Speech at 3rd Singapore International Public Health Conference
Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Zaqy Mohamad, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore
A. Preamble
Dr Benjamin Ng, Co-Chair of the Organising Committee
Prof Teo Yik Ying, Dean, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
Associate Prof Gan Wee Hoe, President, College of Public Health and Occupational Physicians
Dr Wong Chiang Yin, Master Elect, Academy of Medicine, Singapore
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. Allow me to first express my appreciation to NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and the College of Public Health and Occupational Physicians, Academy of Medicine, Singapore for inviting me to speak at this event.
B. Challenges for our healthcare system
2. COVID-19 has been the test of our generation.
• It is still amongst us, but the worst is hopefully over.
• We have much to be grateful for.
• For example, our healthcare workers operated on the frontline, putting themselves at risk so that the rest of us could be safe.
• Together, we have emerged from the crisis stronger.
3. If COVID-19 was the sprint, addressing the healthcare demands of an ageing population is the marathon that will challenge us further.
• With an ageing population, the burden of chronic diseases increases.
• Risk factors for chronic diseases like obesity, poor dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle have also been on the rise.
• Beyond physical health, we are also seeing higher burden of mental well-being and health issues.
4. It is not enough that we are living longer, we must also live healthier; to age with independence and dignity.
• Healthcare is not merely about extending life but enhancing its quality as well.
C. Healthier SG and Age Well SG
5. In Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) launched Healthier SG last year, a national initiative that focuses on preventive health.
• It is a multi-year transformation strategy to shift the focus of Singapore’s healthcare system beyond caring for individuals who are sick, to proactively prevent individuals from falling sick.
• Under Healthier SG, we expect to double the amount we spend on preventive care as a share of our total healthcare expenditure.
• These are important investments that will reduce the disease burden and help our residents live healthier.
6. We started enrolling our seniors in Healthier SG in July, so that everyone can have an assigned family doctor or clinic to build a long-term preventive care relationship with.
• Upon successful enrolment, residents can schedule an appointment for a face-to-face onboarding Health Plan consultation with their enrolled Healthier SG clinic, paid fully by the Government.
• They can also enjoy fully funded preventive-care benefits such as nationally recommended vaccinations and health screenings.
7. Agencies such as the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), Health Promotion Board, People’s Association, Sport Singapore and social and community partners will also organise more health-related activities for residents, from ball games and brisk walking to Zumba classes to support residents embarking on a healthy lifestyle.
8. Beyond Healthier SG, we must also ensure that our seniors are physically and mentally well.
• One of the biggest threats to the well-being of seniors is loneliness.
• Therefore, we are doing more to help seniors stay engaged and socially active by revamping our aged care landscape through the launch of Age Well SG.
• For example, MOH is scaling up Active Ageing Centres as key community nodes for seniors to interact with fellow seniors.
• At these Centres, they can make friends, enjoy meals and activities with one another and watch out for each other.
• And the Centre staff will monitor their health and ensure that they are taking their medications and going for their health screenings.
• This will help keep our seniors healthy and even reverse frailty in some instances.
D. Strengthening Workplace Safety and Health
9. There are also many seniors who want to continue to be engaged at work. Studies have shown that the way to longevity and health involves the constant stimulation of the mind through continuous learning and through social relationships such as those forged at work.
• Therefore, we, at the Ministry of Manpower, have an important role to play; by creating an environment where our workers can continue working if they want to and are able to.
• I will focus on Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) today.
10. In Singapore, we are doing more to strengthen WSH ownership, with greater emphasis on workplace health.
• We have been placing a strong emphasis on proactively managing workplace risks and promoting the well-being of employees since the launch of WSH 2028, our 10-year strategy to improve WSH in Singapore.
11. Aside from making sure that every employee returns home safely after work each day, we want to ensure that they stay healthy in their working years.
• I will focus on three aspects today: occupational disease, mental well-being and heat stress.
a. One of the strategic outcomes of WSH 2028 is to prevent occupational disease, such as noise-induced deafness or musculo-skeletal disorders.
i. Many occupational diseases have a long latency period and can only be diagnosed months or years later but can affect an individual for life.
ii. For example, a worker working in high-noise environment over prolonged periods of time may suffer from noise-induced deafness after 10 to 15 years.
iii. As a result, they cannot hear what their children or grandchildren are telling them.
iv. It affects their quality of life in retirement.
v. Due to the latency, companies and employees may overlook the importance of preventing such diseases.
vi. I hope all companies will place greater emphasis on occupational disease prevention and put in upstream risk controls to eliminate or reduce workers’ exposure to these hazards.
b. On top of physical health and safety, the COVID-19 pandemic brought mental well-being to the fore and reinforced the need to tackle mental health issues at the national and whole-of-society level.
i. We launched the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy (2023) earlier this month, which includes strengthening mental well-being support systems at workplaces to build more caring and inclusive workplaces.
ii. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage employers to tap on the available resources that we have developed with our Tripartite Partners, such as the iWorkHealth tool, a psychosocial health assessment tool, to identify workplace stressors and provide suggested interventions to improve employees’ state of mental well-being.
c. Given Singapore's climate and rising temperatures from climate change, MOM is also reviewing the heat stress measures for workplaces so that employers can take active steps to reduce heat stress risks for outdoor workers.
i. Many Singaporeans, especially elderly Singaporeans, are also concerned about transboundary haze.
ii. We will continue to work with other government agencies through the Inter-agency Haze Task Force to provide advisories for companies and the workforce to minimise and mitigate the impact of haze.
12. Workplace safety and workforce health are important by themselves, but there is a nexus.
• Poor workforce health can have an impact on safety.
• For example, this could occur if employees with poorly managed diabetes or high blood pressure feel dizzy or lose consciousness.
• This poses risk to themselves and their colleagues if they are operating vehicles or machinery.
• Companies should therefore look at workplace health and safety in totality.
• Companies can leverage the Total WSH programme, which provides them with free access to qualified Total WSH consultants who can advise them on how to manage safety and health in an integrated way and recommend interventions to address these risks.
• Health promotion and Chronic Disease Management at workplaces are aligned with the goals of Healthier SG.
• As our workforce gets older, we want to manage these early.
• Shifting the paradigm to preventive health enables healthy living and a productive workforce.
13. We are also scaling up efforts to ensure that our foreign workforce’s health and well-being are supported so that they can continue to complement our local workforce in driving Singapore’s economy forward.
• Since April 2022, we have built a primary healthcare system for migrant workers and mandated a capitation-based Primary Care Plan (PCP) to give employers assurance of fixed primary care costs and give workers greater peace of mind in accessing affordable medical services near them.
14. Promoting technology-enabled WSH is also one of our key strategies to achieve our WSH goals.
• For example, the use of cleaning and service robots can complement the workforce, reducing fatigue and the chances of slips, trips and falls.
• Video surveillance systems with artificial intelligence can be used to identify and alert workers without proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Wearables and apps can be used to help management assess and alert ill health that may increase the risk of work accidents.
• These are just some ideas and possibilities, and MOM will continue to work with healthcare professionals, employers and workers to strengthen WSH sustainably and fundamentally.
E. Conclusion
15. In conclusion, I hope that the collaborations we forged during the COVID-19 pandemic, across the government, academia, professional bodies, private sector and NGOs, will continue to be our working approach to address the public health challenges of an ageing population, enabling us to not only add years to life but also add health to those years.
16. Thank you.