Forum: Strengthen preventive education to lower healthcare costs

For most diseases and injuries, prevention is always the best treatment. It is especially relevant to Singapore’s ageing population and given the rising costs of healthcare.

Well-established research shows that the prevalence of certain health conditions and injuries can be significantly reduced through structured preventive measures.

Take falls as an example. Comprehensive programmes that include individual risk assessments, home safety screening, health education and balance exercises have been shown to effectively reduce fall risk and associated fractures by 20 to 40 per cent.

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the Ministry of Health have made commendable efforts in fall prevention. For instance, over 50,000 seniors participated in HPB’s community exercise classes in 2019, and programmes like Rolling Good Times have shown measurable improvements in seniors’ balance, strength and cognitive function.

These are strong local examples of how preventive strategies can work, yet participation numbers remain modest compared with the size of Singapore’s senior population. Furthermore, preventive programmes can and should be extended to areas such as dementia care, chronic pain and osteoarthritis management.

To be aligned with the goals of the Healthier SG initiative, hospitals, polyclinics and community healthcare providers should be encouraged to develop more preventive educational programmes.

One of the key barriers, however, is funding. These programmes can be supported by allowing targeted populations to use their MediSave for such services, or extending SkillsFuture credits to cover preventive health classes provided by hospitals or polyclinics. These measures can significantly lower the prevalence of several health conditions and healthcare costs in the long run.

Prevention is not only cost-effective, but also strengthens communities and supports a sustainable healthcare system.

Christopher Lo Chi Ngai