Singapore International Scientific Meeting On Arthritis & Rheumatology

12 Nov 2004

By Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary (Health)

Venue: Sheraton Tower Hotel

Speech By Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary For Health, At The Singapore International Scientific Meeting On Arthritis & Rheumatology 2004 Held On 12 Nov 04 At 8.45 Am Sheraton Tower Hotel

Professor Feng Pao Hsii, Chairman of National Arthritis Foundation of Singapore,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Organizing Committee for inviting me to this scientific meeting. It gives me great pleasure to interact with the medical community both locally and overseas to learn about the recent advancements in understanding and treating arthritis and rheumatism and share experiences on how to improve the delivery of care to those suffering from the disorders.

Arthritis and rheumatic disorders encompass more than 100 different conditions affecting the musculoskeletal and immune system. The symptoms range from the most straightforward to the most complex. Often, the manifestations can baffle the most experienced clinician. Any organ system in the body can be affected, although it is usually the musculoskeletal symptoms that bring the patient to the doctor. It is important for the doctor to identify any underlying systemic disease as its management is key to the successful treatment of the musculoskeletal complaints.

A survey on primary medical care conducted by the Ministry of Health and the National University of Singapore in 2001 found that arthritic conditions and rheumatism was among the top five leading conditions for which treatment was sought in primary private and public medical care clinics in Singapore.¹ Arthritic conditions and rheumatism accounted for 4.8% of total attendances in the survey. The National Health Surveillance Survey 2001 found that approximately 1 in 25 Singapore residents aged 18 years and above reported that they had arthritis with females having a higher prevalence of reported arthritis than males.²

As our population ages, arthritis and rheumatic diseases will become one of the leading causes of disability among our population. It is a trend found in many countries around the world - including Singapore. This trend cannot be ignored. In the United States, 40% of people over the age of 65 have osteoarthritis of the knee; 1% of the population has Rheumatoid Arthritis; while Lupus affects 0.1% of the population. In comparison, 15.6% of elderly aged 65 to 74 years and 24.2% of elderly aged 75 years and above in Singapore reported that they have arthritis.

Hence, it is important that public, private and people sectors work closely together in addressing and relieving the burden of the disease arising from arthritic condition and rheumatism and ensure that our senior citizens are well-cared for.

The National Arthritis Foundation has played a pivotal role in this aspect by providing aid through its Patient Subsidy Care Fund to the needy who suffer from this debilitating disease. I would like to commend the National Arthritis Foundation for its charitable spirit in helping patients with arthritis. I am sure many lives have been improved with your excellent support.

Recognizing the importance of arthritis as a major cause of disability, scientists and researchers have been working on unraveling the molecular pathways of the immune system that cause arthritis and rheumatic diseases. With greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms, new drugs can be developed to retard the progression of disease and relieve pain, making the disease more manageable to the sufferer.

This scientific meeting provides an excellent platform for our medical professionals to share knowledge on arthritis and rheumatism with their foreign counterparts, adopt globally recognized best practices and keep abreast of the latest advancements in the study of arthritis and rheumatism. I thank the international list of experts who are here today to share their work and experiences with us.

This is in line with the Ministry of Health's key priority in making Singapore a regional medical hub. This scientific meeting will further enhance Singapore's status as Asia's premier healthcare services hub.

I would like to thank the National Arthritis Foundation for its efforts in organizing this meeting and I wish all you the very best for the conference. On this note, it is with great pleasure that I now declare the Singapore International Scientific Meeting on Arthritis and Rheumatology open.

Thank you

¹ S C Emmanuel, H P Phua, P Y Cheong. 2001 survey on primary medical care in Singapore SMJ 2004 Vol 45(5): 199-213.

² Prevalence of arthritis in the National Health Surveillance Survey 2001: females - 5.7%, males - 2.6%, the three major ethnic groups had about same prevalence of reported arthritis of 4.0 - 4.2%.