVID-19 strains and data on the BA.2 sub-lineage.

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14 Feb 2022

Review of Five-person Dining-in Limit to Allow Families with Three or More Children to Dine with Grandparents for Meals at Restaurants

Christopher de Souza questioned if the five-person dining-in limit would be reviewed to allow families with three or more children to dine with grandparents at restaurants.
Ong Ye Kung referred to a prior reply on the same issue dated 14 February 2022.
The debate highlighted a request for family-friendly dining exemptions amid COVID-19 restrictions.
The response indicated the matter had already been addressed in an earlier parliamentary session.
No new policy change or review commitment was announced in this exchange.

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