Government gears up for ageing, expanding population
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 21 December 2007 1735 hrs
SINGAPORE : Singapore's medical landscape is set to be transformed as the country gears up for the healthcare needs of a greying population in 2015 and beyond.
Singapore will soon see more hospitals, clinics and other facilities over the next eight years.
Two new hospitals will open in Yishun and the west, while another two are expected in Woodlands and Sengkang.
There will also be more specialty centres. A new heart centre as well as a cancer centre will be built, even as the current ones are being expanded.
With the expanded infrastructure, more medical professionals will need to be trained, especially to meet the demands of an ageing population.
However, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan has assured Singaporeans that efficient resource management will not be compromised.
Mr Khaw said: "When we underestimate demand, the result is over-crowding at hospitals as we now experience at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. If we over-estimate demand and over supply, we end up with under-utilised assets, a costly outcome.
"Between over-supply and under-supply, I would prefer to slightly under-supply than to over-supply as this will put pressure on ourselves to intensify usage and minimise over-consumption."
The government has already set aside some S$2 billion to build up Singapore's medical infrastructure. However, patients will also need to help out in footing part of the bill, with the more well-off paying more.
The Health Ministry said that means testing will be inevitable and has indicated that it will be implemented over the next year, starting with C-class wards.
What has already been implemented include changes to the ElderShield insurance policy, which provides better coverage to meet the needs of long-term disability.
The payout has been raised to S$400 for up to six years - with a minimum rise in premium - compared to S$300 for up to five years previously. ElderShield supplements are also available for those who want better coverage.
Another player has also come onboard, with Aviva joining incumbents Great Eastern Life and NTUC Income.
As for MediShield, the Health Ministry has introduced an opt-out scheme for newborn babies to be automatically insured.
Other health news making headlines in 2007 was the dengue outbreak. The number of infections reached epidemic levels, while eight people died from dengue.
Moving the fight against dengue a notch up, Singapore teamed up with Cuba - which has vast experience in this field - to collaborate on research.
2007 also saw Singapore taking on the growing number of HIV infections or AIDS. The Infectious Diseases Act was changed and those who are HIV-positive can no longer use ignorance as a defence against engaging in high-risk sexual behaviour.
All male adults can also now opt to take an HIV screening test upon hospital admission. The government will not make testing mandatory - for now.
Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, said: "What we need to do is make people understand how they can benefit by volunteering for tests. So I would say I don't support mandatory testing at this time, and that I would go for voluntarily testing. If we can educate people sufficiently, then those who should go for testing, will go for testing."
Organ donation also came into the spotlight, when the Health Ministry decided to take up the recommendations of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore to include Muslims into the Human Organ Transplant Act.
This is to encourage more Muslims to pledge their organs as this number has been dwindling. If this law is passed in 2008, Muslims, like other Singaporeans, will need to opt out of the scheme if they do not want their organs to be harvested. - CNA/ms
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Government gears up for ageing, expanding population 
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