SPEECH BY MINISTER MASAGOS ZULKIFLI, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT AND SECOND MINISTER OF HEALTH, SINGAPORE CANCER SOCIETY MEN’S HEALTH FAIR, 26 NOVEMBER 2023, 10:00 AM TO 11:00 AM AT TAMPINES WEST COMMUNITY CLUB

Mr Leng Meng Tat, Chairman of Singapore Cancer Society,

Mr Albert Ching, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Cancer Society,

Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning, I am very happy to see many of you be here. It is a good sign to see many men this morning. Today is Singapore Cancer Society’s first Men's Health Fair. 

2. Singapore Cancer Society, since 1964, has at the forefront to raise awareness to provide awareness and to provide support for cancer patients and their families. This is a very important organisation, not only are they almost as old as Singapore, they have been journeying with Singapore.

Local statistics for prostate cancer

3. The discovery of cancer among men and women in Singapore has been on the rise in Singapore. It is because we have been doing the right thing – we go for screening an discover early. When you discover early, a cure is highly possible with today’s technology. Go to your GPs, to your specialists. In Singapore, do not worry even if you think that the treatment will be expensive – go first, then appeal for the payment later. 

4. According to the Singapore Cancer Registry 2021 Report, about 23 men are diagnosed with cancer every day. Four of these cases are prostate cancer. Now it is  the most common cancer amongst males in Singapore from 2017 to 2021 with almost 7,000 cases over this period. 

5. On a more positive note, the five-year survival rate of prostate cancer during the same period was close to 90%. Discover early and most likely you are going to recover.

Need for raising awareness of prostate cancer

6. In its early stages, however, prostate cancer have no signs or symptoms. More advanced prostate cancer cause other symptoms such as difficulty in passing urine or having blood in the urine. Many have mistaken for other benign urological issues that are more common with age. Hence, it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer. But many do not take action. Pls do not wait. Do see your doctor and get advice.

7. I spoke to SCS earlier on the need for more community-focused initiatives to inform men about the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer and have a  discussion with your doctor. 

8. I want to encourage all to sign up for Healthier SG. Some of us may misunderstand Healthier SG - for some who are seeing specialists, why must you sign up for Healthier SG? There is a difference – specialists are narrow in their specialization, if you have cancer, they know about your cancer. There could be other things about you that you need to know. General practitioners (GPs) are the best people to do this. You cannot do this over one visit. GP has to be understand your family history, how you have been growing up. They know you well and then give you a more holistic diagnosis. 

9. Another difference between Healthier SG and what we do today is that we see a doctor before we get sick to get a medical certificate. With Healthier SG, we have shifted it. We see the doctor early, so that issues like prostate cancer for example, before we think of the possibility, the doctor can say what you can actually do. Detect early and it can be managed. Therefore, one of the things we talk about prevention to see a doctor regularly to give you good advice on how to manage our lives, like healthy diet and regular exercise. We have the best health system in the world. .

10. Take this opportunity to learn something useful, like what you can do at home or do at a Community Club. Some people like to be alone and some people like to be in a group, we will support. You can also make use of our virtual resources available on SCS's YouTube in different languages..

11. In closing, prevention and early detection are key in taking care of ourselves, particularly if you have a family history Let me thank Singapore Cancer Society for putting this together in the community so that you do not have to go out there to find out about what the issues are. If you know that your friends will benefit, call them down to visit the exhibits. 

12. I urge everyone to use and share the knowledge gained from this event with your family, friends, and colleagues to do the right thing- prevent, detect and get treatment. Thank you.