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There will be subsidised screening at more than 700 clinics, with follow-up counselling by nurses at community centres.
At the heart of the effort is an $8 blood test, to spot health problems early.
That can make all the difference between seeking treatment sooner, or developing complications that can lead to severe illness, hefty medical bills, or even death.
The Health Promotion Board will start the year-long effort later this month by sending letters to about 1.4 million people aged between 40 and 69, informing them how to get screened at clinics near their homes.
Women will also be tested for cervical and breast cancer.
Except for the mammogram, the tests are free for about 420,000 people in this age group living in three-room or smaller flats. They will, however, have to pay the doctor's consultation fee.
The latest attack on chronic diseases follows a Health Ministry move in 2006 to allow people to use their compulsory medical savings, Medisave, to pay for outpatient treatment for chronic diseases.
This is meant to encourage them to stick to regular treatment, and prevent complications - a similar aim of the new health drive.
The health screening will not end with patients receiving their test results.
Those found to be obese, diabetic, hypertensive or with high cholesterol levels will be referred to a team of nurse educators.
The nurses will hold group sessions on proper eating and exercise and how patients can manage their conditions. Patients will pay $10 for three two-hour sessions held weekly at community centres.
After the first year, the screening will cover everyone turning 40 for two more years and then it will be reviewed, said Dr Theresa Yoong, director of HPB's adult and elderly health division.
The drive's success will mainly hinge on making the screening and follow-ups convenient for patients, which is why 728 neighbourhood clinics have been roped in.
The nurse educators will back up the GPs who often operate solo and may not have time to counsel patients, explained Dr Yoong.
Also starting this month is a two-month diabetes awareness campaign which will have a roving exhibition, media advertisements and posters in public toilets.
Amputated feet will figure prominently in the messages, to make the point that diabetes can cost a limb if left unchecked.
Diabetes, which can also lead to heart disease, kidney failure and blindness, affects 8.2 per cent of adults here, while another 12 per cent are on the verge of becoming diabetic.
The numbers are expected to grow as the population greys because older people are at higher risk of developing diabetes, said Dr Sum Chee Fang, who chairs the Health Ministry's advisory committee on national diabetes strategy.
