Mr Sam Tan, Member of Parliament, Radin Mas SMC
Ms Tan Hwee Bin, Chairman, Unity Healthcare
Board members of Unity Healthcare
Distinguished guests and colleagues,
NTUC Healthcare was set up by the Labour Movement in 1992. At that time, workers were concerned, as they continue to be today, with rising healthcare costs. Just as NTUC FairPrice had been successful in crushing profiteering in the 1970s and stabilising the prices of daily essentials, the NTUC was keen to set up a new co-operative to bring down the prices of medical and other healthcare products.
NTUC Healthcare’s first pharmacy outlet named NTUC Unity, was opened in October 1992 at FairPrice Clementi. The impact of the opening was immediately felt. On day one of the opening, other pharmacies dropped prices of their medical products. CASE also noted that four out of the five pharmaceutical products at NTUC Unity were cheaper than those offered by competitors, by more than 10 per cent.
Over the years, NTUC Unity continues to play a role in keeping prices of healthcare products stable. Unity outlets also offer a basket of 100 Mr Value products consisting of everyday healthcare essentials most families would need, such as health supplements, over-the-counter medications, skincare and personal hygiene products, at the lowest possible prices. The basket is constantly reviewed to offer the best possible savings to customers. In 2011, when prices rose due to inflation, Unity held off price increases on prescription medicines so that families who need these would still be able to afford them.
Today, NTUC Unity celebrates the opening of its 50th outlet. As of today, Unity has the second largest network of community pharmacists in Singapore, and they are committed to play a bigger role in pharmacist-led advice and partnership with customers. With scale, Unity is better able to bring down prices of healthcare products and services, and reach out to even more working families.
Affordable healthcare products
Assistance to lower income families
To help lower income families, NTUC Unity has partnered with the Agency of Integrated Care to provide a regular 5% discount for over 220,000 members under the Community Health Assistance Scheme (CHAS).
Unity housebrand products
In July last year, NTUC Unity launched its housebrand of healthcare supplements such as Vitamin C, Calcium, Omega 3 fish oil and multi-vitamins. On average, these are 20% cheaper than national brands. By 2014, we will have expanded the range of housebrand products to more than 100 items to also include over-the-counter medication, surgical and first-aid essentials.
Year-long supply of Supplements for Needy Elderly
I am pleased to share that in conjunction with the celebration of NTUC Unity’s 50th outlet opening, 50 elderly from NTUC Eldercare’s Senior Activity Centres (or Silver Ace Centres) will be receiving a year’s supply of housebrand supplements which are relevant for their existing health conditions. We hope that these will go some way in preserving their health and preventing future illnesses.
Empowering families to better manage their health
In healthcare, prevention is far better than cure. Many illnesses can be prevented with healthy living such as exercise, the choice of food we eat, and keeping existing health ailments under good control.
Beyond healthcare products, NTUC Unity pharmacists help customers manage chronic conditions such as high-blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. One condition we have identified for more support is diabetes. Diabetes is a debilitating condition which can have far-reaching and severe complications, especially if it is not well controlled. Under NTUC Unity’s Sweet Spot programme, our pharmacists help diabetic patients to manage their condition through regular follow-up and counselling in terms of necessary lifestyle changes.
New health-check stations
I am also happy to announce today that more than 1,000 elderly living in the vicinity of NTUC Eldercare Senior Activity Centres (Silver Ace Centres) will soon have access to regular health monitoring at the Centres. NTUC Unity will be setting up self-help health check stations at five Silver Ace Centres – in Henderson, Telok Blangah, Lengkok Bahru, Taman Jurong and Redhill - with basic equipment to measure blood pressure and weight. Every three months, NTUC Unity pharmacists will also monitor blood glucose levels, conduct medication review and provide counselling to these seniors.
NTUC social enterprises were set up to fulfil a social mission – to stretch the dollar of working families, and to support them in caring for their dependents. With an aging population and growing healthcare needs, we need to do more and do more quickly. Over the course of the next few months, we will seek to step up efforts in the area of health and community care, to do our part in serving our community.
Thank you.
