Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

A white paper on the new national preventive care strategy known as Healthier SG is out. The Ministry of Health has submitted it to Parliament and it will be debated in October 2022. The plan is to launch it in the second half of 2023, when those aged 60 and above will be invited to enrol with a primary care clinic. In the next two years following that, those aged 40-59 will be invited to do so. 

With Healthier SG, the government will place greater emphasis on preventive care than on sick care. It’s a major transformation of the healthcare system, driven by capitation funding, that is aimed at helping the rapidly ageing population here to stay healthy longer.

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks to associate Professor Jeremy Lim, the director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:20 Critical for family doctors to enrol in system; inertia the biggest enemy for public

3:13 The first cohort of 60 and above: Why drug subsidies to bring GP pricing closer to that of polyclinics will be attractive

6:53 Make better use of Healthier SG care plan, with digital tools healthhub.sg and the Healthy 365 app

9:00 Free nationally-recommended health screenings and vaccinations, including flu jabs, with co-payment benefits resulting in actual cash savings

9:39 Prof Lim on why this is “very real free money” to help individuals live healthier lives, and his personal advice once enrolment opens

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]),  Ernest Luis and  Eden Soh

Edited by: Eden Soh

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