Need to keep careers in healthcare sector attractive: Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has spoken of the need to keep careers in the healthcare sector attractive.

He said there's a need to compete with other sectors for manpower especially in a tight labour market in the country.

Speaking to the media at a community event on Sunday morning, Mr Gan said one way is to create multiple career pathways for nurses as this would make their jobs exciting and fulfilling.

On Friday, it was announced that the public sector healthcare support staff would be getting a pay rise this month of between 4 and 10 per cent.

16,000 workers will benefit from the salary review.

Lower wage workers can expect another increase of up to 20 per cent by the end of 2014.

"Even as we improve the employment conditions in the healthcare sector, we also see other sectors improving their salaries and wages and other conditions as well because they too are competing for manpower. For Singapore, manpower has always been a challenge... so therefore it is important for us to focus on how to reach out and engage them and provide more career opportunities for them in the sector," said Mr Gan.

16,000 healthcare staff to get salary increase from September

SINGAPORE: 16,000 public healthcare administrative, ancillary and support staff will see a salary increase of between four and 10 per cent from September.

This comes after a review of healthcare staff salaries by the Health Ministry and the healthcare clusters.

By 2014, 2,000 of these staff can expect a wage increase of between 10 and 20 per cent through a progressive wage model.

The model has been developed to help lower wage workers attain sustainable wage increases through productivity, training and job redesign.

It will focus on three key groups -- health attendants, healthcare assistants and patient service associates.

These announcements were made at the launch of the Healthcare Cluster Tripartite Workgroup.

The tripartite partners comprise the Health Ministry, six public healthcare clusters and NTUC's healthcare clusters of unions.

Mr Wong Koon Khian, who is working as a health attendant under the Central Sterile Supply Department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, is one of those who will benefit from the salary review.

"I'm very happy my hard work has paid off," said Mr Wong.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said public healthcare support staff, like Mr Wong, plays a crucial role.

Mr Gan said: "From registration, to catering, preparation of the operating theatre, appointment booking and providing corporate services… the rising expectation for public healthcare services means that the work of our administrative, ancillary and support staff has become more demanding and more complex."

A progressive wage model has also been developed by the workgroup to increase the salaries of lower-wage workers in two years' time by 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

The model will focus on three main groups - Health Attendants, Healthcare Assistants and Patient Service Associates.

Healthcare Cluster Tripartite Workgroup's co-chairman Patrick Tay, said: "These three groups of workers are generally earning less than S$1,700. I think there's quite a sizable group of them and we are setting our sights on impacting these groups and not just in one or two hospitals but across the entire healthcare clusters.

Mr Tay said these workers can expect better pay through initiatives that include the greater use of assistive devices and job redesign.

For example, Mr Wong himself broadened his job scope of just manual duties by undergoing training in a sterilisation course in 2008. He was re-designated as a Central Sterile Supply Department Assistant with a salary range of S$1,000 to S$2,000.

The workgroup hopes that these initiatives will encourage more to join the healthcare sector.

A total of 35,000 workers are expected to be hired in the next eight years.

MOH tackling health-care costs

SINGAPORE - Health-care affordability is one of the key issues the Ministry of Health (MOH) is tackling, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong yesterday.

He also said that MOH is working out the details for the creation of a Medisave account for each newborn baby, with an initial sum to be deposited by the Government.

"This will give Singaporeans greater peace of mind," said Mr Gan, who was speaking at the National Medical Excellence Awards (NMEA) 2012 held at the Hilton hotel.

The Medisave move was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally on Sunday.

Mr Gan stressed that the Government will have to work closely with all Singaporeans, health-care professionals and institutions - in both the private and public sectors - to ensure that health care remains of high quality, and is accessible and affordable.

In his speech, Mr Gan also lauded the achievements and contributions of the NMEA award recipients. He said: "They are the role models who will inspire succeeding generations as they strive to achieve tomorrow's excellence."

The national-level awards are an initiative of the National Medical Research Council, set up in 1994 to oversee the development and advancement of medical research here.

Mr Gan said: "Accolades like world rankings will pass, but your compassion and concern for the patient will last a lifetime."

Health Minister Gan on MediShield enhancements

SINGAPORE: Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has stressed the importance of insurance in a country's healthcare financing.

He said the government wants to encourage lower-income families to be covered by its insurance scheme, MediShield.

Mr Gan said this in response to questions from reporters, on his ministry's plan to provide wider coverage from the first quarter of next year.

He said it has to calibrate MediShield enhancements very carefully, including extending coverage for congenital and neo-natal conditions.

"We also are concerned that, whether by introducing this additional insurance, we will actually increase the cost of treatment. Because once it is covered by insurance, parents and doctors may pursue more expensive treatment and overall, this may raise the cost of healthcare for children in Singapore," said Mr Gan.

"We need to calibrate it so that there is a balance between benefits covered by the insurance, as well as the cost of the insurance premium, to ensure that the benefits remain relevant and effective and at the same time, the premium remains affordable," he added.

Mr Gan was speaking to the media at the end of his Ministerial walkabout to the Bukit Timah division of the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

With the enhancements, patients will be able to claim more - up to S$70,000 for their hospital bills annually, compared with the current S$50,000.

The lifetime limit will be increased from S$200,000 to S$300,000 to help policyholders who face exceptionally large bills, such as undergoing multiple surgeries after an accident.

The Health Ministry said MediShield deductibles will also be adjusted accordingly, as medical bills have become more expensive over the years.

With the extended coverage and payouts, MediShield premiums will have to be raised.

But the Health Ministry said for the vast majority of policyholders, the increase in premiums will be less than S$10 a month.

And with the additional government support given at this year's Budget, Singaporeans aged 65 and below will have to fork out no more than S$5 per month in the next two years.

For the elderly, their premiums will be largely offset by the annual and one-time Medisave top-ups.

They will, in fact, see a decrease in premiums payable.

Providers of eldercare facilities must win community over: Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: Providers of eldercare facilities should work closely with the community, so that residents will accept such facilities and not view them as a burden or liability.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong made this call when he addressed the attitude of "NIMBY" or "Not in My Backyard", amid concerns and unhappiness over the presence of such facilities in the HDB estates.

He said this at the end of a walkabout to Bukit Timah division on Sunday morning.

St Luke's Eldercare centre in Clementi Avenue 4 is an example of how community engagement has convinced residents to accept wellness and eldercare facilities right in their neighbourhood.

The centre also has a park next to it.

The Health Minister said most Singaporeans understand the needs of an ageing population, and accept the need for such facilities within the community.

He said it's inevitable that many of these facilities will be within the community, as land-scarce Singapore does not have outlying areas to build them.

"These facilities are built also to serve the people in the community. So, it is important for us to site these facilities where our senior residents can age in place. We hope that Singaporeans would understand the need for us to do so and they would come forward and work with us to see how we can finetune designs, programmes or facilities," said Mr Gan.

"I am confident that if we continue to engage them, we would be able to win them over and support us," he added.

At a dialogue session with residents, Mr Gan also made clear that the U-Save rebate, given as part of this year's Budget package to offset the Goods and Services Tax, is for the whole household.

He said it's not based on the number of people living in the flat.

Residents of Bukit Timah also raised the problem of monkeys in their neighbourhood.

The monkeys have created a mess while trying to look for food in dustbins. They've also tried to attack residents.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Education and MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Sim Ann, said efforts have been made to tackle the problem, such as trying out the use of dustbins that are "monkey-proof".

"We will continue to work with the agencies because I am also concerned about resident safety. This is really the most important, while also respecting the fact that in an area that has got alot of nature, wildlife actually comes along with it," she said.

In September, the GRC will launch One Connect for private estate residents to better connect with government agencies on local maintenance issues.

MediShield revamp: Premiums to rise but better coverage for S'poreans

The national health insurance scheme, MediShield, will soon be expanded to cover Singaporeans and permanent residents who are currently excluded.

The limits on how much can be claimed from MediShield will also be raised.

To support the enhancements, premiums for MediShield will be increased.

The majority of policyholders - those aged 65 and below - can expect to pay an additional $10 or less per month.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced these changes, which are set to take effect in the first quarter of next year.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event at Tan Tock Seng Hospital yesterday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said of the changes: "We (are taking) the opportunity to see where we can enhance the coverage, especially for those who are more vulnerable."

With the expanded coverage, MediShield will provide financial relief to older seniors, along with newly diagnosed mental patients who require inpatient psychiatric treatment.

The maximum age for MediShield coverage will be raised from the current limit of 85 to 90.

An Institute of Mental Health (IMH) spokesman called the expanded MediShield a "positive step" that will help relieve the financial burden of patients.

He explained: "Currently, patients have to rely on their own or their family's Medisave. Those who require prolonged or repeated hospitalisation will find it a drain on their resources."

MOH is also looking into the coverage of newborn babies with congenital conditions, or medical problems that exist at birth.

As there are mixed views on the issue, MOH is seeking public feedback.

Of the 40,000 babies born every year in Singapore, about 860 reportedly have a serious birth defect.
Mrs Sylvia Mun, KK Women's and Children's Hospital's chief medical social worker, said: "One of the frustrations (that parents of such children) face is that when they try to buy health insurance for their newborn baby, they are often rejected and they worry about how they can continue to manage the cost of treating their baby."

She revealed that for a smaller number of "more-serious premature (birth) cases", the average medical bills can range from $10,000 to $60,000.

Medical expenses may even exceed $100,000, in the rare cases of babies with severe complications, as well as for those who need multi-stage operations and treatment.

To help patients with large medical bills, MOH will bump up the total amount one can claim, in a policy year and for life, from MediShield.

The policy-year limit for claims will be raised from $50,000 to $70,000, and the lifetime limit will be raised from $200,000 to $300,000.

Patients staying in Class C and Class B2 hospital wards will have to pay a greater initial amount before they are able to make claims from MediShield.

This amount forked out by patients, known as a deductible, will be raised from $1,000 to $1,500 for Class C wards, and from $1,500 to $2,000 for Class B2 wards.

On concerns over higher premiums and deductibles, Mr Gan assured Singaporeans that financial aid is in place, such as a one-time Medisave top-up of up to $400.

Eldershield review needs to be calibrated very carefully: Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has stressed that the government needs to "calibrate very carefully" any review to the ElderShield scheme - a severe disability insurance scheme.

Mr Gan was speaking on the sidelines of a community event where a new study was released, showing the benefits of brisk walking.

The study shows that members of Singapore's National Brisk Walking Programme are about eight per cent fitter compared to the general population.

Conducted by the Health Promotion Board, the survey covered 1,236 participants during a one-year period from September 2010 to September 2011.

Research has found that brisk walking regularly could help to decrease the risk of suffering from chronic conditions -- such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and breast cancer -- by almost 50 per cent.

Brisk walking can also help to prevent dementia and osteoporosis, and help manage one's weight in tandem with a healthy diet.

The National Brisk Walking Programme was introduced in 2009 to get Singaporeans who had a sedentary lifestyle exercising.

There are now 700 brisk walking clubs island-wide, and since the start of the programme, the number of participants has ballooned by 25 per cent to some 100,000 people.

Members of the brisk walking club get about 230 minutes of physical activity each week, the survey reported.

The amount is about three times more than the national average of about 80 minutes per week for seniors, who make up 60 per cent of the participants.

Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said this was an encouraging sign, in view of Singapore's ageing population.

Chairman of the National Briskwalking Workgroup and Mayor for the North West District, Dr Teo Ho Pin, said there are now plans to reach out to more people.

"We are still trying to reach out to more minority groups especially our Indian friends because we still haven's attracted a lot of our Indian and Malay friends to join us in our brisk walking clubs," said Dr Teo.

Separately, Mr Gan also touched on calls to enhance Eldershield -- a severe disability insurance scheme that provides basic financial protection to those who need long-term care.

Some observers have said that current payouts are insufficient given high medical bills.

In 2007, the government increased the Eldershield monthly payout from S$300 to S$400, and the maximum payout period from 60 to 72 months.

Industry players have said the payout is insufficient, as patients' bills are at least twice that amount.

However, Mr Gan reiterated that there would be trade-offs accompanying any enhancement in payouts.

"We have to bear in mind that with enhancement, the cost of insurance will also go up," Mr Gan said.

"We'll have to calibrate very carefully to ensure that Eldershield remains affordable and at the same time the benefits remain effective to help our seniors."

A review of the ElderShield scheme is expected to take place in 2013.

HPB to reward senior citizens who brisk walk regularly

SINGAPORE: The Health Promotion Board (HPB) on Sunday released the findings of a study involving 1,200 seniors, which showed that those who participated in the National Brisk Walking Programme were, on average, eight per cent fitter than their peers.

The HPB also revealed that it is coming up with a reward system for seniors who spend at least 100 minutes a week brisk walking.

These seniors will be assessed every six months and could qualify for yearly awards. Those who achieve at least 200 minutes of brisk walking a week will attain the gold award, while those who brisk walk for at least 150 and 100 minutes will get the silver and bronze awards respectively.

The awards come with certificates and vouchers that can be used to buy healthy food.

The rewards will be offered to 100,000 constituents in the 700 brisk-walking clubs here and will progressively be rolled out islandwide, said HPB chief executive officer Ang Hak Seng.

"The reward is not about giving them something ... but about (providing) them a sense of accomplishment," Mr Ang said, adding that more details will be announced later.

To mark the third anniversary of the National Brisk Walking Programme, 10,000 residents took part in brisk-walking sessions across the island.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who was at one of the sessions, noted that exercise such as brisk walking is increasingly important to cope with the challenges of an ageing population.

"One of the key strategies to address this challenge is to encourage Singaporeans to live well and stay active, healthy and engaged. For this reason, the brisk-walking club is a very important part of this strategy.

"Through brisk walking, Singaporeans can work out together (and) stay healthy," said Mr Gan, who shared that he brisk walks up to twice a day on weekends.

North-West District Mayor Teo Ho Pin, who chairs the National Brisk Walking Workgroup, said there are plans to reach out further to minorities such as Indians and Malays, as not many have joined the groups.

To encourage greater participation among all Singaporeans, Mr Ang said "bite-sized" brisk-walking exercises will be introduced during community events.

The South-West Community Development Council (CDC) will start a pilot for such exercises, which will be rolled out by other CDCs over the next three years.

Brisk-walking events with special themes - such as paranormal walks and speed-dating walks - will also be held between July and August, Mr Ang added.

Which nationalities live the longest?

SINGAPORE - According to an internationally renowned source of global statistics, Singapore ranks fourth in longevity, with citizens living an average of 83.75 years.

The latest 2011 figures were part of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)'s latest update to its Word Factbook - an official reference resource updated weekly for the use of US government officials.

According to the resource, Singaporean men live an average of 81.47 years, while women top that at 86.2 years of age.

Far ahead of the average global life expectancy of 67.59 years of age, the new ranking is a significantly jump from its 2011 ranking of seventh place. In August last year, the Factbook listed Singapore's average life expectancy to be 82.14 years of age.

The island state narrowly beat out countries like San Marino, which ranked fifth place at 83.07 years, and Andorra, ranking sixth place at 82.50 years.

Both countries ranked above Singapore last year.

However, it lost out to the Mediterranean country of Monaco, which took top spot as the country with the best conditions to live to a ripe old age with an average lifespan of 89.73.

It was followed closely by Macau and Japan, with average lifespans of 89.68 years and 84.43 respectively.

Other notable entries include Hong Kong, ranked eighth (82.12 years), and Australia, ranked ninth (81.90 years).

The information is compiled through CIA combing through death certificates, recording race, gender, cause of death and other factors to estimate the life expectancy of a nation's entire population, reported Huffington Post.

These relatively low profile countries beat healthcare advancement heavyweights such as the US, who came in at a dismal 50th position out of the 221 countries censused.

The Republic of Chad, a landlocked country in Central Africa, came in last in life expectancy, with its people living just 48.69 years.

Singapore's ranking comes in the footsteps of the Government pledging to up its healthcare spending from $4 billion to $8 billion over the next five years.

Among the plans announced during Budget this year were moves to double the capacity of long-term care services, raise healthcare subsidy amounts and ease subsidy eligibly requirements to allow more Singaporeans to get healthcare help.

Just last week, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong promised to keep healthcare affordable, and said that nobody will be denied access to help regarding their health in a dialogue session with the public.

No one will be denied medical treatment: Gan

The Government intends to keep health-care costs manageable and nobody in need will be denied medical treatment, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Sunday.

His pledge, coming after his ministry announced plans recently to double its yearly health-care spending to $8 billion over the next five years, was made at a dialogue in which participants continued to express worries about health care.

Among other things, they cited their concerns over rising subsidised consultation fees at public hospitals and the prices of quality medicine.

Mr Gan said that Singaporeans can expect health-care costs to keep rising, especially if patients want better outcomes from newer technology.

MediShield premiums to be raised: Health Minister

SINGAPORE - Medishield premiums must be raised to keep up with the rise in pay-outs, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in Parliament today.

The amount in which the premiums will be raised will be according to the policy holder's age, he explained.

For example, a 76-year-old policy holder is likely to see an increase of $25 a month, while a 45-year-old may see a lower premium increase of $7 a month.

The premium increase will be less for those in the younger age groups.

This is inevitable in order to keep MediShield sustainable, said Mr Gan.

MediShield paid out 21 per cent more in claims each year between 2008 and 2011. However, premiums only grew by 10 per cent each year, said Mr Gan.

According to Mr Gan, the last increase was in 2008, and Medishield premiums are calculated to be sustainable for a five-year period.

However, to help Singaporeans deal with the rising premiums, the government will be disbursing a one-time Medisave top-up of up to $400 for all Singaporean policy holders.

In addition, most older policyholders who are beyond the re-employment age of 65 will receive direct and long-term assistance via Medisave top-ups under the GST Voucher scheme.

This means they will receive up to $450 a year, or $37.50 per month, which can offset the premium increase in full.

Those aged 50 to 60 will also see a higher contribution to their Medisave accounts due to the higher CPF contribution rates, Mr Gan added.

In response to Hougang MP Mr Gerald Giam's query on whether some of the MediShield reserves can help to offset these premium increases, Mr Gan said that the reserves are to ensure that MediShield will be able to honour policyholders’ future claims and are crucial in ensuring the long-term sustainability and viability of the MediShield Fund.

During the Parliamentary session, several MPs also called for the extension of Medishield to cover more conditions, such as congenital conditions in newborn babies, and psychiatric and mental care.

Mr Gan said the Government will look into the suggestions, but warned that a wider coverage will also mean higher premiums.

Healthcare 2020 for population demands

SINGAPORE - To help Singapore cope with its rapidly ageing and growing population, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong unveiled the Healthcare 2020 Masterplan yesterday.

During the Committee of Supply debate, Mr Gan highlighted measures to deal with challenges in the health-care sector, such as the shortage of hospital beds and the need for more public health-care professionals.

On the issue of manpower, Mr Gan spoke of the need to "retain and attract high-calibre individuals".

So, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will be rolling out a more competitive pay framework over the next two years, at the cost of $200 million.

The new framework will be implemented in phases and doctors will, on average, see an increase in total compensation of around 20 per cent by 2014.

Phase One will commence next month, and doctors will start to receive their pay raise according to their job levels.

Associate consultants in hospitals will get an increase equivalent to 20 per cent of their base salary, while consultant family physicians in polyclinics will get a 10 per cent raise.

Doctors will receive further increases when the framework is fully implemented in 2014.
Dentists' pay will also be adjusted.

Nurses, pharmacists and allied health professions will also get a one-time base-pay increase of between 4 and 17 per cent from next month.

Those in senior positions will have a 8 to 13 per cent base-pay increase.

Mr Gan added that 20,000 more health-care professionals are needed by 2020, as health- care facilities expand.

To help meet this demand, MOH will raise student intakes at medical institutes here, so as to boost the number of home- grown health-care practitioners.

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, the third medical school here, will open next year with an initial intake of 50 students. This number will eventually grow to 150.

It is expected to boost the number of locally trained doctors to 500.

The higher student intake will also be extended to dentistry, nursing and pharmacy.

The dentistry intake will increase from 48 to 80, nursing from 1,700 to 2,700 and pharmacy from 160 to 240.

Efforts to attract back overseas-trained Singaporeans will also be stepped up by extending the pre-employment grant for medical students to those studying dentistry in recognised universities.

Qualified foreign health-care professionals will continue to be recruited to supplement the local health-care workforce.

Health-care infrastructure here will be ramped up, with plans to increase the number of acute- and community-hospital beds by 3,700 by 2020.

By then, acute-hospital bed numbers are expected to increase by over 30 per cent or 1,900, and community-hospital beds will increase to 2,600.

These beds will come from the new hospitals which will be constructed across the country.

These include Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, which is scheduled to open in 2014, and community hospitals in Yishun and Jurong, which will be ready by 2015.

Mr Gan said that the "increase in community hospitals will allow more stable patients to receive the appropriate care in a less-costly setting".

"At the same time, it will relieve the general hospitals and allow them to focus on more critically ill patients."

Long-term care services, such as those provided by nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities, will be more than doubled by 2020.

Mr Gan also noted the importance of tapping on the private sector to ease the hospital-bed crunch.

The MOH has reached an in-principle agreement to lease beds from Parkway East Hospital and will enter into a memorandum of understanding with Raffles Hospital for it to help take on the load of subsidised patients from public hospitals.

"This can be a win-win situation for the private sector too as their capacity can be better utilised," said Mr Gan.

More financial help with medical bills: Health Minister

More patients can expect financial help with their medical bills in the coming years as the Ministry of Health (MOH) beefs up its subsidies and other helplines, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in his addenda to the President's Address.

Already, recent changes meant that half of all Singaporeans aged 40 and over will be able to enjoy subsidies when they get treated by their family doctor.

The Government will also increase subsidies for those needing step-down care, such as nursing homes or rehabilitation care, he said when setting out the health social safety net.

MediShield and Eldershield insurance will also be enhanced.

The broad-stroke objectives for the MOH is to provide better health, better care, better value and better support for ageing so all Singaporeans can 'live well, live long and enjoy peace of mind'.