The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release on 9 march that from 2023 onwards, each Singapore resident will have a family doctor as their first line of care, as part of the National Healthier SG enrolment programme.
Here is a snippet of MOH’s statement:
Stronger focus on preventive care
2. To address the challenges of an ageing population and improve population health outcomes, MOH is developing a Healthier SG strategy to outline a major reform of the healthcare sector. We will focus our efforts upstream on keeping individuals healthy, driving preventive health and early intervention, while continuing to provide appropriate care to those with existing needs.
3. The Healthier SG strategy has five core components:
- Mobilisation of our network of family physicians;
- Care Plans;
- Community partnership to support better health;
- National Healthier SG Enrolment programme; and
- Support structures and policies.
Activating our network of family physicians
4. International and local studies have shown that those who have a regular family physician are generally healthier, and have fewer hospitalisation and emergency department visits. However only three in five Singaporeans currently have a regular doctor. To support the Healthier SG strategy, we will reorganise care delivery, starting with transforming primary care to be an important pillar of the healthcare system. This requires the integration of primary care providers, especially General Practitioners (GPs), into the public healthcare ecosystem.
5. MOH will partner the three healthcare clusters to better support the GPs who are operating within their region and integrating them more closely with the overall health system, such as by enabling data sharing and building up team-based care.
Care Plans
6. Under the Healthier SG strategy, Singaporeans will be encouraged to visit the same family physician clinic regularly for all their care needs and discuss their health goals. This could include completing key preventive care actions, addressing risk factors early and exploring together how to achieve health goals and delay the onset of diseases.
7. MOH will be conducting consultation with all stakeholders in the coming months to develop a primary care package that is optimised to encourage participation and adherence. Some proposals include exploring how to make recommended health screenings even more affordable, providing better coverage by Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) subsidies and/or MediSave at their chosen doctor, or offer insurance premium discounts for those who diligently follow their Care Plans.
Mobilising community partnerships to support better health
8.   We will leverage community partnerships to strengthen support for residents. The regional health clusters will build an integrated health and social ecosystem to better support the needs of residents who stay within their region, by partnering agencies such as the Health Promotion Board (HPB), Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), People’s Association (PA), SportSG, National Parks Board and community partners to provide programmes and services to help residents keep healthy and well in the community.
9.  Beyond community partnerships, MOH will also explore how we could extend such collaborations to private hospitals.
National Healthier SG enrolment programme
10.  Central to Healthier SG is the plan to roll out a national primary care enrolment programme from 2023. Each resident will be invited to enrol with a family physician of their choice as their first line of care, who would support them across their life-course for different health needs and care episodes, to ensure continuity of care.
11.  The national enrolment programme will be coordinated by the three healthcare clusters, with each cluster looking after a region of up to 1.5 million residents, and working with family physicians and other partners in the region to engage the residents and strengthen care for them. Family physicians may work with the polyclinic or hospital in the management of patients with more complex needs. Upon discharge, hospitals would refer patients to the family physician they are enrolled with, to ensure continuity of care. There could also be shared care between family physicians and specialists or other allied health professionals to jointly support patients based on their care needs. This partnership will allow the care team that is supporting the patient to coordinate an integrated seamless care.
12.  A geographical approach will be used to enrol residents so that each individual can get care and support near where they live. Currently, close to nine in 10 residents visit a family physician or hospital near their home. Nevertheless, MOH will preserve individual choice in enrolling with a family physician, even if the doctor is practising far away from their home and/ or operates in an area that is coordinated by another healthcare cluster. Even after enrolment, individuals can make changes when the need arises, for instance, when they move to a new house.
For the full statement by MOH, click here.
Image source: TTSH