Serious Many Pappys don't like OngYK..not Team player.

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Mental health to be included under Healthier SG in the future: Ong Ye Kung​

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung (right) speaking at the Yale-NUS President’s Speaker Series, on Oct 10, 2022. PHOTO: YALE-NUS COLLEGE

Ang Qing

PUBLISHED

11 OCT 2022, 12:25 AM SGT

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SINGAPORE - Mental health is an important issue that the authorities intend to include under the Healthier SG initiative in the future, but for now this will be covered by other measures, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday.
Mr Ong was responding to a student's question at the Yale-NUS College President's Speaker Series, where he related his experience on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.
The student had wanted to know why mental health was not included in Healthier SG's 12 care protocols for doctors and whether this would change in the future to better integrate mental health into polyclinics and GP clinics.

During last week's debate on Healthier SG in Parliament, several MPs from the ruling People's Action Party and the opposition also raised questions on how mental health would fit into Healthier SG.
The initiative, which emphasises preventive care, will start by tackling chronic illnesses in order to ensure smooth implementation, said Mr Ong.
Published on Sept 21, the White Paper on Healthier SG has been described as one of Singapore's biggest healthcare reforms since 1993.


Said Mr Ong: "We started with chronic illnesses, especially those that accompany the older folks, but this doesn't mean mental health is not important just because it's not in Healthier SG.


"Mental health requires a more sophisticated and comprehensive response first, before we even come up with a protocol. We intend to have a protocol for the GPs."
Mr Ong said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary, who chairs the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being, has been working on a comprehensive set of measures to tackle mental health issues in Singapore for as long as the ministry has been working on the Healthier SG initiative.
Said Mr Ong: "It involves expanding our clinical capacity, especially at Alexandra Hospital, expanding the number of outreach in the community, expanding counsellors and also bringing (mental health) into teaching in schools."
The authorities will address mental health issues from this angle before incorporating mental health into Healthier SG, he told an in-person audience of about 200 people and 130 online.
In July, the mental health task force proposed recommendations to address gaps across three areas to support well-being in the community: improving access to mental health services, strengthening support for youth mental health and improving measures for mental health in the workplace.


Among the recommendations were touchpoints to provide individuals with easy access to mental health support.
Following public consultation on these recommendations, which ended on Aug 7, the task force will develop a national strategy on mental health and well-being to align and guide the work of various agencies.
For Mr Ong, the mental health of seniors is the most worrying, noting that the health impact of loneliness for a senior is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
He said: "What is very important in tackling that end of mental health issues is setting up a supportive framework and structure to allow our seniors to age in a place with social contact, with friends and with activities that they can choose."

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Healthier SG a decisive shift to get population healthier, keep costs sustainable: Ong Ye Kung​

MOH's new Healthier SG initiative is an important effort to reverse rising costs, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Salma Khalik
Senior Health Correspondent

PUBLISHED

12 OCT 2022, 9:48 AM SGT

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SINGAPORE - Singapore has done all it can to reduce the burden posed by chronic illnesses, but the number of people suffering from conditions such as high blood pressure continues to go up, pushing up healthcare costs.
Hence the need to shift the strategy towards greater preventive care, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Wednesday.
Mr Ong said the ministry's new Healthier SG initiative to keep people healthier for longer is an important effort to reverse rising costs, noting: "We will try everything we can to cope with the disease burden."

These have included rigorous evaluations on whether treatments provide value for money, "removing the distortions caused by reckless medical insurance practices", and linking payment with patient outcome.
"It is not too late to shut the dam, and the way that is the most impactful and simplest to understand is to focus on preventive care," Mr Ong told 1,300 healthcare professionals in a keynote address at the Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress at the Singapore Expo.
The National Healthcare Group's (NHG) two-day annual congress theme this year is "reinventing healthcare", with sessions looking at transforming the healthcare workforce and the impact of technology on care.


Mr Ong said one silver lining has been that the prevalence rate for diabetes has remained stable, most likely because of the many measures taken in the country's war on diabetes. But other chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol levels are still going up among adults.


Likening the slide into poor health to people on a travellator who do not notice its movement, the minister said what was "scarier" was that most people with deteriorating health are oblivious to the impending danger they are being carried towards.
Alerting people to this danger, such as through the publicity given to the Healthier SG initiative, may prevent them from getting onto the travellator in the first place, he said.
"Clinicians know that preventive steps in our daily lives can fob off severe illnesses later on in life. That is the genesis of our long-term, multi-year healthcare transformation journey, called Healthier SG."


It seeks to empower people to take charge of their own health. More are already opting for healthier drinks he said, noting: "Sales of beverages with less than 5 per cent sugar content have gone up, from 37 per cent in 2017 to 60 per cent in 2021."
The mandatory nutrition labelling by the end of this year for pre-packed drinks will hopefully nudge even more people to pick healthier options.
Physical exercise is critical to better health, and the minister hopes "gamification" will make healthier living more attractive.
The Health Promotion Board's National Steps Challenge, for instance, which gives participants small rewards for achieving their health goals, such as a certain number of steps a day, has shown this works.


People who are in the early stages of chronic diseases - "on the initial part of the travellator and moving slowly" - will be encouraged to change their lifestyles and return to good health. Under Healthier SG, family doctors will be brought on board and older people urged to commit to one doctor.
The ministry will subsidise this move from next year with people 60 years and older, and reduce the eligible age to 40 years in the next few years.
"The physical act of enrolment, committing to build a long-lasting patient-doctor relationship, receiving a health plan with diet adjustments and exercise as 'social prescriptions', will hopefully make the penny drop," he said.
In addition, MOH is working with a network of health, social and community partners to support people to live healthier lives through organised activities.
Mr Ong said such community spaces would be important, citing one in Yishun called Wellness Kampung, which facilitates residents to form their own interest groups, such as social dance, language lessons and qigong.
These peer-led groups help older people stay active and provide a social network, "the most critical prerequisite to stepping off the travellator", said Mr Ong.

Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung delivering the keynote address at the 20th Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress at Singapore Expo on Oct 12, 2022. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Finally, for those who can no longer "step off the travellator", Healthier SG will strengthen integrated care models to improve the care of chronic diseases.
NHG Group chief executive Professor Philip Choo said NHG has identified several major shifts to better care for an ageing society and rising chronic problems. These include a single care plan for each person, regardless of whether he is seeing a specialist, primary care doctor or in hospital. There will be increasing use of data "to gauge how motivations and attitudes influence health behaviour" so interventions can be more targeted, he added.
Looking to the future, Mr Ong said wearable technologies can also play a role in managing chronic diseases, by identifying anomalous readings specific to an individual and prompting them to take follow-up actions.
More will also be done so people can spend their final days of life at home with their loved ones, rather than in a hospital bed.
The authorities aim to lower the proportion of people dying in hospital from 60 per cent now to 50 per cent within the next five years.
While Singapore continues to learn to live with Covid-19, it also has to reimagine and reinvent its healthcare delivery in preparation for a much older population.
Mr Ong said: "Healthier SG is a decisive shift in focus towards preventive care to improve our population's health, reduce disease burden for the long term, reduce suffering of people and put our healthcare system on a more sustainable financial footing."

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Health screening to get more convenient for needy kids​

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the programme would help "inform and complement" national programmes such as KidSTART. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Zhaki Abdullah

PUBLISHED

14 OCT 2022, 9:35 PM SGT

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SINGAPORE - Over the next two to three years, up to 300 underprivileged children in pre-school will benefit from a new programme that takes healthcare to them.
Under the programme by the Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute (KTP-NUCMI) - the paediatric arm of the National University Hospital (NUH) - health and development screening for these children will be conducted at pre-schools.
This helps to identify any potential health and development issues early, said Dr Chong Shang Chee, head and senior consultant with KTP-NUCMI's Child Development Unit.

Called Health and Development Support in Pre-school Partnerships (Heads-Upp), the programme is a partnership with social service agency Care Corner Singapore and pre-schools, and aims to benefit children from families in the bottom 20 per cent in terms of household income.
A pilot study in 2017 found that such children were at greater risk of health problems compared with their peers, with the prevalence of issues such as poor sleep practices and nutrition, said Dr Chong, who is the programme lead for Heads-Upp.
"Our intention is to support them better," she said.


She added that the programme - to be launched next year - would leverage childcare teachers and social workers to help children achieve better health outcomes.


Among the issues the 2017 study found was a high incidence of tooth decay among the children, Dr Chong said, though she noted few of those identified went for follow-up appointments with dentists.
Heads-Upp aims to correct this by using teledentistry - where photographs are taken of children's teeth and sent to dentists to assess their oral health.
The aim is to see whether this would give parents a better understanding of the child's oral health status, said Dr Chong.
Pre-schools play an important role in both identifying children from vulnerable families, as well as reaching out to their parents to explain how the programme can benefit them, said Mr Vital Tan, children's services manager at Care Corner Singapore.
The launch of Heads-Upp was announced on Friday by Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung at an event marking the 60th anniversary of KTP-NUCMI, held at NUH in Kent Ridge.
Mr Ong said the programme would help inform and complement national programmes such as KidStart, where parents from low-income families are guided to support their child's development from birth.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Over 800 hospital beds to be set aside in Covid-19 fight, non-critical operations postponed​

Non-critical operations will be postponed as public hospitals prioritise their resources to cater to the needs of Covid-19 patients. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Aqil Hamzah

PUBLISHED

15 OCT 2022, 11:28 AM SGT

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SINGAPORE - Hospitals here will set aside more than 800 beds in the next two weeks for Covid-19 patients amid an increase in cases brought on by the XBB strain of the Omicron variant.
Non-critical operations will be postponed as public hospitals prioritise their resources to cater to the needs of Covid-19 patients.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Saturday that while hospitals are currently able to cope with the number of Covid-19 cases, it is important to preserve capacity, especially as cases continue to climb.

Singapore's director of medical services Kenneth Mak said the rise could potentially add stress to emergency departments.
"We therefore focus on managing the patient emergency departments so that we can assure that those who are seriously ill and require urgent care will continue to be properly treated," he added.
He said hospitals already have contingency measures in place. These include activating doctors and nurses in inpatient units to redeploy them to emergency departments, as well as preparing more beds and holding spaces to cope with any increase in cases.



At present, the bed occupancy of hospitals stands at about 93 per cent, with 200 additional beds already activated.


As at Friday, there were nine cases in the intensive care units of hospitals, with more than 50 made available purely for Covid-19 cases, which is adequate, Associate Professor Mak noted.
A total of 670 acute isolation beds have been set aside for Covid-19 cases, with current bed occupancy at just under 8 per cent, with another 100 beds to be made available across three public hospitals next week.
Although non-critical operations will be placed on the back burner, he stressed that doctors will triage patients accordingly and prioritise those with medical conditions that would deteriorate if immediate treatment is not rendered.


Some patients may even be transferred to other hospitals as part of this "load balancing strategy" to enable as many patients as possible to receive timely care.
Those who no longer need acute care may also be transferred to transitional care facilities to free up beds for more critical patients.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 patients recovering at home will also receive greater support through telehealth services - in which doctors and nurses will provide video consultations.

 

[jw5]

OYK is hopeful that we are near or at the peak of the wave.

Ong Ye Kung​

20 m ·
Tuesdays always register the highest number of infections as people tend to put off visiting the doctor until after the weekend.
Today's numbers did not increase substantially compared to last Tuesday (11 Oct).
We will continue to monitor the epidemic wave closely. Hopefully we are near or at the peak of the wave.

 

[jw5]

OYK thanks his German hosts.

Ong Ye Kung​

1 d ·
Just ended my visit to Berlin, Germany for the World Health Summit 2022. This year is special, as the Summit was organised together with the WHO, and hence attracted a much stronger participation.
Over the past 2 days, I met my foreign counterparts, senior WHO reps, health experts and partners from the private sector. We updated each other on the COVID-19 situation. There was encouraging interest in our #HealthierSG strategy. Many told me it is pathbreaking in terms of public health policy.
We have much to learn from Germany, which already has a demographic profile we are projected to reach in 2030.
Many thanks to our German hosts for inviting us to the Summit.

 

[jw5]

Ong Ye Kung​

1 d ·

Visited Hackescher Markt.

 

[jw5]

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·

World Health Summit panel session: A New Lens on Investment in Health and Well-being.

 

[jw5]

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·

Met up with Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, Qatar.

 

[jw5]

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·

Quick chat with Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

 

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Ong Ye Kung​

3 d ·

With Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director for Health Nutrition and Population, World Bank and Former Colombian Health Minister.

 

[jw5]

Ong Ye Kung​

3 d ·

Spoke with Sir Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome Trust.

 

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Ong Ye Kung​

3 d ·

Visit to Robert Koch Institute, hosted by Vice President Prof Dr Lars Schaade.

 

[jw5]

Ong Ye Kung​

3 d ·

Speaking at the OAV-German Health Alliance side event.

 

[jw5]

Ong Ye Kung​

3 d ·

Drinks with Singaporeans who also attended the Summit.

 

[jw5]

OYK congratulates HSA.

Ong Ye Kung​

3 d ·
Today, the Health Sciences Authority was recognised for their breakthrough work on platelet cryopreservation. Platelets are cell fragments in our blood which play an important role in stopping our body from excessive bleeding.
Platelets are needed by patients who have massive bleeding, or those with low platelet counts. They can usually be stored for only 7 days, but through cryopreservation (or freezing), the team managed to extend the shelf life to 2 years.
By doing this, we should achieve a more consistent platelet supply. This enables us to meet the needs of patients who require specific types of platelets, and even stockpile platelets for national emergencies.
For this achievement, the HSA team along with DSO National Laboratories, the Singapore Armed Forces Army Medical Service, and Singapore General Hospital were conferred MINDEF’s most prestigious defence technology award: the Defence Technology Prize Team (Research and Development) award. Congratulations!

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

XBB sub-variant more transmissible but no severe cases linked to it in S'pore so far​

The XBB sub-variant accounted for 54 per cent of local cases during the week of Oct 3 to 9. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Aqil Hamzah

PUBLISHED

15 OCT 2022, 11:53 AM SGT

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SINGAPORE - No deaths or severe cases have been linked to the XBB strain of the Omicron variant so far.
The sub-variant has been driving up case numbers in Singapore and other parts of the world, with test samples taken a month ago from Covid-19 patients in intensive care units or in need of oxygen supplementation not showing signs of the new strain.
However, only time will tell if these individuals have tested positive for the new sub-variant, with there being a lag time between developing severe symptoms and sequencing to confirm the strain of Covid-19.

But although the XBB sub-variant is highly transmissible, Singapore's director of medical services Kenneth Mak said it may be less virulent than prior waves of the virus.
This, he added, is "what we hoped for".
Associate Professor Mak said: "If we can have a variant that outcompetes all the other variants but, in fact, contributes to less severe infections... that would be a lesser burden on our hospital resources."

The latest rise reflects a new wave of Covid-19 cases for the Republic, with more than 9,000 reported to the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday.


The XBB sub-variant accounted for 54 per cent of local cases during the week of Oct 3 to 9.
This was an increase from the week prior, when XBB cases made up 22 per cent of local Covid-19 cases.
The sub-variant has been detected in countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, India, Japan and the United States since August.

Data from MOH has shown that in the last two weeks, XBB cases are estimated to have a 30 per cent lower risk of hospitalisation compared with the previously predominant BA.5 variant cases, which are estimated to account for 21 per cent of local cases.

The ministry said it will continue to monitor the situation, even though the number of severe cases has been low, with a majority of patients reporting mild symptoms such as sore throat or slight fever, especially if they have been vaccinated.
Vaccinated individuals may still get infected with the XBB strain, with booster jabs recommended for those who are eligible.

 

[jw5]

OYK wishes everyone Happy Deepavali.

Ong Ye Kung​

12 h ·
Through small acts of kindness and support, the Indian community has showed us how the littlest of gestures helped lighten the challenges over the past few years in this video, ‘Light of Hope’.
May this Deepavali be celebrated with hope, great health and plenty of smiles with family and friends!
Happy Deepavali!
அனைவருக்கும் இனிய தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் !
#okwithoyk #Deepavali2022

 

[jw5]

OYK looks forward to Phase 2 of Bukit Canberra.

Ong Ye Kung​

4 h ·
After delays caused by the pandemic, Phase One of Bukit Canberra is officially open! Appreciate the patience of residents.
For this Phase, the big sports hall and part of the garden is now open. Booking through ActiveSG has commenced for slots from 1 November 2022.
In the coming months, we are looking forward to Phase 2: the opening of our 44-stall hawker centre; and Phase 3: the completion of four swimming pools, indoor gym, outdoor gym and the Polyclinic.
By 2024, the iconic and historical Admiralty House will be converted to a public library cum cafe.
#MakeSembawangSpecial
#OKwithOYK

 

[jw5]

OYK plays badminton.