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Janet Ang on supporting healthcare

21:30 Min

A whole-of-Singapore commitment is needed to complement a whole-of-Government effort to transform healthcare and create a healthier nation. NMP Janet Ang said this in Parliament on Wednesday (May 10). She said every individual has to keep an active and healthy lifestyle to prevent chronic illness. The community can also form little support groups, each advised by a general practitioner (GP) - similar to what MPs do in a constituency. To get more people to join and stay involved, there could be Healthier SG “credits” for participation, which can be used for healthcare or buying healthy staples. Highlighting a shortage of nurses and allied healthcare workers, Ms Ang said these roles must be made more attractive to Singaporeans such as by broadening their responsibilities and improving career progression, designing schedules to accommodate flexible shifts and hours, and changing public mindsets to treat their work with more respect and gratitude. With family doctors set to play a critical role in Healthier SG, Ms Ang called on them to step forward and get involved in redesigning work processes and incentives that will make implementation efficient and effective. She also suggested that private sector specialists can play a bigger part, for instance by running free clinics for patients who are assessed as being unable to pay. In conclusion, Ms Ang said change is never going to be easy and Singapore must ensure that it does not rush into transformation, resulting in it “getting the form and losing the substance”.

A whole-of-Singapore commitment is needed to complement a whole-of-Government effort to transform healthcare and create a healthier nation. NMP Janet Ang said this in Parliament on Wednesday (May 10). She said every individual has to keep an active and healthy lifestyle to prevent chronic illness. The community can also form little support groups, each advised by a general practitioner (GP) - similar to what MPs do in a constituency. To get more people to join and stay involved, there could be Healthier SG “credits” for participation, which can be used for healthcare or buying healthy staples. Highlighting a shortage of nurses and allied healthcare workers, Ms Ang said these roles must be made more attractive to Singaporeans such as by broadening their responsibilities and improving career progression, designing schedules to accommodate flexible shifts and hours, and changing public mindsets to treat their work with more respect and gratitude. With family doctors set to play a critical role in Healthier SG, Ms Ang called on them to step forward and get involved in redesigning work processes and incentives that will make implementation efficient and effective. She also suggested that private sector specialists can play a bigger part, for instance by running free clinics for patients who are assessed as being unable to pay. In conclusion, Ms Ang said change is never going to be easy and Singapore must ensure that it does not rush into transformation, resulting in it “getting the form and losing the substance”.

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