SINGAPORE - Health Minister Ong Ye Kung focused largely on the hospital capacity crunch and rising healthcare costs during the debate on his ministry’s budget on March 6.
He also talked about the major transformation in the country’s healthcare system that will further address these concerns, including more plans to build a healthier Singapore.
Here is what came up during the debate on the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) budget.
More Healthier SG protocols for chronic conditions to keep care consistent
Since Healthier SG was launched in July 2023, some 2.4 million Singapore residents aged 40 and above have been invited to participate in it.
Healthier SG is a preventive care programme where residents enrol with a family doctor who will co-develop a personalised health plan for them.
As at February, 765,000 residents have enrolled with a family doctor of their choice under Healthier SG, said Mr Ong. Some 60 per cent are enrolled with general practitioners, and the remainder with polyclinics.
MOH said it will roll out more care protocols to cover chronic conditions such as stable stroke and stable ischaemic heart disease, to ensure that the care delivered across the Healthier SG clinics is consistent, starting from early 2025. It is also starting to work on including aspects of mental health into the scheme.
Also in 2024, more specific “lifestyle prescriptions” will be incorporated into personalised health plans. For instance, the advice might be to do aerobic exercise three times a week.
Smaller hospital bills for most community hospital patients
From the last quarter of 2024, more diagnostic services, such as CT and MRI scans, and relevant drugs will be subsidised at community hospitals. This is to facilitate the transition from acute hospitals to step-down and rehabilitative care.
More than 5,000 community hospital patients will benefit from the expanded scope of subsidised drugs annually. Those undergoing sub-acute or rehabilitative care will also benefit from the expanded scope of subsidised diagnostic services.
MOH will also align the community hospital subsidy framework to the acute hospital subsidy framework, so that patients receive the same subsidy rate of 50 per cent to 80 per cent throughout their inpatient stay.
With this enhancement, most community hospital patients will see smaller hospital bills, said Mr Ong.
Enhanced home personal care services for seniors with care needs
Support for this group of seniors who may have mobility issues, for instance, will be strengthened with more options, including an enhanced Home Personal Care service (HPC+) that will enable them to receive care at home.
As at January 2024, there were 328 clients from 11 sites, including NTUC Health Jurong Central Plaza and Lions Befrienders @ Mei Ling, enrolled in an ongoing HPC+ pilot. MOH will evaluate the pilot by the end of 2024, before considering whether to expand it islandwide.
Unlike the existing Home Personal Care service, which offers support for activities of daily living such as showering and feeding, and housekeeping services, the enhanced version will include a 24/7 technology-enabled monitoring and response element to detect falls and incidents.
Caregivers who require respite care services can also tap HPC+.
Getting tough on vaping
MOH is working across ministries and agencies to take the necessary measures to protect the population and prevent e-vaporisers from taking hold in Singapore. E-vaporises are illegal here.
It will continue to support those who smoke or vape to quit. Cessation programmes are accessible across various settings, including healthcare institutions, workplaces, uniformed services, education institutions, and in the community, through initiatives such as the Health Promotion Board’s I Quit programme and Healthier SG.
As MOH steps up enforcement and education efforts, it will be reviewing the legal penalties to ensure a strong deterrence against vaping and related offences.
