Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: Good morning!
We are here this morning to launch the NTUC Diabetes Care Programme. NTUC is teaming up with Alexandra Hospital and MHC Healthcare Pte Ltd in combating diabetes. The three parties will sign the Memorandum of Understanding this. You may ask me: why is the NTUC actively involved in health promotion? And why diabetes?
Healthy lifestyle for a better life
The NTUC has been encouraging workers to adopt a healthy lifestyle and helping workers improve their health. It is part of our efforts to improve the lives of workers. Our health not only affects our work performance and earning capacity, it has an impact on our overall well-being. A healthy workforce is also more productive, enhancing companies’ competitiveness, and improving job security.
Our workforce is getting older. Only a decade ago we had 24 per cent of our workforce in the age group of 40 to 59 years. Now, 35 per cent of our workers are in this age group. The percentage can be expected to increase over the years. Aging brings higher health risks. An ageing workforce is thus more prone to chronic health problems, such as diabetes. So more workers will spend more on healthcare. We should help them minimise such expenses.
I am particularly concerned about the economic difficulties and emotional trauma that a family will go through when our workers suffered a chronic illness, such as diabetes or stroke. These lifestyle diseases sometimes strike people in the prime of life. They become disabled, or may even die prematurely. Family members will be hard hit. They need to readjust their lives and channel their resources for the treatment and rehabilitation. It is a situation that we do not want to see happening among our workers. What can we do?
Early Detection, Personal Responsibility
It is important for workers to take personal responsibility for their health. To prevent or to combat illnesses effectively, early detection is important. Let me cite the case of diabetes. It is estimated that one in five workers above the age of 50 has the condition. Diabetes has the reputation of being a silent killer, breaking down systems within the body. But when detected early it can be treated to prevent severe disabilities and save the individual the high social and medical costs. Diabetes can easily be detected by screening.
The importance of early detection of diabetes was mapped out in a study conducted by the UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group published in year 2000. It was found that intensive diabetes control treatment significantly reduced the risk of complications by 12%. The cost of complications forms the largest element of cost in a hospital admission. What does this mean? Put simply, it means reduced healthcare costs for the patient and his family.
NTUC’s Health Outreach Programme
We know that the average person spends a significant proportion of his waking hours at the workplace. Thus screening and related health promotion activities can ideally come through the workplace. This is the precise objective of NTUC’s Health Outreach Programme. Under the programme, we work with unions, companies and partners to bring affordable health screening to the workplace. Since the programme was launched in March 2000, more than 40,000 employees have already been screened. The Diabetes Care programme launched today is an extension of our Health Outreach Programme.
NTUC hopes to close the loop in combating the scourge of diabetes in the workplace. Our goal is to equip the worker with the necessary knowledge and skills to control blood sugar to cope with diabetes, especially those identified to be of higher risks. From the health screenings conducted at worksites, MHC Healthcare will monitor workers identified as with high risk. Those found to have high blood glucose readings would undergo an additional test to confirm their condition. Such confirmed cases will be referred to Alexandra Hospital Diabetes Centre for follow up treatment and advice. At the AH Diabetes Centre, workers and their families will have the medical attention from a multidisciplinary team comprising diabetes physicians, diabetes nurses, dietitians and a podiatrist who will help them monitor and control the diabetes. The process is thus a comprehensive one.
Conclusion
We have a high incidence of diabetes in our population. The rate is higher for Malays and Indians. This variation suggests that it is due to differences in diet. This is why personal awareness is necessary. What a person eats can only be controlled by him. NTUC’s Health Outreach Programme aims to make him aware. I want to encourage companies to join us in this effort. You can stand to benefit from The Health Promotion Grant provided by the Health Promotions Board of MOH. In the long run, you will also contain your medical cost. The programme helps all employees with diabetes to maintain responsibility for his overall health and well being and remain as a productive member of the workforce while doing his utmost to prevent diabetic complications. Ultimately, you will have a healthier workforce with high morale and better productivity. Last but not least, I wish to thank Alexandra Hospital, Managed Healthcare Pte Ltd, Fairprice and Unity, as well as our tripartite social partners, Health Promotion Board and the Singapore National Employees’ Foundation (SNEF) for this joint effort in fighting diabetes and improving the well-being of workers.
Thank you.
