MINISTRY OF HEALTH

MR YEO CHEOW TONG Minister for Health

We aim to build a healthy population and to provide a high standard of health care for all Singaporeans.

Hospital Services

The restructuring programme gives government hospitals greater management autonomy, to respond better to the needs of the patients. Patient surveys have shown that the restructured hospitals have indeed improved their service. Tan Tock Seng Hospital will be restructured this year.

Hospitals will continue to improve their efficiency and productivity, to contain increases in health care costs. While Class A and B1 patients will eventually have to pay for the full cost of the services, the Government will continue to subsidise the Class B2 and C wards heavily, to ensure that they remain affordable to lower income groups. The poor and indigent will continue to enjoy waiver of medical fees.

This year, we will begin rebuilding Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Kandang Kerbau Hospital, and constructing a new general hospital in the eastern part of the island. These new hospitals will have enough B2 and C Class beds to meet the needs of the lower income groups. We will also upgrade Alexandra Hospital. The community hospital in Ang Mo Kio and a new psychiatric hospital to replace Woodbridge Hospital will be completed in 1992. We will begin construction of the National Dental Centre and the National Institute of Health in 1992.

Primary Health

We will continue to educate the public to lead a healthy lifestyle. We will intensify efforts to discourage smoking, and to emphasize the importance of a balanced diet, regular exercise and management of stress. We will expand screening programmes to detect diseases early, and genetic counselling services to prevent hereditary diseases.

The Hougang Polyclinic will open in March 91, and Yishun and Woodlands Polyclinics in 1992. We will expand the training programme for family physicians to further upgrade the standard of primary health care in Singapore.

Elderly

We will set up three more Senior Citizens' Health Care Centres in the next two years. The community health care programme for senior citizens and the Home Nursing Service will be expanded to meet the needs of the elderly.

Children

We will improve health services for children. The health surveillance programme to detect early any physical and developmental abnormalities in children will be expanded. A developmental stimulation programme will guide parents to help their children develop to their maximum potential.

Birth Rates

Response to the new population policy has been encouraging. The total fertility rate increased from 1.4 in 1986 to 1.9 in 1990. We will continue to encourage Singaporeans to have three children and more if they can afford it, in order to achieve replacement fertility levels.