SINGAPORE: SM takes the pulse of health sector

He picks up three signals which could trip up the future SINGAPORE (TODAYonline), March 31, 2008: LIKENING himself to a family doctor rather than the specialists he was addressing, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said last night that he had observed three main challenges facing the health sector — changing disease patterns, the rising aspirations of Singaporeans, and a shortage of healthcare professionals. Speaking at the National Heart Centre’s annual gala , Mr Goh said that unlike his audience, who had “mended many a broken heart”, he was taking a holistic approach in his diagnosis of the health industry, where he foresaw more chronic diseases such as diabetes, mental illness and disorders associated with an ageing population, like Alzheimer’s. And as the Republic moves towards being a global city, healthcare standards must stay in tandem not just with the demands of Singaporeans, but “also the international talent which we want to attract to work and sink roots in Singapore”. Turning to the worldwide shortage of healthcare workers, Mr Goh was worried about the “loss of our own bright students who have gone overseas to study medicine because the National University of Singapore could not accommodate so many of them”. “There is a risk of their not coming back. We have to find ways to attract them back,” he said. He acknowledged that there were no clear-cut answers to these challenges as they all translate to higher medical costs, but “spending more alone is the not the answer,” he said. Still, he added, the Republic’s healthcare industry was in the best of hands and there could be no one better than the man currently monitoring the pulse of the nation — Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan. Said Mr Goh, who brought Mr Khaw onboard: “Boon Wan has the most difficult and politically delicate job. He has to decide in a hardheaded way what works, what makes economic sense, what is sustainable, and convince a cost-conscious population to take his medicine. “Watching him, I can say with full confidence that he will deliver a better healthcare system for the benefit of all Singaporeans. “He is insightful, practical, and compassionate. I consider him the best Health Minister Singapore has ever had.” One of the “pills” Mr Khaw convinced the public to swallow was for means testing, patiently explaining why it was the best solution for Singaporeans. Mr Goh said he supported Mr Khaw’s three goals for the Health Ministry: Raising the level of primary and step-down care, improvingclinical outcomes through competition, and preserving public service ethos and retaining a fair share of top healthcare talent. “The primary care sector needs to be empowered and equipped to take bigger roles in areas such as the management of chronic disease, mental health and in-community ageing,” he said. “The stepdown sector, such as community hospitals and nursing homes, must gain the confidence of Singaporeans as appropriate places for them to entrust the care of their elderly.” ____________________________________________________________________ Boon Wan has the most difficult and politically delicate job ... he is insightful, practical, and compassionate. I consider him the best Health Minister Singapore has ever had. — SM Goh Chok Tong ____________________________________________________________________ Improvements here would mean lower costs for patients and freeing up resources in “our secondary or regional hospitals to provide higher value services”, he said. As for competition among institutions, he suggested that they benchmark themselves on clinical outcomes, and the pace of new, cost-effective innovation that improves patient care, instead of parameters such as revenues, profits and the earnings of doctors. He also called for synergy between public and private hospitals. He urged the industry to find ways to “preserve a core of outstanding healthcare professionals in the public sector”. “If we lose this fount of leadership, training for the next generation of doctors and healthcare professionals will suffer, and so will our medical hub ambition,” said Mr Goh. This could be achieved through competitive salaries and “value proposition”, where doctors are given chance to do research if they are so inclined. “No country has found the perfect model,” he said, citing the systems in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and United States. “We have been relatively successful. Simply put, we are getting value for money — a first world healthcare system at half the cost; a people-oriented system that is not wrecked by abuses, over consumption, over-servicing, and defensive medicine.” Copyright ©2005 MediaCorp Press Ltd