Mariam Jaafar on Building a Healthier SG

Healthier SG is not just a good idea, it is necessary and overdue; too much has been spent on acute care, too little on prevention, said MP Mariam Jaafar in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 4). Speaking during the debate on the White Paper, she said there are “many things to like” about the plan to overhaul Singapore’s healthcare system. However, she said many of the key performance indicators, especially in the near term, are process indicators like enrolment, screening and vaccination rates, while health outcomes like disease prevalence and control, mortality and readmission rates start to figure only later. She called on the Ministry of Health (MOH) to consider including, as another pillar of Healthier SG, a drive to accelerate the identification, measurement and transparency of health outcomes. She said this requires MOH's leadership and is not something that can be left to the regional healthcare clusters. Ms Mariam also sought clarity on the capitation model and how it will avoid incentivising “cherry picking” of healthier patients or “rationing” access to required care.