SINGAPORE - Singapore should not be a welfare state but a welfare society, where everyone takes responsibility for others’ welfare. Creating a spirited, resilient society where everyone does more for others will be the better for Singapore, said Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday.
He was speaking at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore’s (NUHCS) 15th anniversary charity golf and dinner at the Sentosa Golf Club, which raised more than $1.2 million to support patients in need through the NUHCS Heart Fund.
Mr Tharman said that as incomes rose in the past, self-reliance was the ethos of Singaporeans. Today, however, Singapore is a maturing economy and incomes do not go up so fast. Some people see their incomes stagnate once they hit middle age, and as they grow older, they may find it difficult to hold on to a job.
Hence, inequalities widen, just like in every other society. Importantly, he said, people are also getting older, which leads to a need for something more than self-reliance and personal responsibility.
While self-reliance remains the foundation of Singapore’s social culture, there has to be solidarity and social empathy, he said. “And social empathy and solidarity are not at odds with personal responsibility.”
Friday was Mr Tharman’s last day as Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, after four decades in public service. He will also be stepping down to run for Singapore president.
He learnt in his many years in politics that most people appreciate deeply when there are others who want to help them, and they will take on greater responsibility instead of becoming more dependent on others, he said.
Welfare states like those in Europe and the United States create a different spirit, where benefits are handed out and it becomes “transactional”. It also means higher taxes for everyone.
“The Government will over time have to collect taxes for healthcare to take care of an older population, but it cannot simply be that, and there’s a limit to how much tax we collect from the middle class,” he said, adding that it is important that everyone takes responsibility for others’ welfare.
“We do it not only because it is the alternative to paying the government taxes. We do it because it leads to a more spirited society, a more resilient society, really, a better society where we all take care of the welfare of others, not just in our own families.”
Mr Tharman said one example of taking care of the welfare of others is the NUHCS Heart Fund.
Established as a sub-fund under the NUHS Fund, which is a registered charity, the heart fund helps financially disadvantaged patients and supports continuous medical research in the field of cardiovascular diseases.
Between August 2021 and July 2022, the fund helped 22 patients, with more than $243,000 disbursed.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Singapore, with almost one in three deaths caused by heart diseases or stroke in 2021.
The number of heart attacks in Singapore is projected to rise nearly threefold from 482 cases per 100,000 population in 2025 to 1,418 per 100,000 population in 2050, with obesity predicted to be the main metabolic risk factor. In 2018, there were 352 cases per 100,000 population.
A key centre for the treatment and management of complex cardiovascular diseases, NUHCS’ core clinical programmes include heart failure, structural heart disease, acute coronary syndrome, vascular medicine and therapy, women’s heart health and heart rhythm.
While the NUHCS Heart Fund has grown by 5 to 10 per cent annually, owing to generous subsidies from the Government and donations from individuals, the number of recipients has also increased.
These include patients who require long-term financial support due to regular follow-ups at the clinic and long-term medications, but yet are not covered by the other available avenues of financial support.
To improve the outcomes of individuals with heart-related conditions, NUHCS is also setting up community cardiology clinics in the heartland to work with general practitioners as part of Healthier SG.
The first clinic was launched at Jurong Medical Centre in January.
NUHCS, as a national centre, will also support Project Reset, a research initiative that was newly awarded a $25 million grant by the National Medical Research Council.
Project Reset will capture billions of data points – from lifestyle information down to genetic variations – to provide a full diagnostic picture for each patient, while leveraging artificial intelligence to prevent early heart disease and make cardiovascular preventive health more accessible to individuals.
Associate Professor James Yip, director of NUHCS, said: “Improving heart health in the community is a multifaceted approach that has far-reaching benefits, including strengthening preventive health and reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease.
“We want to foster stronger ties with our community partners, and enhance access and convenience for our patients. This includes providing patients with earlier referrals to a heart specialist and direct assistance for advanced cardiac tests when necessary.”
