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Last month, in Parliament at the Budget Debate,
I outlined our Ministry’s plan for the next five years.
That is my health manifesto.
In brief, we will build a general hospital in every major region in Singapore,
Match the best in the world in health outcomes,
Redevelop our polyclinics,
Transform our long term care,
Get Singaporeans to stay healthy,
Involve the community intensively on healthcare activities,
and keep healthcare services affordable.
This will build upon the good progress that we have gained in the last five years.
If we stay the course, I am confident we will make even more progress in the next five years.
However, as we pursue medical excellence,
I think that it is useful to also remind ourselves of what our patients need and expect of us.
When patients come to us,
I think they just want clear answers to two questions.
What is wrong with me, and what can you do to return me to health?
Our job is to find the right answers and act on them,
with minimum hassle to the patients,
and in a way that is affordable to all Singaporeans.
We need to deliver on what your hospital tagline says - “Patients: At the heart of all we do”.
Our promise to Singaporeans is that we will live up to their expectation.
Over the last 5 years, we have done a lot to strengthen our healthcare system to deliver on this promise.
This has required us to acknowledge several medical truths.
First, most human illnesses are fairly routine straightforward stuff.
Once diagnosed correctly, treatment is well established
and can be done competently in a regional general hospital.
There is no need for such patients to come to an academic medical centre
with its high-cost, high-tech sophistication.
That is why we are pushing regional general hospital development.
Within the next few years, we will have a good general hospital within each major region of Singapore.
The north, the south, central, the east, and the west.
Good hospital care for the bulk of the patients will be accessible within 30 minutes.
Second, we will do more to help Singaporeans not yet sick to stay healthy.
Every year, some 10% of Singaporeans fall sick and turn up at our door.
We will serve them.
But we must also serve the other 90% who are not yet sick,
though they may be living with a chronic disease,
like diabetes or high blood pressure.
We need to help them manage their chronic diseases so that hopefully complications never arise.
This requires good care in the community, outside of hospitals.
This is low-tech and low-cost, non-sexy stuff,
but is probably the more important component of any good healthcare system.
Hence, even as you pursue high tech sophistication in Outram Campus,
bear in mind that your more important responsibility often lies outside of the campus.
The more you can help Singaporeans stay well,
so that they do not have to come into the campus for treatment,
the greater is your contribution to Singaporeans’ health.