Government will pay for screenings, vaccinations under Healthier SG: Ong

Singaporeans who sign up to a new national preventive healthcare programme will gain benefits such as free health screenings and the use of MediSave funds to pay for chronic diseases, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Thursday.

Making a pitch for the voluntary programme, which kicks off in the second half of 2023 with those aged 60 and above, he said health screenings and vaccinations that are nationally recommended will be paid for by the Government.

Residents who sign up for the Healthier SG initiative will first have to enrol with a primary care doctor, who will develop a health plan and help them manage their care, said Mr Ong in an interview on radio station One FM 91.3.

"We are asking doctors to set aside capacity for that, so that you have a dedicated doctor-patient relationship with the family doctor," said Mr Ong.

"The doctor may send you for health screenings. That will be free henceforth," he added.

"You may be sent for vaccinations, nationally recommended ones, namely, influenza, pneumococcal vaccinations, especially for seniors. That will be free."

On Wednesday, Parliament endorsed the White Paper on Healthier SG after a two-day debate.

Mr Ong said one's health plan could include losing some weight, for instance, which would not be done through the use of medicine but rather changes to diet, exercise and other things.

"And then we will support the doctor with all kinds of community activities that we're going to organise (and) health screening is critical," he said.

Another important change is that residents on Healthier SG will be able to pay for the care of chronic conditions entirely from their MediSave accounts.

"Today, they have to pay 15 per cent cash as co-payment. We always say self-responsibility - we will remove that. So you can use your MediSave fully," said Mr Ong.

Other benefits of the programme include earning points on the Healthy 365 mobile app, which is used for initiatives like the National Steps Challenge.

"The most important factor in prevention is oneself - what we intend to do differently from before," he said, while acknowledging the challenges of making real change.

Mr Ong advised moderation instead of rigorous prescriptions like eating no salt or sugar.

"When I came to MOH (Ministry of Health), then, as I interacted with the folks from the hospitals, from HPB or Health Promotion Board, I found our advice to people to stay healthy is a bit too austere," he said.

"You tell us to be healthy, you cannot eat, no sugar, no salt, everything bland - who would want to lead that kind of life in Singapore, right? So I think it's much better to say we can enjoy our food but in moderation.

"I mean, what's wrong with eating chwee kueh (rice cakes topped with preserved radish) for breakfast, right?" he said. "If you have that in the morning, you can go a bit lighter on lunch, and at night, you can still have your alcohol, like a glass of wine."

Mr Ong said his weakness is watching what he eats but he limits his alcohol to a moderate intake on weekends. He also does pilates or stretching exercises every morning because of a previous back injury.

Asked if Singapore would consider mental leave days, he said it was more important to have flexible work arrangements that would give people more control over their time and allow them to care for their children and parents, noting: "It's always that one hour you need to just run off in the afternoon, get something done for your parents, for the children, or that two hours off, and at night, you work anywhere."

Mental health is an area where the focus should also be more on prevention than on remedial action, which can come too late.

"So for mental health, one of the simplest preventive actions is actually not your leave, it's just sleeping enough, letting your brain have a chance to rest and repair itself every night," said Mr Ong.

Asked by DJ Glenn Ong if Singapore was moving towards free medical care, Mr Ong said this could not be done.

"Once you make something free, the demand just shoots up and you will get over-prescriptions, you've got people demanding healthcare (when they don't quite need it).

"Preventive care takes a backseat since curative care is free," he said.

Co-payment is a central feature of the Singapore system, although the Government is now willing to break with the policy for preventive care such as health screenings and vaccinations.

"We make it free because prevention, I think, is important," said Mr Ong.