Committee of Supply 2026 debate, Day 6: Ong Ye Kung on sustaining and transforming healthcare for ‘super-healthy’ Singapore
A sick nation that consumes healthcare indiscriminately will incur a large and wasteful bill, which will be very costly to the population. To ensure that healthcare remains affordable, it is critical to ensure that the national healthcare bill is under control, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. “Otherwise, it is like the Titanic sinking and you are pouring water out of the deck. It must be floating,” he said in parliament on Thursday (Mar 5). He pointed out that the health budget of about 2.7 per cent of GDP this year is expected to rise to about 3.5 per cent by 2030 - at about S$30 billion. Singapore must avoid unsustainable levels of healthcare spending - by transforming healthcare from “episodic hospital care” to “continuous multi-disciplinary care across settings”, said Mr Ong. He highlighted three new initiatives to support this transformation. Firstly, through AI - an AI risk assessment tool will be rolled out to doctors for Healthier SG enrollees from early-2027. Secondly, through genomics to strengthen preventive care. Thirdly, by being more flexible with MediSave use to encourage early intervention. The limits for the MediSave 500/700 scheme will be raised to S$700-S$1,000 from January 2027; the scheme will be renamed MediSave Chronic and Preventive Care. Mr Ong stressed that what matters is that super-aged Singapore is “striving to be a super-healthy one” as well.
A sick nation that consumes healthcare indiscriminately will incur a large and wasteful bill, which will be very costly to the population. To ensure that healthcare remains affordable, it is critical to ensure that the national healthcare bill is under control, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. “Otherwise, it is like the Titanic sinking and you are pouring water out of the deck. It must be floating,” he said in parliament on Thursday (Mar 5). He pointed out that the health budget of about 2.7 per cent of GDP this year is expected to rise to about 3.5 per cent by 2030 - at about S$30 billion. Singapore must avoid unsustainable levels of healthcare spending - by transforming healthcare from “episodic hospital care” to “continuous multi-disciplinary care across settings”, said Mr Ong. He highlighted three new initiatives to support this transformation. Firstly, through AI - an AI risk assessment tool will be rolled out to doctors for Healthier SG enrollees from early-2027. Secondly, through genomics to strengthen preventive care. Thirdly, by being more flexible with MediSave use to encourage early intervention. The limits for the MediSave 500/700 scheme will be raised to S$700-S$1,000 from January 2027; the scheme will be renamed MediSave Chronic and Preventive Care. Mr Ong stressed that what matters is that super-aged Singapore is “striving to be a super-healthy one” as well.
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