ADDENDUM TO THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

ADDENDUM TO THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

MR ONG YE KUNG

MINISTER FOR HEALTH

1              The Ministry of Health (MOH) is transforming our healthcare system, so it remains high quality, accessible and affordable, even as our population ages and patient load increases.

Expanding Capacity

2              MOH will need to expand healthcare infrastructure to meet rising demand. By 2030, we expect to add 2,800 acute and community hospital beds, a 25% increase, through the new Eastern General Hospital and the redevelopment of Alexandra Hospital. Within this timeframe, we aim to open six new polyclinics in Bidadari, Kaki Bukit, Serangoon, Tengah, Yew Tee, and Taman Jurong, and another 10,000 nursing home beds. Beyond 2030, we will open a new general and community hospital in Tengah, and redevelop both the Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital campuses.

Transforming Manpower

3              To support capacity expansion, MOH will grow the healthcare workforce by another 20% by 2030, while broadening and deepening its expertise. Medical workforce transformation in public hospitals will be a key priority in this term of Government. We will formalise Family Medicine as a specialty, given its growing importance to population health. We will enhance the capabilities of our nurses and allied health professionals through modular work-study training pathways, enabling them to take on more complex and varied roles in areas of need, such as in palliative care, critical care, and community health. Acute hospitals will adopt a more holistic and patient-centred model by consolidating care across various specialist teams.

Revolutionising Through Technology

4              MOH will drive technology adoption proactively and thoughtfully, with a focus on impactful systemwide use-cases. Precision medicine and Artificial Intelligence (AI) form a powerful and promising combination. We will make imaging AI a national capability in public healthcare by end-2026, launch an AI assistant on the consolidated HealthHub app, and progressively introduce AI for predictive and preventive care, so that we can intervene early to delay or prevent the onset of serious illnesses. We will also deepen research in genomics, and introduce more cost-effective precision medicine therapies into our mainstream healthcare system.

Enhancing Population Health

5              MOH has seen good progress with Healthier SG so far, with over 1.3 million residents enrolled. We will continue to improve the scheme. We will better support enrolees to fulfil their health plans and expand coverage for mental health conditions. We will improve environmental determinants of good health, including by helping individuals cut down sodium and fat intake through better food labelling, and enhancing sports and fitness facilities in the community.

6              MOH will upgrade Grow Well SG to help our young build healthier habits and reduce risks from sedentary lifestyles and excessive screen time. We will place special focus on their mental health. Together with the Ministry of Home Affairs and other agencies, we will also rigorously enforce against vaping, especially etomidate-laced vapes, which can destroy many young lives.

7              Under Age Well SG, MOH is helping seniors to age actively within the community and stay socially connected. This includes plans to expand our Active Ageing Centre network and better coordinate community-based care support for seniors, from Home Personal Care to Shared Stay-in Senior Caregiving. Public hospitals will expand services in the community through Community Health Posts, which will, over time be synergised with the Active Ageing Centres. Other agencies will make the physical living environment more senior-friendly, such as through the Silver Upgrading Programme and the Friendly Streets initiative. Singapore lacks space for many retirement villages, but by combining and integrating these improvements, we can transform existing housing estates into Age Well Neighbourhoods, where seniors can age in place healthily.

Strengthening Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability

8              MOH will continue to review our S+3M system (Subsidies, MediShield Life, MediSave and MediFund) so that healthcare remains affordable. In particular, our schemes must help anchor care in the community by strengthening the role of the General Practitioners in enhancing population health and looking after chronic patients in the community. Over-servicing and unnecessary treatments have led to significant wastage and rising costs in private healthcare, made worse by overly generous health insurance policies, especially riders. This is unsustainable, and we will work with the industry to address this.

Conclusion

9              MOH will drive the transformation of our health care system, to significantly shift care delivery away from acute hospitals to the community, especially for preventive care and population health, enabled by investments in manpower transformation and technology.