Committee of Supply 2025 debate, Day 6: Tan Wu Meng on health and care
SG60 is a time to look back and look ahead, and the same applies for Singapore’s healthcare system, said MP Tan Wu Meng. Speaking in parliament on Friday (Mar 7), he touched on the “right-siting of healthcare”, in particular place of care, subsidy of care and access to care. Citing the example of a resident in his constituency who quit his job to support his wife who is ill, Dr Tan asked if there could have been a way for the system to better support them. On outpatient scans, Dr Tan also asked if the Ministry of Health (MOH) can be “more flexible” with the use of MediSave for these scans. This will help cancer patients as well, who often have to go for regular scans as part of their treatment plan and monitoring, he said. Turning to the issue of digital access to care in the polyclinic system, Dr Tan expressed concern over the phenomenon of “digital drop-off”, when patients no longer show up for appointments due to the difficulty in navigating a digital system to secure access. He also called on MOH to consider his suggestion of “portable subsidy vouchers” for seniors who face digital challenges in making polyclinic appointments. On the need for care and coordination in healthcare processes, Dr Tan also made a suggestion for patients with multiple complex medical conditions to be provided a coordinating doctor supported by different specialists from medical nursing, allied health, along with adequate administrative support. He also wanted to know what is being done to improve healthcare information technology to help frontliners, including junior doctors, and whether artificial intelligence is being used to simplify their work.
SG60 is a time to look back and look ahead, and the same applies for Singapore’s healthcare system, said MP Tan Wu Meng. Speaking in parliament on Friday (Mar 7), he touched on the “right-siting of healthcare”, in particular place of care, subsidy of care and access to care. Citing the example of a resident in his constituency who quit his job to support his wife who is ill, Dr Tan asked if there could have been a way for the system to better support them. On outpatient scans, Dr Tan also asked if the Ministry of Health (MOH) can be “more flexible” with the use of MediSave for these scans. This will help cancer patients as well, who often have to go for regular scans as part of their treatment plan and monitoring, he said. Turning to the issue of digital access to care in the polyclinic system, Dr Tan expressed concern over the phenomenon of “digital drop-off”, when patients no longer show up for appointments due to the difficulty in navigating a digital system to secure access. He also called on MOH to consider his suggestion of “portable subsidy vouchers” for seniors who face digital challenges in making polyclinic appointments. On the need for care and coordination in healthcare processes, Dr Tan also made a suggestion for patients with multiple complex medical conditions to be provided a coordinating doctor supported by different specialists from medical nursing, allied health, along with adequate administrative support. He also wanted to know what is being done to improve healthcare information technology to help frontliners, including junior doctors, and whether artificial intelligence is being used to simplify their work.
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