Healthier SG: Residents aged 60 and above can enrol in one resident, one doctor scheme from second half of 2023

Singapore Government releases White Paper on Healthier SG on 21 September 2022

By Joyce Teo, Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 21 Sep 2022

Singapore's ambitious plan to have one family physician and one health plan for each and every one of its residents will start with those aged 60 and above in the second half of 2023.

The Healthier SG Programme will also offer cheaper drugs for chronic diseases at general practitioner (GP) clinics, among other benefits. With it, MOH aims to shift its focus from "sick care" to preventive care so as to eventually help every resident stay on the path to better health.

Eligible residents will be invited to enrol in the programme with a primary care clinic of their choice via SMS. Those in the 40 to 59 age group will be invited to enrol in the following two years, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a White Paper that was submitted to Parliament on Wednesday. The White Paper will be debated in Parliament in October.

Since March, the ministry has engaged more than 6,000 residents and other stakeholders for their views on the strategy.

Under the Healthier SG Programme, residents will develop a relationship with a primary care doctor who will holistically manage their health.

At the first visit, which will be free, the doctor will work out a health plan that can include diet adjustments, an exercise regimen and regular health screenings and vaccinations.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told the media at the MOH headquarters in College Road on Wednesday that the plan has social prescriptions like "how you eat, how you sleep, how you cut down on salt and sugar, quit smoking, exercise, so on and so forth".

Community partners will be roped in to help manage residents' health, as the idea is to move healthcare away from acute hospitals to the community to help keep people healthy. Residents will be able to join free programmes to keep fit, for instance.

A key change that MOH will introduce to get residents on the programme is to make drug prices at participating GP clinics more comparable with those at polyclinics through a combination of enhanced drug subsidies and drug price limits. This will be done for drugs used to manage common chronic diseases.

With this, people will no longer have to end their relationship with their long-time GPs when they develop diabetes or hypertension just because the drugs for these conditions are cheaper at polyclinics.

MOH will announce the details for this at a later date.

The ministry also said that it will fully subsidise nationally recommended screenings and vaccinations for Singapore citizens, and waive the need for residents to co-pay 15 per cent of their bills in cash when using MediSave for the treatment of common chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme.

"We are shifting away from co-payment for this basic preventive care to fully support residents (in) preventive care," said Mr Ong.

There will be a health points reward system to get people to take action, such as to enrol and complete their first consultation, and engage in health activities.

However, to get Healthier SG off the ground, MOH will first have to mobilise family doctors in private practice.

MOH will offer GPs an annual service fee for each enrolled resident, which will vary according to the risk profile, scope of care and the progress made, as well as a tech support grant.

These doctors will need to join a so-called Primary Care Network, partner a healthcare cluster, and be digitally enabled. The Primary Care Networks, which hire nurses and coordinators for chronic disease management and other shared tasks, will support the GPs in their work. There are currently 23 polyclinics and about 1,800 GP clinics, of which 670 clinics have formed such networks.

To ensure the level of care is consistent across GPs, MOH is developing a set of care protocols with primary care leaders to guide family doctors on how to manage key chronic conditions.

Healthier SG will start with the care protocols of three of the most common chronic conditions: diabetes, hypertension and lipid disorders. In the future, the protocols will expand to cover more conditions and areas such as mental health.

"Everyone involved, including healthcare providers, the Government and residents, will need to do things differently," MOH said in the White Paper.

"Healthier SG is probably the most significant change to the health system since Independence. We have had six decades where we emphasised reactive sick care rather than health promotion," said Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation at the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

The incentives under Healthier SG are created to promote health, rather than healthcare and, for the residents, inertia will be the biggest enemy, he said.

It will take years for such a major transformation of the healthcare system to take off and experts said the start will inevitably be challenging before the results show.

"Healthcare expenditure may rise initially and even more rapidly as we discover more people who have medical problems," said Dr Wong Chiang Yin, a public health specialist in the private sector.

"We must have the tenacity to stomach this and stay the course before the benefits of Healthier SG kick in at a later stage," he added.

The White Paper on Healthier SG can be viewed at www.healthiersg.gov.sg.

More Singaporeans to benefit from higher healthcare subsidies under revised income criteria by October 2019

More than 365,000 people will benefit from revised healthcare subsidies like CHAS by October 2019
Income ceilings for subsidies to be raised by October; those paying less to get extra help
By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent and Vanessa Liu, The Sunday Times, 28 Jul 2019

By October, more people here will qualify for healthcare subsidies, and many of those who are already entitled to pay less will get additional help to offset their medical expenses.

At least 365,000 Singapore residents will enjoy more healthcare subsidies after the Health Ministry's revision of income eligibility criteria for various schemes, ranging from basic medical insurance to clinic visits.

Each person in a household can earn an average of between $100 and $300 more per month and still qualify, following the latest review "to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans", Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said yesterday.

For example, a family with a per capita monthly income of $1,200 will qualify for up to 50 per cent subsidy of their MediShield Life premiums. Previously, it would have been up to 45 per cent.

Premium subsidies will also be available for a new group of people: those with a per capita family income from above $2,600 to $2,800. This translates to a total cap of $11,200 for a family of four. By October, they will be eligible for subsidies of between 15 and 40 per cent, depending on their house type and age of the person.

Another group of beneficiaries is set to grow: seniors aged 60 years and older.

When the per capita household income ceiling for the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund is raised from $1,800 to $2,000, more will enjoy up to 90 per cent subsidy for devices such as wheelchairs, pressure relief mattresses, hearing aids and spectacles. They will also be able to get up to 80 per cent subsidy for consumables, including adult diapers and milk feeds.

With Singapore's high rate of diabetes and kidney failure, subsidies for a number of patients with these conditions will also rise, depending on their household income. More than 7,000 people are on dialysis, which they must routinely do for the rest of their lives.

The changes will not affect people from households with no income. Their eligibility remains dependent on the annual value of their homes.

More than two million Singapore residents are currently receiving means-tested subsidies for at least one healthcare scheme or service.

In all, the changes will call for an additional $65 million per year, increasing the yearly budget for the schemes in question to about $2.17 billion, the Ministry of Health told The Sunday Times.

"No one will be denied appropriate healthcare because they cannot afford to pay," said a spokesman.

People who qualify will automatically enjoy the higher subsidies and they do not need to take any action, Mr Gan said when announcing the new income criteria at a carnival to raise awareness of the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) at Toa Payoh HDB Atrium.

Another significant move is the introduction of a new tier to CHAS which subsidises people who see specified private general practitioners or dentists. This is the Green tier for Singaporeans with chronic ailments, a change Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had announced at last year's National Day Rally.

To be launched on Nov 1, it has no income criteria, unlike the existing Blue and Orange tiers which are means-tested.

The new tier "is a major shift towards universal subsidies for chronic conditions under GP care", said Mr Gan, who noted that as the population ages, more Singaporeans will need help to manage their chronic ailments.

Businesswoman Rena Lim, who has diabetes, is looking forward to paying less and has applied for the Green CHAS card to help offset the cost of regular check-ups at the polyclinic near her home. "Having the same doctor monitoring my condition is good," said the 59-year-old.

The per capita monthly household income to qualify for the existing CHAS subsidies will also go up by October, Mr Gan announced. The ceiling for the Blue tier will be raised from $1,100 to $1,200, and for the Orange tier, from $1,800 to $2,000.

Existing CHAS cardholders who qualify for a higher tier will get replacement cards by October. There are now about 1.2 million existing CHAS cardholders, including Pioneer Generation members.

From Nov 1, higher annual subsidy limits for CHAS also take effect.

In the same month, about 500,000 Singaporeans in the Merdeka Generation - those born in the 1950s - will start getting subsidies at over 1,000 specified private GP and 700 dental clinics. Their subsidies will be higher than for CHAS card holders.

Mr Gan said the CHAS enhancements and the Merdeka Generation package will cost $200 million a year, or a third more than the $152 million disbursed last year under CHAS.

Underlining the importance of family doctors and dentists in Singapore's healthcare system, Mr Gan said: "Our regular family doctors and dentists are our first line of care when we fall ill, and provide continued care to help us manage our health conditions well. Through their advice, health checks and screening, as well as vaccinations, they also help us to stay healthy."

CHAS subsidies for all Singaporeans with chronic illnesses from November 2019

New green CHAS card from November for all Singaporeans with chronic health conditions
By Rei Kurohi, The Straits Times, 7 Mar 2019

From Nov 1, all Singaporeans suffering from diabetes, hypertension or other chronic illnesses can tap the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) for subsidies, and those who already qualify for it will receive bigger subsidies.

* MOH revises income eligibility criteria for healthcare subsidy and assistance schemes from October 2019 *

The introduction of the new CHAS Green tier is for households with a monthly per capita income of more than $1,800 or a home with an annual value of more than $21,000.

Its holder can get up to $112 in yearly subsidies for a simple chronic condition, or up to $160 for a complex condition - meaning someone with multiple chronic conditions or one with complications.

Details of the new health assistance programme were announced by Senior Minister of State for Health Edwin Tong in Parliament yesterday during the debate on his ministry's budget.

The CHAS Green tier is in addition to the existing CHAS Orange and CHAS Blue, which subsidise treatment for common illnesses, chronic health problems and selected dental issues for lower-to middle-income Singaporean households.

Last year, about 630,000 patients benefited from CHAS subsidies, Mr Tong said.



Singaporeans who were aged 16 and older in 1965, referred to as the Pioneer Generation, enjoy CHAS benefits regardless of income.

From Nov 1, members of the Merdeka Generation, who were born in the 1950s and are in their 60s now, will also qualify for CHAS benefits regardless of income.

Annual subsidies for the Merdeka Generation will be capped at $340 for simple conditions and $520 for complex conditions.

For common illnesses, the subsidy will be capped at $23.50 per visit. For dental services, the Merdeka Generation will get between $16 and $261.50 per procedure, depending on what it is.

This is higher than the CHAS Blue tier for households in the lowest income bracket with a per capita monthly household income of $1,100 or less, but not as high as what the Pioneer Generation receives.



Subsidies for current CHAS Orange and CHAS Blue cardholders will also be raised by $20 a year, from $300 to $320 a year for CHAS Orange and from $480 to $500 a year for CHAS Blue.

CHAS Orange cardholders can get a subsidy of up to $10 per visit for common illnesses from Nov 1. Currently, they do not get any subsidies for common illnesses.

"Collectively, we expect to pay out more than $200 million a year on CHAS subsidies," Mr Tong said.



He added that the Health Ministry is working on simplifying the CHAS application process to encourage more Singaporeans to sign up.

Online applications will be available from September this year.

National Day Rally 2017: One Year On

A better pre-school education, a fight against diabetes and a drive to be a Smart Nation were highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at his National Day Rally last year as efforts that could benefit Singapore in the long run. A year on, The Straits Times looks at progress and challenges in these areas.


Diabetes: Cheaper screening, low-sugar options in war against disease
Multi-pronged diabetes fight includes helping expectant mums and healthier food choices
By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 18 Aug 2018

At last year's National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of the need to tackle diabetes here.

The silent killer increases people's risk of contracting other serious medical problems such as stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.

About 400,000 people here have the disease, though not all are aware of it as there are no symptoms in the early stages. This makes Singapore the developed country with the second-highest rate of diabetes, after the United States.

If nothing is done to curb the disease, the number of diabetics is projected to rise to one million by 2050 - and cost the country $2.5 billion a year in treatment and lost productivity, up from about $1 billion now.

Since the Prime Minister flagged the need to fight diabetes in August last year, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) has made it cheaper for people to screen for this and other chronic ailments.

For a flat fee of $5 - it is $2 for Community Health Assist Scheme card holders and free for pioneers - eligible Singaporeans can be screened for up to five conditions, including diabetes.

The fee covers the follow-up consultation should the person have any of the conditions.

By May this year, more than 45,000 people had been screened.

The HPB also funds food manufacturers to encourage them to come up with products containing less sugar.

Its aim is to cut the sugar intake here by 25 per cent by 2020.

White rice is a major source of sugar intake here, so the HPB is also pushing for more people to turn to brown rice, which does not spike blood sugar levels as much.

It also works with hawkers to offer healthier options such as brown rice noodles and to add some brown rice in rice cakes and glutinous rice.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong recently spoke of making water more widely available with drinking points in public places.

It has already become a must for water to be served at all government and People's Association functions, instead of just the ubiquitous syrup drinks.

He is hoping to make drinking water the default. Today, about 100 million cans of sweetened soda are sold here every month - or more than one billion cans a year.

Deep changes in social spending: Social mobility, ageing are Singapore's big challenges, says DPM Tharman

Over the past decade, government spending more than doubled from $33 billion to $71 billion - and is set to increase further. Ahead of Budget Day on Feb 19, Insight looks at where spending demands are greatest: healthcare, infrastructure and jobs. The first of a three-part series, this week's feature examines Singapore's social policies, and pressing issues in healthcare.
By Seow Bei Yi, The Sunday Times, 28 Jan 2018

Shaping policy in response to social needs is an ever-challenging - and changing - process. Just ask Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Back in the mid-1990s when the Internet age was starting, many families were worried that their children would lose out because they could not afford computers.

The Government's solution: it would "socialise" computer use.

Public computers would be installed in schools and community centres, announced the Education Ministry's deputy secretary (policy) - Mr Tharman. There would be no subsidies for low-income families, he said then.

But as the Internet took off, this stance later changed. Government initiatives expanded to include subsidies for needy students to buy new computers and to subscribe to Internet broadband.

This flexibility to adapt to changing needs can be seen nowadays in the move to increase social spending for an inclusive society that gives the needy a leg-up. It stands in contrast to earlier years of nation-building, where the emphasis in social policy was self-reliance.

In an interview with Insight, Mr Tharman, who has been the Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies since 2015, says:

"It's in the last decade that you see a decisive shift, a deliberate tilt, towards tempering the inequalities of life and ensuring the lower-income group keeps pace with the whole society as it moves up."

He outlines some of the key milestones: Workfare in 2007, which supports older low-wage Singaporeans who continue working and training; the Progressive Wage Model in 2012, which sets wage floors for workers' skill levels; SkillsFuture in 2015, which encourages lifelong learning; and MediShield Life, also in 2015, a health insurance plan helping to pay for costly hospital bills and treatments.

With such moves, social expenditure - which covers healthcare, education and social and family development, among others - ballooned to about $34 billion in 2016, from $12.7 billion a decade earlier. Last year, it comprised $37.8 billion - half of total government spending.

Experts agree there has been a shift to the left in Singapore's social policies - in terms of wealth redistribution - although they disagree as to the extent.

In the past, social support tended towards short-term aid for the unemployed, the ill, those with disabilities and the needy old, says National University of Singapore (NUS) economist Chia Ngee Choon, noting: "There was an aversion towards welfarism as it was feared that this may lead to a 'crutch mentality'."

But there was a growing acknowledgement that not everyone was benefiting from Singapore's economic growth. Some were falling way behind.

The 2005 Household Expenditure Survey showed that while average income for households rose 1.1 per cent annually from 1998 to 2003, those in the bottom 20 per cent saw their incomes fall 3.2 per cent a year in the same period.

By contrast, the Household Expenditure Survey in 2014 found that the income of those in the bottom 20 per cent rose at the highest rate of 6.6 per cent annually from 2008 to 2013, even as average monthly household income increased by 5.3 per cent annually.

New 130/80 high blood pressure guideline by American Heart Association means more people in Singapore - 1 in 3 - have hypertension

New US standard redefines high blood pressure
Stricter limit of 130/80 means action should be taken sooner, including adoption of lifestyle changes: Report
The Straits Times, 15 Nov 2017

LOS ANGELES • High blood pressure was redefined on Monday by the American Heart Association (AHA), which said the disease should be treated sooner, when it reaches 130/80mm Hg, and not the previous limit of 140/90.

Doctors now recognise that complications "can occur at those lower numbers", said the first update to comprehensive US guidelines on blood pressure detection and treatment since 2003.

A diagnosis of the new high blood pressure does not necessarily mean a person needs to take medication, but that "it's a yellow light that you need to be lowering your blood pressure, mainly with non-drug approaches", said Dr Paul Whelton, lead author of the guidelines published in the AHA journal, Hypertension, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Healthy lifestyle changes include losing weight, exercising more, eating healthier, not smoking, avoiding alcohol and salt, and reducing stress.

The new standard means nearly half (46 per cent) of the US population will be defined as having high blood pressure. Previously, one in three (32 per cent) had the condition, which is the second leading cause of preventable heart disease and stroke, after cigarette smoking.

The normal limit for blood pressure is considered 120 for systolic, or how much pressure the blood places on the artery walls when the heart beats, and 80 for diastolic, which is measured between beats.

Once a person reaches 130/80, "you've already doubled your risk of cardiovascular complications compared to those with a normal level of blood pressure", said Dr Whelton.

"We want to be straight with people - if you already have a doubling of risk, you need to know about it."

The new guidelines are expected to lead to a surge of people in their 40s with high blood pressure - once considered a disorder mainly among people aged 50 and older.

"The prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to triple among men under age 45, and double among women under 45," according to the report.

Damage to blood vessels is already beginning once blood pressure reaches 130/80, said the guidelines, which were based in part on a major US government-funded study of over 9,000 people nationwide.

Enhanced Screen for Life starts 1 Sep 2017; 1.8 million Singaporeans to get letters on cheap health screening

Those eligible pay $5 at most to get tested for up to five diseases

By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 31 Aug 2017

Letters are being sent out in batches to 1.8 million Singaporeans aged 40 years and older, inviting them to go for health screening for up to five diseases by paying $5 at most. All the letters will be sent out by the year end.

The Enhanced Screen for Life, announced by Senior Minister of State for Health Chee Hong Tat during the parliamentary debate on his ministry's Budget in March this year, starts tomorrow.

Under it, all eligible people can be screened for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Woman can be screened for cervical cancer, and people aged 50 years and older can test for colorectal cancer.

The screening, which is free for pioneers, costs $2 for those with the Community Health Assist Scheme card, and $5 for others. The screening includes a consultation with a doctor when the results are known, and can be done at more than 1,000 general practice clinics in the scheme.

Mr Chee told The Straits Times: "The aim of enhancing Screen For Life is to encourage Singaporeans to go for regular health screening, so that any problems can be detected early and better managed with appropriate intervention.

"Together with healthy eating and regular exercise, this is part of our collective efforts to keep Singaporeans healthy and lower the risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases."

National Day Rally 2017

Building up preschools, Fighting diabetes and Making Singapore a Smart Nation







Pre-school sector to ramp up quality, offer more places
At National Day Rally, PM Lee also focuses on fighting diabetes and creating smart nation
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 21 Aug 2017

Singapore will double its annual spending on pre-schools in the next five years, to add 40,000 new places for children and improve the quality of pre-school education.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday announced three initiatives to build up the pre-school sector so that every child - regardless of family background - can have the best possible start in life.

Besides increasing the number of childcare places for children aged up to four, the Government will roll out more kindergartens and set up a new centralised training institute for pre-school teachers.

"Today, every child goes to a good school. We want every child to go to a good pre-school," said Mr Lee.

"If we get this right, we will foster social mobility and sustain a fair and just society."

At his 14th National Day Rally, Mr Lee focused on building for the future, highlighting three issues that he said are important for the nation's prosperity and the well-being of its citizens in the long term.

Unlike past rallies where he spoke of Singapore's future, its economy or geopolitical issues, Mr Lee homed in this year on improving pre-school education, fighting diabetes and creating a smart nation that offers opportunities for all.

He noted that the economy is expected to grow by about 2.5 per cent this year, and, most encouragingly, productivity went up by 1 per cent last year after years of almost zero growth.

But he moved beyond immediate priorities like creating jobs to discuss longer-term issues.



He said the Government had moved decisively to transform the pre-school sector five years ago, by creating nearly 50,000 childcare and kindergarten places, increasing pre-school subsidies and raising education standards.

Anchor operators will build more childcare centres in new Housing Board developments to address a shortage of places in young towns.

To improve the quality of education, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will increase the number of its own kindergartens from 15 now to 50 in the next five years, Mr Lee said. This greater scale will allow MOE to influence and raise the quality of the whole sector, he added.

In addition, a National Institute for Early Childhood Development will be set up to consolidate existing training programmes for teachers and develop new curricula.

The Government will also work with employers to ensure salaries for pre-school teachers rise in tandem with their career progression.

Annual spending on pre-schools, which was $360 million in 2012, has more than doubled to $840 million this year. It will double further to $1.7 billion in 2022, he said.

But pouring resources into the sector will mean little unless young parents do their part, he added, as he encouraged them to have more babies.

NDP 2017: Singapore celebrates 52nd National Day

National Day Parade 2017: One heart, one nation, one Singapore
Drone display dazzles crowd at Marina Bay as Singapore turns 52
By Audrey Tan, The Straits Times, 10 Aug 2017

With the Marina Bay skyline serving as a backdrop, Singaporeans celebrated the nation's 52nd birthday and cheered the return of crowd favourites such as the Red Lions skydivers.

The Marina Bay floating platform proved to be a hit for the tens of thousands of people clad in red and white, returning as a National Day Parade (NDP) venue for the first time since 2014.

Last year, the NDP was held at the new National Stadium, while the SG50 bash was held at the Padang.

Always intended to be an interim venue while the new National Stadium was being built, the floating platform has become a popular choice for NDP due to its location.

Attendees said the whole area is an embodiment of what Singapore was, is, and will be.

Teacher Kathiravan Bhupathy, 32, said: "This is the venue for NDP. At one look here, you can see how far Singapore has come."



The theme of this year's parade - #OneNationTogether - is a "call-to-action for all Singaporeans to take pride in our achievements, and to be confident in our collective future as we overcome all odds together".

There were hints of the future and the Smart Nation ambition, with Edgar the robot co-hosting, and a light show put on by 300 drones taking to the skies at the same time. Pre-programmed using sophisticated algorithms, the drones winked and danced against the Marina Bay skyline.



After a two-year hiatus - due to the weather one year and logistics the next - the nine-member Singapore Armed Forces Parachute Team, or Red Lions, returned to rapturous applause from the 25,000- strong crowd as they glided effortlessly onto the floating platform.

The audience was in awe of the dynamic defence display, showcasing Singapore's military assets on land, air and sea, back also after a two-year break.

There was also a reminder of challenges and the ability to overcome them. For the first time, yesterday's defence display included a demonstration of the Republic's capabilities in the event of a terrorist attack. Performers fired blanks while in the seating gallery to add to the realism.



The show ended revealing Singaporeans who had scaled their own peaks.

Swimmer Joseph Schooling, who clinched Singapore's first Olympic gold, and Paralympic champion Yip Pin Xiu stood on the summit of a replica of a mountain.

They were accompanied by others such as top female police officer Zuraidah Abdullah, 55, and skills upgrader Rama Kerisna, 70.

Yesterday's celebrations also took on a sentimental note as President Tony Tan Keng Yam witnessed his last parade as head of state.



Speaking to the media after the parade, he said: "I'm touched by the affection which was displayed to me tonight... I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve as President and also to reach out to Singaporeans. My wife and I believe Singapore will continue to progress and I think that we'll have a marvellous future together. But we have to strive to work on, there is no end to our journey."

New NKF hotline 1800-KIDNEYS launched to help spread awareness

NKF hotline to spur early action to avoid kidney failure
One-stop resource centre to raise awareness as part of war on diabetes
By Ng Jun Sen, The Sunday Times, 7 May 2017

With five people in Singapore losing the use of their kidneys every day, simply building new dialysis centres is not enough to cope with the growing number of patients.

The key, instead, says National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chairman Koh Poh Tiong, is education and early intervention - so patients do not reach that stage at all.

To help Singaporeans take charge of their health, the NKF yesterday launched a new hotline as a "one-stop resource centre" to spread awareness about kidney failure, part of the measures it is collaborating on with the Government to support the war on diabetes.

The hotline - 1800-KIDNEYS (5436397) - is manned by four operators who speak the four main languages, as well as dialects.

Mr Koh revealed this new initiative at the opening ceremony of the new Le Champ-NKF Dialysis Centre in Bukit Panjang. The new centre's 16 dialysis beds will be able to serve 96 kidney failure patients, helping to relieve the crunch in the other centres nearby.

"At the current rate, it will be a far greater challenge for us in the future to build more centres, especially with an ageing population," he said. "I would prefer if Singaporeans can look after themselves better by watching their health and exercising regularly... Prevention is better than cure."

North West District Mayor and Bukit Panjang MP Teo Ho Pin, who attended the event, said this centre will help improve the quality of life of patients living in the area, but the overall outlook is worrying.

He pointed out that there were more than 6,200 patients in 2015, compared with 3,700 in 2006. And the NKF's 31 dialysis centres, which help around 4,000 patients, are operating at full capacity.

Singapore ranks first in the world for diabetes-induced kidney failure, as well as fourth and fifth for the number of existing and new cases respectively, he added. "With more than one million seniors aged 65 and above by 2030, many of whom have one of three chronic illnesses - high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, it is indeed a very worrying trend," said Dr Teo.

Diabetes, which every two out of three NKF patients suffer from, and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney failure, while cholesterol can also clog the renal arteries.

$5 health screening for 1.8 million Singaporeans: Letters out from August 2017

Singaporeans can be screened for up to five conditions under enhanced Screen for Life programme that starts in September 2017
By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 16 Apr 2017

Letters will start going out in August to the 1.8 million Singaporeans who are entitled to a health screening for $5 or less, under the Enhanced Screen for Life programme that starts in September.

With the invitation letter, they can call any of the more than 1,000 general practice clinics on the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) to fix a date to screen for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, cervical and colorectal cancers.

All Singaporeans aged 40 years and older are eligible. The $5 covers tests and, should any prove positive, a consultation with a doctor. The 400,000 Pioneers get the screening for free, while those with the CHAS card pay just $2. Without the subsidy, it costs about $100.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) hopes that by making it both cheap and convenient, more people would find out if they are suffering from chronic medical problems or the two cancers.

Mr Zee Yoong Kang, Health Promotion Board's (HPB) chief executive officer, said: "It is good practice for everyone, even if you feel healthy, to go for regular health screenings so that you can detect any health conditions early, and manage the condition well."

Today, many people here who suffer from chronic ailments are not aware of it, so they do not take steps to keep them under control, leading to major health problems.

The MOH thinks about a third of diabetics are not aware they have this disease that, uncontrolled, could lead to kidney failure, blindness and amputations.

Similarly, many people who have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels also do not know of them, since there are no symptoms in the early stages. But uncontrolled over time, they raise the risk of getting heart problems and stroke. Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer for men, and second in the list behind breast cancer for women.

Letters will go out to the more elderly first because they are more likely to suffer from chronic medical conditions. An HPB spokesman said: "Screening them early enables these Singaporeans to seek treatment and manage their conditions early."

However, all Singaporeans aged 40 years and older should get their invitation by the end of this year. There is no time limit for them to get screened at the subsidised rate.

NurtureSG: Improving kids' health; More exercise, better diet

Pre-schoolers to get more physical activity and healthy meals; panel to also study youth suicide
By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 24 Feb 2017

The road to health in Singapore will start early. All pre-school children will have at least one hour of physical activity a day, including time spent in the sun.

They will also be served healthy meals that include fruit. Once a key law is passed, pre-schools will no longer be allowed to offer unhealthy eating options.

These recommendations from the NurtureSG committee to get children and youth to grow up healthy - both physically and mentally - have been accepted by the Health and Education Ministries. Some are already being rolled out.

With obesity rates among children going up and chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension on the rise, the committee was tasked with finding ways to improve children's health. It was co-chaired by Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min and Minister of State for Communications and Information, and Education Janil Puthucheary.

Among the issues that the committee addressed were mental health problems, eating habits, and the lack of sleep and exercise.

Obesity rates among children have risen from 10 per cent in 2010 to 12 per cent in 2015.

"So very often you can see young children on their handheld devices," said Dr Lam. "That has also resulted in children not exercising enough and leading a more sedentary lifestyle."

The committee decided to get the fitness ball rolling with pre-schoolers, who will have at least one hour of physical activity every day.

Experts: Control hypertension to cut risk of dementia

It is top factor for silent strokes, which cause significant number of vascular dementia cases
By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 1 Feb 2017

The number of people getting dementia in Singapore could be cut by more than a third, if only those with hypertension were able to keep their blood pressure under control.

This is because more Asians than Caucasians suffer from a type of dementia that is caused by "silent" strokes.

Amid the rising incidence of dementia, there should be more education on the dangers of high blood pressure and how to manage the condition, experts urged.

"Partnership with primary care services will be crucial," said Associate Professor Nagaendran Kandiah, a senior neurologist at the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), noting that most patients with high blood pressure are being treated by general practitioners and polyclinic doctors.

Dementia, or the severe decline of mental ability, including memory and judgment, affects about 40,000 people in Singapore today. It is expected to double to 80,000 by 2030 as the population ages.

The NNI has been seeing more dementia patients, said Prof Kandiah, with numbers rising from 1,324 in 2014 to 2,246 last year.

Of them, two in five suffer from vascular dementia. And this is where the link to hypertension comes in.

Anti-diabetes gongfu ad from Govt packs a punch

By Venessa Lee, The Straits Times, 26 Jan 2017

The government-sponsored infomercial Kungfu Fighter, Hidden Sugar - which urges moderation in consuming rich Chinese New Year goodies - has impressed many, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and wuxia fans in Hong Kong.



The 90-second video, featuring a gongfu heroine confronting a villain and his posse who add sugar to a family's reunion dinner, was shared by Mr Lee on Tuesday on his Facebook page.

It is the latest in a series of creative public service announcements.

A 2015 video about health insurance scheme Medishield Life targeted the pioneer generation and featured local getai artistes playing characters such as the Monkey King and Spider Spirit from the Chinese classic, Journey To The West.

Director-actor Jack Neo reprised his famous auntie character Liang Ximei in a 10-episode Chinese dialect variety series called Happy Can Already! The series, which premiered last month on Channel 8, aims to educate seniors on government schemes on topics such as retirement and active ageing.

Local film-maker Royston Tan's telemovie, The Provision Shop, which aired in July last year, explored the issue of social integration in Singapore.