INTEGRATED WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO IMPROVING PUBLIC DEATH LITERACY AND END-OF-LIFE AWARENESS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 792

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 07 MAY 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr David Hoe

MP for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC

Question No. 1409

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health in light of the low death literacy highlighted by the Singapore Hospice Council’s Death Literacy Index, whether the Ministry will consider working with the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and relevant agencies to address gaps in public understanding of end-of-life issues including (i) palliative care access (ii) dying at home and (iii) post-death funeral procedures, through a more integrated whole-of-government approach.

Answer

1        Singapore scored 5.66 out of 10 for the death literacy index. Similar studies placed the index at 4.7 for Australia in 2019, and 4.76 for the UK in 2022.

2        In 2023, we embarked on a national legacy planning campaign. The campaign promotes the adoption of legacy planning tools such as Advance Care Planning, CPF Nomination, Lasting Power of Attorney, and Wills through ground engagements and publicity. To further expand the reach of this effort, we have formed more than 70 partnerships with various commercial, social and community entities. The Singapore Hospice Council also engages the public to normalise conversations on death and advocate for a supportive palliative care environment.

3        The legacy planning campaign also promotes MyLegacy@LifeSG, a one-stop online portal consolidating information on legacy planning, end-of-life care, and post-death matters such as funeral arrangements from relevant agencies, including the National Environment Agency.