|
The Ministry of Health’s mission is to:
promote good health and reduce illness; ensure
that Singaporeans have access to good and affordable
healthcare that is appropriate to needs; and
pursue medical excellence. A total of $2.01 billion
is allocated to MOH in FY2006 to achieve these
objectives.
To sustain a cost-effective and quality healthcare
system in the long-term, MOH strives to build
a nation of healthy Singaporeans, and continually
invest in the pursuit of medical excellence.
Building a healthy population
A key thrust to keep medical inflation in check
is to right-site healthcare. Thus, a primary
priority under the healthcare system is to minimise
the need for costly medical interventions by
enhancing health promotion and education as well
as disease prevention capabilities.
Health promotion and education
MOH will continue to manage the prevalence
of major chronic diseases as well as actively
promote a healthy lifestyle among Singaporeans.
$85 million is set aside for health education
and promotion initiatives under the Health Promotion
Board. These initiatives include the National
Healthy Lifestyle Programme, National Smoking
Control Programme, Workplace Health Promotion
Programme, Nutrition Programme, Mental Health
Promotion Programme, National Myopia Prevention
Programme, School Health Programme, Secondary
Schools Dental Care Programme and the National
Cancer Screening Programme for Women.
Operational Readiness
Learning from the SARS experience, MOH has
allocated $50 million to continue its efforts
to upgrade its capability to respond swiftly
to emergency health situations such as influenza
pandemic, bioterrorism and mass casualty events.
In addition, MOH will continue to co-operate
and collaborate with international and regional
bodies in the fight against emerging infectious
diseases.
Cost-effective and affordable healthcare
MOH is committed to ensuring that all Singaporeans
have access to affordable healthcare. In line
with this, MOH provides:
Government subsidies for good, basic healthcare
A total of $1.41 billion is set aside as subsidies
for Singaporeans requiring:
•
|
Primary care provided at 18 polyclinics
under the Singapore Health Services and
National Healthcare Group clusters.
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
Intermediate and long-term care
provided at 60 voluntary welfare organisations,
including nursing homes, community hospitals,
day care for the elderly and hospices.
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
Secondary and Tertiary care (e.g.
Specialist Outpatient Clinics, day surgeries
and inpatient care) provided at 13
public hospitals and healthcare institutions
under the Singapore Health Services and
National Healthcare Group clusters.
|
|
National healthcare financing frameworks
•
|
Medisave, MediShield and Medifund (3M).
The 3M financing framework ensures that
no Singaporean will be denied of good basic
healthcare because of an inability to pay.
Medisave and MediShield encourage Singaporeans
to take responsibility for their own healthcare
needs through personal savings and healthcare
insurance, while Medifund helps to pay
the medical expenses of poor and indigent
patients who cannot afford to pay for their
medical expenses despite government subsidies,
Medisave and MediShield.
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
ElderShield scheme is an affordable
severe disability insurance scheme for
elderly Singaporeans who require long-term
care. ElderShield will provide basic financial
protection and help defray out-of-pocket
expenses in the event of severe disabilities.
|
|
Pursuing Medical Excellence
The pursuit of medical excellence is an integral
part of ensuring that our national healthcare
system keeps pace with global medical advancements.
The benefits accrue not only to Singaporeans,
who may then enjoy access to high-quality clinical
care, but also form a valuable marketable resource
to attract foreign patients. MOH will invest
resources in the following areas to support medical
excellence:
Service Development and Research
•
|
$70 million is set aside via the Health
Services Development Programme, which augments
existing funding for new medical capability
development in our public healthcare system,
and the National Medical Research Council,
which provides support for medical research.
New initiatives such as the up-coming NUS-Duke
Graduate Medical School will greatly enhance
clinical and applied research capabilities.
|
|
Training
•
|
The quality of our healthcare services depends
greatly on the calibre of our healthcare professionals.
As such, MOH has allocated $64 million to ensure
that our medical undergraduates and specialists,
and para-medical and allied health professionals
continue to receive high quality training.
|
|
Integrated health ecosystems
•
|
MOH is exploring new ways to raise the
standard of healthcare provision, spur
innovation and increase operational efficiency
to keep healthcare costs in check for Singaporeans.
For example, MOH is currently planning
a new patient-centred, community-based
healthcare ecosystem, to be piloted at
the new Northern General Hospital.
|
|
|
