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Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the Motion, which seeks to empower individuals to take charge of our own health and wellness, and help Singaporeans live longer and healthier lives.
The strategies proposed within the White Paper on Building a Healthier SG provide significant steps in the right direction to provide better quality healthcare in a more affordable and convenient manner. In my speech, I will talk about how Healthier SG will benefit our workers – who work hard, work long hours, and more often than not, also work in stressful environments – and offer suggestions on areas where we can, and should, do more.
Tackling chronic healthcare challenges faced by workers
Let me start by talking about the healthcare challenges that our workers face, and how employers can play their part to help foster a healthier workplace.
During the NTUC’s recent #EveryWorkerMatters Conversation, many workers raised concerns about the steady creep in healthcare costs. Concerns were understandably more pronounced among our mature workers, who are deeply worried about being able to afford treatments for their chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Employers too, are affected by the rise in healthcare costs for their ageing workforce, as they have to shell out more for their employees’ medical benefits. An unhealthy workforce also reduces workplace productivity.
According to the United States’ Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, some job roles can result in workers becoming more susceptible to chronic illnesses.
For example, 4 out of the 10 most costly health conditions for US employers, which include chest pains, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart attack, could be attributed to work stress and physical inactivity caused by prolonged hours of sitting at the work desk. This relationship between certain job roles and chronic health conditions is unlikely to be unique to the United States.
The Labour Movement is therefore heartened that Healthier SG will help to make healthcare more affordable through:
(i) subsidies on health screenings and vaccinations,
(ii) waiver of the co-payment requirement when using Medi Save for chronic care management, and
(iii) introduction of the new Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) drug subsidy tier for a whitelist of chronic disease management drugs to ensure that medications for chronic illnesses are made affordable.
Beyond general chronic illnesses that Singaporeans are susceptible to, we should also consider whether certain types of work predispose us to certain chronic illnesses. As I have alluded to earlier, spending long hours sitting in front of the computer, or in a driver’s seat, among many other repetitive job tasks, can result in various forms of chronic illnesses. Examples include arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and hypertension. What can we do about this?
Employers must do more to tackle chronic illnesses caused by workplaces
Mr Speaker, we spend most of our adult lives at work, and research has shown a strong correlation between our work and overall well-being. Employers therefore must do their part to mitigate job-specific chronic illnesses faced by their workers. They can do so in 3 ways:
(i) design the work environment to prevent chronic illnesses from forming,
(ii) provide structured health screenings at the workplace, targeting job-specific chronic illnesses, and
(iii) provide healthier eating options within the workplace.
Let me elaborate. First, employers must put in place a work environment that prevents job-specific chronic illnesses from forming, and to adapt the workplace and work processes to help workers who are suffering from chronic illnesses our mature workers. According to a 2017 Swedish study, which examined the challenges involved in encouraging an ageing workforce to continue working productively, the researchers found that workers with chronic conditions can continue to work meaningfully by changing tasks and having proper physical aids to assist them. However, the study also observed that these changes often come at the workers’ initiative, rather than the employer proactively doing so. As our population and workforce ages, employers must be cognisant on how to adapt the work environment to help their workers remain productive.
Sir, as we shift away from transactional and episodic care, employers should also shift away from requiring medical certificates, and provide workers some sick leave without MC. This will reduce the need to visit the doctor just to get an MC and reduce medical bills too. While some employers are already doing this – for example, workers in our healthcare clusters are given up to 3 days of non-MC sick leave – I urge all employers to do the same.
Second, all employers should work with their insurers and Third-Party Administrators to include more Healthier SG clinics on their panels and offer structured health screenings and vaccinations for their workers. This benefit should also be provided to all workers, including those in the gig economy. The Labour Movement has been pushing for this, as early detection and intervention can help prevent chronic illnesses and infection of diseases. For example, the National Taxi Association, National Private Hire Vehicles Association, and the NTUC’s Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit have been working with the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to encourage gig economy workers to go for quarterly health screening and health coaching sessions, to get active and stay in shape.
Third, companies with staff canteens can promote healthier eating options. The canteens operated by the National Transport Workers’ Union have been offering brown rice meals at subsidised rates, to encourage our public transport workers to take up this healthier option. Since the campaign started, more than 100,000 plates have been taken up by our public transport workers. Instead of a sugar tax the canteens rolled out promotional prices for our Kopi O Kosong and Teh O Kosong to encourage workers to cut down on their sugar intake. We are working with HPB next on a low salt campaign for our public transport workers. I hope that all companies with staff canteens can follow suit and nudge their workers toward a healthier diet.
Overcoming workplace mental health challenges
Mr Speaker, in addition to better physical health outcomes, today’s debate would not be complete if we do not consider the need for better mental health outcomes too.
According to a 2021 study by the Institute of Mental Health, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in mental health issues in Singapore. Our workers are feeling the stress acutely. A 2021 survey by software company Oracle, found that nearly 7 in 10 residents in Singapore said that 2021 was the most stressful year at work, and more than half of respondents said that they were struggling with their workplace mental health.
I therefore fully agree with the White Paper that taking a preventative approach in mental health is aligned with the objectives of Healthier SG, and I note that the scope of Healthier SG will eventually widen and include other complex chronic conditions such as mental health conditions. I would like to ask the Minister when that will be. Could we consider improving access to mental healthcare support to all Singaporeans, by increasing the current psychiatrist-to-population ratio to 10 per 100,000 residents, similar to other countries such as the United States and Australia? We should also encourage Singaporeans to have a dedicated counsellor or psychologist, similar to how we are encouraging everyone to have a regular family doctor, to serve as the first point of contact for their mental health.
The bottom line is that mental health conditions should be given the same priority as all other chronic illnesses, and it is in everyone’s interest – employers, workers, and the Government – to ensure that we have a mentally healthy workforce. I hope that MOH and the Inter-agency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being can prioritise the rollout of preventative mental healthcare for the next review of Healthier SG.
Conclusion
Sir to conclude, it is no secret that our health affects the way we work, and our work affects our health. While the strategies outlined in the White Paper on Building a Healthier SG will help us achieve a higher quality, affordable, and convenient healthcare ecosystem, we can all lean in and do more.
I encourage employers to play their part in tackling job-specific chronic illnesses at the workplace and putting in place a structured healthy workplace programme for their workers. Workers too should also do their part to go for regular health screenings, partake in regular exercise and eat healthily – so as to remain productive and employable. Lastly, I hope that the next review of Healthier SG will include a strong focus on preventative mental healthcare.
Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.
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