Healthier SG programme likely to start for those 60 and above next year
The Healthier SG programme - which aims to get general practitioners (GPs) more involved in preventive care - will likely start with patients aged 60 and above from next year, before expanding to other age groups.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said this will serve about a million residents here, and the move will provide enough time for family doctors to ramp up their capacity and enrol residents gradually.
"The doctors have discussed (it) and felt that it is best to go for those 60 and above because they are most likely to have onset of chronic illness or already have chronic illness, so we want to make sure that the care goes out (to them first)," he told reporters at a charity walk organised by Blossom Seeds on Saturday.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) will also look at how to make chronic medication costs at GP clinics more comparable with polyclinics, as older residents prefer to see their regular GPs but find it more affordable to get their necessary medication, such as for high cholesterol and diabetes, from polyclinics.
This comes after the ministry engaged more than 6,000 residents and other key stakeholders, including 1,000 healthcare professionals, on Healthier SG.
These engagements found that about two in three residents support the idea of having a regular family doctor, who will have an overview of their medical needs.
Mr Ong noted that another key takeaway is the need for personal choice, as some residents worry that they will not be able to go to different doctors when they need to, such as when they move house.
Some flexibility will, therefore, be allowed for individuals to change doctors when they need to.
GPs said they are supportive of Healthier SG - which they believe will benefit residents - but raised concerns on the workflows for clinical care and support for information technology (IT), according to MOH. They also want to focus on patient care instead of time spent entering data or dealing with IT problems, the ministry added.
As part of the Healthier SG programme, MOH said during its budget announcement that it will provide better data support for family physicians, such as granting access to patients' medical records to track their conditions and health trends over time.
Mr Ong said there may be some hiccups when Healthier SG is first rolled out to those aged 60 and above but gave an assurance that his ministry would address them.
"I hope shortly after, hopefully not more than a year, we can go up to the next million people - which are those aged 40 to 59," he added.
The programme marks a nationwide shift away from the traditional emphasis on illness-based hospital care and towards a focus on preventive care that will nip diseases in the bud.
The aim is to keep a lid on rising healthcare costs by tackling the problem early, and keeping people healthy for longer so they will need less medical care.
The feedback gathered will be studied to develop MOH's proposals for Healthier SG. The recommendations will be released in a White Paper on Healthier SG to be tabled in Parliament next month.
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