Singapore – announcements By During this time the Ministry of Health
Recent debate on its budget
There may not be “major policy changes”, but They Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on 8 March that this represented significant breakthroughs that symbolized the re-examination of many long-held assumptions.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Sembawang West Women’s Festival, Mr Ong highlighted He focus on preventive medicine marked Deviation from previous health care policies.
“We are now ready to expand medishield Life to cover preventive surgeries, something we have never done before,” he said, referring to the National Health Insurance Scheme.
In addition to reducing the need For after painful treatment A As the disease evolves, preventive care is also cost-effective and does not place additional financial burden on the health care system, he said.
Mr Ong, who is also coordinating Minister As for social policies, added: “The best way to control health care costs is to stay healthy…and that is a central thrust of our health care transformation: making sure we practice good preventive care.”
In view of this, his ministry has also recognized the changing role of the national medical savings scheme Medisave. Said.
Mr Ong said MediSave no longer has only one purpose, having initially been to “save for a rainy day” for Singaporeans, such as emergency surgeries or long hospital stays.
“Today, with life expectancy getting longer, we are also recognizing that medicare has a dual purpose,” he said. “The second objective is to be able Practice Get good preventive care and manage our chronic diseases effectively. Therefore, we now need to combine these two objectives within the Medisave system.”
Mr Ong added that technology Can make preventive care both personalized and predictable.
Earlier on March 5, he had highlighted
Parliament introduces three initiatives to support Singapore’s growing health care needs,
Namely: use of artificial intelligence to strengthen health care delivery; genetic testing for preventive care; and making Medisave flexible to help patients better meet their long-term and preventive care needs.
On preventive medicine, Mr Ong then announced that genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer would be subsidized will be increased From December. An estimated 2,000 people are expected to be eligible each year, and immediate family members of people who test positive will also be offered testing.
From January 1, 2027, the government will also increase the withdrawal limit under the Medisave 500/700 scheme.
The scheme currently allows Singaporeans to withdraw up to $500 per year from their Medisave accounts for outpatient treatment of chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Program (CDMP), as well as For Selected vaccinations and preventive tests.
People with complex chronic conditions that require more intensive treatment can currently set aside up to $700 per year.
The scheme will be renamed as Medisave Chronic and Preventive Care Scheme and the withdrawal limits will be increased to $700 and $1,000 respectively.
CDMP, which covers 23 major chronic conditions diabetesHigh blood pressure and stroke will also be expanded to include thyroid disorders, with plans to add other conditions like eczema. in the future.
Answering the question what’s new medisave withdrawal limit Mr Ong told the media on 8 March that outpatient treatment of chronic conditions was still very low management The Medisave Fund is a “zero-sum game”.
Fundamentally, people will want to access the Medisave fund for urgent medical problems, but Expenditure More Now This means less stress for the future – a stress that is naturally Make In the system.
“When the stress becomes too severe, we will have to seriously consider the need to increase contributions,” Mr Ong said.
Another initiative raised by Mr Ong during the debate was the use of AI to enhance health care screening.
Assisted Chronic Disease Explanation using AI, or ACE-AI tools, will be made available to all doctors. healthy sg Participants from early 2027. Healthier SG is a national initiative that aims to help all Singaporeans take steps towards better health and quality of life.
This tool will enable primary care providers to standardize how they identify individuals at high risk of developing diabetes or high cholesterol Above The next three years, Mr Ong said Parliament.
People who were found to be more than 75 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol, or both during Must undergo annual heart disease risk checkup during that period.
On March 8 he assured the public that data will be should be kept confidential, saying: “It’s the doctor’s job to tell the patient. That data should not be shared.”
