Women here are lagging behind men when it comes to adding extra healthy years to their lives.

It is good that Singaporeans are living longer, but not if those added years are lived in pain and suffering, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor told The Straits Times. In 2015, life expectancy for women here was 84.9 years and for men, 80.4 years, making people here among the longest-living in the world.

But women spend 10.7 per cent of their lives in ill health, and men 9.4 per cent. Some of the factors that create the years of ill health can be prevented, said Dr Khor.

She chairs the Women's Health Committee, which is focusing on prevention and management of osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer in its latest three-year plan.

"It is really important to tell women, yes, you have got longer lives, but we want you to make changes to your lifestyle to increase your years in good health," she said.