SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH, AT SINGAPORE HEART FOUNDATION’S 55TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, ON 6 APRIL 2025, 10.00AM

Dr Low Lip Ping, Chairman Emeritus of Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF)

Professor Tan Huay Cheem, Chairman of SHF

Friends, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen

Very happy join you today at the Singapore Heart Foundation’s (SHF) 55^th anniversary celebrations.

SHF’s efforts in improving heart health

2.             I want to talk about your accomplishments over the last 55 years. I know I will be repeating many of the things that Dr Low has said, but I think it is important for the Ministry of Health to acknowledge this purposeful work. Let me start by thanking SHF for all your efforts in improving heart health. SHF has been fighting heart disease alongside Singaporeans on four key fronts over the last 55 years.  

3.             First, prevention. SHF has implemented strong outreach programmes and public education campaigns. This includes Blood Pressure Awareness Kiosks at community spaces where you can check your blood pressure, or Salt Taste Threshold Test to gauge if we are consuming too much salt. These are simple yet important steps to raise awareness of the risk of heart disease. 

4.             Second, rehabilitation. For heart disease patients, their journey to recovery can be long and challenging. SHF offers comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programmes at Heart Wellness Centres, which serve over 3,000 patients through physical exercise, nutritional advice and psychological support.

5.             Third, resuscitation. In a cardiac emergency, every second counts. SHF provides training in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) to many individuals. Together with government agencies, we have placed AEDs throughout Singapore, and also set up the platforms to mobilise individuals in the vicinity who are trained in CPR and AED at short notice. This has enhanced the survival chances for individuals experiencing cardiac arrest. 

6.             Finally, support and financial assistance. Heart disease affects not just the patients, but the whole family. SHF established the Heart Support Fund to help families struggling with medical and other costs. SHF also runs the Healthy Heart Support Group where people with heart disease can meet and provide mutual peer support.

7.             I should add one last thing, which is that until today, I did not know that the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) came from you. I was touring your booths and Huay Cheem explained to me that SHF sold the HCS to the Health Promotion Board (HPB). At first, I thought it meant SHF sold the idea to HPB and HPB came up with the HCS. I did not realise that you literally sold it to HPB for $10. But I must say, the payback has been tremendous. This is a lesson in life. The people and organisations from ground-up come up with all kinds of ideas, and when the idea is so good, the government takes it as it deserves to become a national initiative. The government must have the open-mindedness that far from having a monopoly of ideas, the ideas often come from the ground, from people and organisations. When you see a good idea or initiative, be prepared to invest in it, take it for $10 but thereafter put in a lot more money and resources to make it a successful national programme. Today, I learnt something very precious. Thank you very much for this wonderful initiative. We are going to do more about it, which is what I am going to talk about next.

8.             But first, thank you for your dedicated work for 55 years. Your work touches lives, strengthens our community and makes Singapore a much more caring nation.

Managing cardiovascular diseases

9.             The work of SHF is important because cardiovascular disease continues to be a top contributor to the total disease burden in Singapore. About one third of all deaths in Singapore were due to cardiovascular disease. In 2022, 36 Singaporeans were diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction or heart attack every day. That is more than one person every hour. Ten years before that, the number was 25 per day.

10.          These are not just statistics, because every one of the victims is a family member, friend or colleague.

11.          What can we do about this? As Huay Cheem said, it has to be anchored in prevention. Where it comes to chronic diseases, two things matter. One, detecting the disease early through regular screening. Two, even after detection, keep the ‘three highs’ in check – diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol – all of which increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

12.          That is why we launched Healthier SG. Again, Healthier SG is not an idea that came out from the Ministry. It is through decades of hard work by the ground agencies and people. We consolidated all that and said it is time for a serious, long-term national strategy, which we call Healthier SG. We are now in a good position for Healthier SG, with good enrolment and large percentage of those who enrolled have Health Plans. Now we are now focusing on ensuring good follow-up by Singaporeans as well as their General Practitioners (GPs). They have to go for health screening, follow up by taking their vaccinations and adhering to their Health Plans. That will be our focus in the coming months and these couple of years. We are also progressively expanding the range of Healthier SG Care Protocols to include stable ischaemic heart disease, to support family doctors in providing consistent, quality care to their patients on the conditions. I think there are a lot of opportunities for collaborations with your centres.

13.          We are also going upstream, to inculcate healthier lifestyles amongst Singaporeans. The formula for a healthier lifestyle is actually not expensive at all. Sometimes people think that preventive care is expensive, but it is actually not at all. Preventive care is one of the most cost-effective ways to manage diseases and it is quite straightforward. Number one, very clear, is to quit smoking, be more physically active, and observe a good diet. On diet, the great majority of Singaporeans will benefit immensely, not by going on any kind of fancy dietary programmes, but simply moderating our consumption of the ‘three S’s’ - sugar, sodium and saturated fats. Just cut down on all three, no need to go for any fancy diets.

14.          We have successfully used Nutri-Grade labelling, which is a derivative of the HCS. We have used Nutri-Grade labelling to curtail over-consumption of sugar quite successfully. I have earlier announced that we are moving to also label for sodium and saturated fat. We have been engaging the industries to develop the scheme and have gotten a lot of good inputs. We have consolidated the inputs, prioritised them, and have finalised many aspects of the scheme. Today, I want to give you an update.

Nutri-Grade for sodium and saturated fats

15.          In August last year, I announced that we are extending the Nutri-Grade measures to pre-packed salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil in retail stores like supermarkets. These ingredients are key contributors of Singaporeans’ sodium and saturated fat intake, which in turn drives high blood pressure and high cholesterol which will in turn drive risk for cardiovascular diseases.

16.          To allow ample time for the industry to reformulate their products, Nutri-Grade labelling for sodium and saturated fats will take effect from mid-2027. From now till then, some industries and some producers may start to reformulate and introduce the labels. We may see labels in the 23 sub-categories of products like soy sauce, laksa paste, kecap manis and so on.

17.          Like labelling for sugar, products will be graded from ‘A’ to ‘D’ – ‘A’ having the lowest level of sodium or saturated fat, and ‘D’ having the highest. Similar to beverages, Grade ‘C’ or ‘D’ products must carry the Nutri-Grade label by law, and advertising of Grade ‘D’ products will not be allowed.

18.          We have decided, and this requires some explanation, that every sub-category of products will have its own set of threshold levels for sodium or saturated fats. This is because we recognise that there is a wide variety of products, such as sauces and seasonings, used for different cuisines, used differently and in different amounts, and the sodium and saturated fat levels differ across each sub-category.

19.          For example, it would not be feasible to grade kecap manis, soy sauce and fish sauce based on the same set of thresholds, given the inherent differences in their sodium and sugar content and more importantly, inherent differences in the way we use those sauces. For example, I cannot think of a dish where we use a lot of fish sauce, but we can use a lot of black sauce. Fish sauce is always a tiny sprinkle but has very high sodium content. In the event that every sauce uses the same threshold, an ingredient such as fish sauce which has inherently high sodium content and inherently used very sparingly, will be condemned to a ‘D’ grade, with little hope for improvement. Its manufacturer will also then have no incentive to improve.

20.          Therefore, by assigning different threshold levels to each sauce and each category of sauces, consumers have a basis to choose the healthier versions of that product. The industry will have an incentive for practical, progressive reformulation. That means, if the product is Grade ‘D’, the manufacturer can make practical, small adjustments to reformulate to Grade ‘C’, before taking larger steps to achieve Grades ‘A’ or ‘B’.

Closing

21.          We are the most important factor in determining our own health. Good health does not come at a high cost at all. It is about picking up simple habits – being more physically active, having good sleep habits, cutting down on salt, sauces and cooking oil when we cook, and opting for products with the HCS.

22.          I think it may taste different initially and require some getting used to, but before long, your tongue and palate will evolve. New habit take root and suddenly you start tasting the ingredients rather than tasting the soy sauce. It is actually a revelation and very good training for the palate, to cut down on the ‘three Ss’. Before long, it becomes a habit and we will swear by it. We saw it happen for sugar, I believe it can happen for sodium and saturated fat too.

23.          The SHF marks 55 years of service, let us all work together and commit to shaping our healthcare journey ahead with resilience and shared purpose. I wish SHF a meaningful and enriching anniversary celebration. Thank you.