DISEASES AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES

Column: 453

DISEASES AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES: **

(Public education programme): **

42.

Mr Ong Ah Heng asked the Minister for Health (a) whether there has been any change in the list of causes of deaths in Singapore; (b) which chronic illnesses should Singaporeans be on guard against; (c) in light of the ageing population and preventive healthcare becoming more critical, whether the Ministry will allocate more resources towards this end; and (d) what is the success of programmes to educate the public on major illnesses like cancer, diabetics and heart diseases.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Three diseases, cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke, caused more than 60% of all deaths in Singapore. This has been the pattern for 20 years and is also observed in other developed countries. These are described as "lifestyle diseases", as they are often due to modern lifestyle, in contrast with infectious diseases which were the main killers 40 years ago.

Besides causing death, they are also the main causes for morbidity or ill-health. Together with diabetes and mental disorders, these five diseases account for more than 70% of disease burden, contributing to the bulk of our patients in the clinics and the hospitals.

The key control strategy is prevention: keeping Singaporeans healthy through healthy lifestyle, and managing the chronic diseases to avoid future complications. This is particularly urgent as the continued ageing of our population will only worsen the problem. My Ministry will ramp up the preventive effort and allocate more resources to support the increased emphasis. There are two main programmes: public education through the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and a systematic disease management programme through hospitals and clinics.

The budget for HPB has increased by 40% since its establishment in 2001, to around $100 million this year. But HPB can only be a catalyst, working through partners like the schools, sports council, employers and the community organizations. The total national budget on health promotion is, therefore, much bigger than what is reflected on HPB's financial statements. But this is money worth spending if we can get more Singaporeans to adopt a healthy lifestyle: eat less, exercise more and do not smoke.

Our efforts have had some success. Our smoking rate of 14% is among the lowest in the world. Our obesity rate of 7% is also among the lowest in the world.

But much more need to be done. One in seven Singaporeans still smoke. One in three Singaporeans need to reduce their waistline. Three in four Singaporeans do not exercise regularly. We must intensify our efforts to get all Singaporeans to embrace healthy lifestyle as a way of life. To succeed, every Singaporean must join in this effort, and from young.