Six-Month Long Public Engagement to Seek Views and Suggestions on War on Diabetes

Diabetes Prevention and Care Taskforce formed to drive efforts on whole-of-nation fight against diabetes

1.            The Diabetes Prevention and Care Taskforce, led by Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong and Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Mr Ng Chee Meng, has launched a public engagement exercise to seek views from a wide spectrum of Singaporeans on potential initiatives that could be adopted in the War on Diabetes.  The feedback gathered from the six-month long public engagement from September 2016 to February 2017 will contribute to the Diabetes Action Plan that the Ministry of Health (MOH) will roll out progressively in 2017.

2.            MOH announced in April this year that we want to create a supportive environment for individuals to lead lives free from diabetes, and for those with the disease, to manage their condition well. The public engagement is a key platform to garner Singaporeans’ views on how we can collectively fight against diabetes as a nation.

3.            The public engagement sessions will be conducted in two phases. The first phase, from September to December 2016, will focus on identifying the barriers, gaps and issues hindering Singaporeans from adopting a healthy lifestyle. It hopes to garner suggestions on how to promote healthy eating and regular physical exercise, and how to encourage Singaporeans to go for recommended health screenings and follow-up.

4.            The Health Promotion Board (HPB) and its partners will hold a series of focus group discussions and dialogues in settings such as workplaces and community venues, to reach out to a wide spectrum of Singaporeans of diverse ages and backgrounds. The key target groups for the first phase include youth, women, working adults, mature workers, and the different ethnic communities.

5.            The second phase, from January to February 2017, will focus on eliciting views on specific measures and initiatives proposed during the first phase. To engage Singaporeans who may not be able to participate in the face-to-face sessions, an online public consultation will be launched to allow more Singaporeans to participate in the conversation on the War on Diabetes. The public will be able to provide feedback on the initiatives they think would be most relevant and effective in fighting diabetes. 

6.            MOH and HPB aim to seek a wide range of views from key public and private stakeholders, such as local non-government organisations, F&B industry players and academia. MOH and HPB will also be engaging those living with diabetes and their families and caregivers to identify their challenges and understand how MOH can better support them to control their condition and live well with diabetes.

7.            Following the public engagement sessions, the Taskforce will study the feedback gathered, and evaluate the feasibility of incorporating the proposed measures into the Diabetes Action Plan.

8.            The public engagement exercise was launched by the two Taskforce co-chairpersons on 24 September 2016, at Kallang Wave Mall. At the event, the War on Diabetes logo was also launched. The details of the logo can be found in Annex A [PDF, 281KB].

OFFICIAL FORMATION OF TASKFORCE

9.            The Diabetes Prevention and Care Taskforce was set up in June 2016 to spearhead a whole-of-nation initiative to tackle diabetes. Its objectives are to:

• Reach out to the public and engage stakeholders to mobilise a whole-of-nation effort to fight diabetes;

• Develop and implement a multi-year Diabetes Action Plan; and

• Monitor progress and evaluate the outcomes of our efforts.

10.         The Taskforce includes representatives from the government sector, healthcare arena, academia, employers’ associations, unions, and non-profit organisations. The list of members is appended in Annex B [PDF, 144KB].

11.         The Taskforce will be supported by three workgroups addressing the key areas crucial to the war on diabetes: 

• The Healthy Living and Prevention workgroup, led by Minister of State for Health and Communications & Information Mr Chee Hong Tat, which will formulate a strategic plan to motivate healthy living by gleaning useful lessons from local and international best practices, and enhance screening and follow-up;

• The Disease Management workgroup, led by Minister of State for Health Dr Lam Pin Min, which will identify areas for improvement in the current clinical management of diabetes, and strengthen evidence-based, effective clinical and lifestyle management in diabetes, including end-of-life care; and

• The Public Education and Stakeholder Engagement workgroup, led by Senior Minister of State for Health and Environment & Water Resources Dr Amy Khor, which will inspire behaviour change and engage the public and relevant stakeholders on ways to create a supportive environment for healthy living and better disease management, drawing on community efforts.

12.         In the coming months, the Taskforce and workgroups will conduct a review of the current food strategies and exercise programmes, as well as work on ways to strengthen post health screening follow-up. This includes encouraging Singaporeans to have a regular family doctor, who will provide a first and continuous line of care in the community. More details of the workgroups can be found in Annex C [PDF, 9KB].