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

[jw5]

OYK appreciates the Singapore cultural and religious mosiac.

Ong Ye Kung​

6 d ·
Panguni Uthiram is an annual Hindu festival during the last month of the Tamil calendar, Panguni.
Every year, the Sri Balasubramaniar Temple (or Holy Tree as it is called here) at Sembawang marks the day with a major celebration, with many devotees carrying the Kavadi to fulfil their vows to Lord Murugan.
This morning, together with Dr Lim Wee Kiak and volunteers, we joined the celebration at the temple. This year, Panguni Uthiram falls within the month of Ramadan, and just before Good Friday weekend, which makes me truly appreciate the Singapore cultural and religious mosiac.

 

[jw5]

OYK wishes all his Christian friends a blessed Good Friday and Easter Sunday!

Ong Ye Kung​

1 d ·
I like this quiet, serene picture of East Canberra in Sembawang GRC, which I use for doorknob hangers on my home visits.
Here's wishing all our Christian friends a blessed Good Friday and Easter Sunday!

 

[jw5]

OYK fell off his seat.

Ong Ye Kung is with Desmond Tan 陈国明.​

3 d ·
Joined MOS Desmond Tan 陈国明
at the inaugural Singapore Indoor Rowing Championships. There were participants of all ages. I learnt rowing recently so participated in a 500m race. In my excitement, I fell off my seat halfway during the race!
The great thing about sport is having a community of like-minded people to be around. Congrats to Singapore Rowing Association on a successful inaugural event!

 

[jw5]

OYK enjoys sipping coffee, listening to music and doing nothing.

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·
Sip coffee. Listen to music. Do nothing else. Help me relax and stay calm. What works for you?

 

[jw5]

OYK met many volunteers.

Ong Ye Kung​

1 d ·
Met many volunteers at the launch of the national volunteer programme for our seniors yesterday. We call them the Silver Guardians.
Agency for Integrated Care - AIC Singapore have recruited about 400 Silver Guardians at our Active Ageing Centres (AACs). They befriend seniors, organise and facilitate activities such as exercise programmes, music, art and craft and training sessions.
Through volunteerism, seniors can continue to make a meaningful impact on the lives of people around them, and remain active, healthy and socially connected.
That is why we have now made it a national programme. AIC aims to recruit, train and match about 2,400 Silver Guardians by 2028.
I hope many will consider signing up. Take the first step here: https://form.gov.sg/643cc100bd3dca0012d4dc31

 

[jw5]

OYK is doing more.

Ong Ye Kung​

3 d ·
We are doing more to better anchor care outside of hospitals, in the community.
This is why we have built more Transitional Care Facilities (TCF) for public hospital patients who are stable, and just need time to recover to be discharged for long-term care arrangements.
Work is now underway for our sixth TCF at Upper Changi Road North, called TCF@East. Retrofitting works are expected to start from June and will be completed by January 2025.
When it is up, TCF@East will have 200 beds, to help relieve some of the workload for Changi General Hospital.

 

[jw5]

OYK will miss Yeng Kit's adviCe.

Ong Ye Kung​

1 d ·
The Public Service Division just announced that Permanent Secretary for Health Mr Chan Yeng Kit will leave Ministry of Health, Singapore from 15 July 2024. He will be seconded to SPH Media as its CEO.
Yeng Kit has been a close colleague, and I wanted to pen this post to put on record his contributions to MOH and for his immense help to me.
He was posted from MINDEF to MOH in December 2019. A month later, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Yeng Kit sometimes quipped that he might have been a jinx for the ministry. I like to think that his posting was prescient, and he came to MOH where he was most needed.
Yeng Kit led the MOH team to do a lot of quiet work in the background, which I won’t elaborate. But it is an immense workload of planning, execution, data collection to understand the situation, etc. He does not say much at meetings because his contribution is in the background, without which the Multi-Ministry Taskforce could not function.
I turned to Yeng Kit and his team again, when we needed to tackle the challenge of an ageing population. We knew we needed a fairly fundamental transformation of our healthcare system to prepare us for the future.
So while fighting a pandemic, the MOH team under Yeng Kit’s charge embarked on several key national initiatives, such as Healthier SG and the ramping up of healthcare manpower.
We are keenly aware that a good healthcare system is fundamentally about the skills and passion of our doctors, nurses and healthcare workers. We put in place many measures to attract, develop and retain talent in the sector, including the introduction of the ANGEL scheme, salary guidelines for the community care sector, and taking a strong stance against abuse and harassment of healthcare workers.
At a personal level, I am deeply appreciative of Yeng Kit’s stewardship of the ministry. He is always calm and level-headed, and offers insights and practical solutions that only years of experience can bring.
Yeng Kit will move on to his next challenge, at SPH Media. It is a different challenge, but one which I believe his innate qualities and years of experience in public service will bring to bear.
Thank you and all the best, Yeng Kit. The MOH family will miss you.

 

[jw5]

OYK cooks chicken rendang.

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·
Looking for a healthy and sedap dish for Hari Raya? Check out this Chicken Rendang recipe, created by Chef Mel Dean
Selamat Hari Raya!

 

[jw5]

OYK wished all Muslim friends a blessed Eid filled with peace, happiness and Barakah.

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·
After my visit to Assyafaah Mosque, I met many congregants on my way to Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang.
Happy to meet neighbours coming together for the morning prayers.
I wish all Muslim friends a blessed Eid filled with peace, happiness and Barakah.

 

[jw5]

OYK was honoured to represent the Singapore Government at the Hari Raya Open House hosted by His Royal Highness the Regent of Johor HRH Crown Prince of Johor.

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·
Earlier today, Minister Chee Hong Tat 徐芳达 and I were honoured to represent the Singapore Government at the Hari Raya Open House hosted by His Royal Highness the Regent of Johor HRH Crown Prince of Johor.
Despite having just returned from Kuala Lumpur, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, popped by to say hello. We conveyed Hari Raya greetings to His Majesty and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia.
This is an annual tradition – where Singapore Ministers participate in the Hari Raya celebrations hosted by the Johor royal family. It is also an occasion when we reaffirm the warm and friendly ties between Singapore and Johor.
I would like to thank His Royal Highness and the royal family for their generous hospitality. Singapore values our ties with our Johorean friends. We will continue to work on various projects, such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, that are beneficial to both sides, and further strengthen the people-to-people and economic ties between us.
Wishing all Muslims on both sides of the Causeway, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Singapore ministers attend Johor royal family’s Hari Raya Open House​

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat (second from left) and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung (third from right) with the Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail (third from left) at the Istana Bukit Serene. PHOTO: ONG YE KUNG/FACEBOOK

Kolette Lim
UPDATED

APR 10, 2024, 09:22 PM

FacebookTelegram

SINGAPORE - Two Cabinet ministers continued an annual tradition when they attended the Johor royal family’s Hari Raya Open House on April 10.
During their visit, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat were hosted to lunch by the Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail at Istana Bukit Serene.
Over lunch, Tunku Ismail and the ministers reaffirmed the strong and historic ties between Singapore and Johor, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an April 10 statement.

The ministers also conveyed their Hari Raya greetings to the Malaysian King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, and Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah.
The visit reflects the enduring relations between Singapore and Johor, added the statement.
In a Facebook post on April 10, Mr Ong thanked the royal family for its hospitality.

He said: “Singapore values our ties with our Johorean friends. We will continue to work on various projects, such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, that are beneficial to both sides, and further strengthen the people-to-people and economic ties between us.”

The annual tradition of visiting the Johor royals for Hari Raya resumed in 2023 after a three-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

[jw5]

OYK pays tribute to PM Lee.

Ong Ye Kung​

5 h ·
Managed to dig up this photo from my collection. It was taken just before then-DPM Lee got sworn in as PM Lee. I was his Principal Private Secretary then. Before that, I served as his press secretary for a few years.
As my boss for several years, I learnt a lot from PM Lee by observing how he handles things and conducts meetings.
He also took time to teach me. Due to my Chinese language background, I could not write well in English then. It was a problem when you are PPS to the PM. PM Lee told me this was an area I needed to work on. On numerous occasions, he dictated how he would have made an announcement - with background, rationale and then the change - all in a few succinct sentences.
That was a major ‘SkillsFuture moment’ for me. It is probably the skill that I most frequently use as a Minister.
Personal improvement aside, I am deeply thankful for the changes PM Lee has brought to the Singapore society.
From day one as PM, he spoke about an inclusive Singapore. It would not have been possible without the foundation of meritocracy, an economy that presents many opportunities, and a strong education system.
During the past 20 years, we saw the strengthening of social safety nets, like ComCare, policies to better support ageing, like Pioneer and Merdeka Generation Packages, and a transformation of the education scene, including the evolution of the secondary school streaming system into Subject-Based Banding.
Inclusivity has been the cornerstone of many of PM Lee’s domestic policies. It brings optimism and hope to many. This is ongoing work, that future generations will need to continue to build upon.

 

[jw5]

OYK thanks all.

Ong Ye Kung​

1 d ·
Ground broke for the Eastern General Hospital (EGH) Campus this morning. It is next to the Bedok North MRT station.
When fully opened around 2029 to 2030, it will have about 1,400 beds and a full range of medical services.
Because of its embrace of digital technology, EGH will be the first general hospital to deliver services before the completion of its physical premises.
Its healthcare workers will be nested at SingHealth hospitals such as Changi General Hospital (CGH) and deliver care to patients in their homes with the aid of tele-consult and remote monitoring. It will be part of the SingHealth@Home service, which is a virtual ward jointly run by the hospitals and EGH staff.
A big thanks to all who worked hard to bring EGH to this point.
Photos by SingHealth

 

[jw5]

OYK asks you to learn CPR.

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·
Learn CPR, it’s a basic skill to have.

 

[jw5]

OYK exercises anytime and anywhere.

Ong Ye Kung is with Health Promotion Board, Singapore.​

9 h ·

No gym? No problem. Squeeze in these simple strength-building exercises anytime, anywhere!

 

[jw5]

OYK attended the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in Bogor.

Ong Ye Kung​

1 d ·
Attended the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in Bogor yesterday.
This is PM Lee Hsien Loong’s and President Jokowi’s last Retreat. During their respective tenures, bilateral relations between the two countries have strengthened, and there is co-operation across wide-ranging fields, and a few long-standing issues, namely airspace, defence co-operation and extradition, were resolved.
The Leaders were accompanied by their successors, DPM Lawrence Wong and President-Elect Prabowo, who will preside over the next meeting.
Extended my stay by a day to visit the Bali International Hospital and witness a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between SingHealth and PT Pertamina Bina Medika Indonesia Healthcare Corporation (IHC).
The MOU seeks to foster health cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore, especially in manpower development, on a win-win basis.

 

[jw5]

OYK attended the May Day Rally.

Ong Ye Kung​

9 h ·
Attended the May Day Rally this morning.
Today, we honour and salute the contributions of all workers. In Singapore, with Government, employers and unions working together, we maximise opportunities for Singaporeans and improve lives for all.
May Day is also a great occasion for me to catch up with so many old friends in the union. When they see me now they cannot stop talking about health.
This is also PM Lee Hsien Loong’s last May Day as Prime Minister of Singapore.
He said this towards the end of his speech:
“This is my 40th year in politics. It has been my great honour to have served you…I have strived to lead you and to govern Singapore…to mobilise Singaporeans to show what we can do together. As I prepare to hand over Singapore in good order…I feel a sense of satisfaction and completeness. I have done my duty, and I am very happy that I chose this path of public service all those many years ago.”
It demonstrated the spirit of dedication and purpose - an inspiration to all working people.

 

[jw5]

OYK's message is Chope!

Ong Ye Kung​

2 d ·
“CHOPE”. That was my message at the Agency for Integrated Care - AIC Singapore's Community Care Work Plan Seminar.
Last year, we planned, secured additional resources and rolled out Age Well SG. 2024 will be a year of execution, where we will put the resources to good use to care for our seniors.
I urge the Active Ageing Centres to focus on five things: Outreach, Engagement, Partnership, Health, and Coordination, or CHOPE, if we move the first letters around.
It tells us that as a united Community Care sector, we will ‘chope’ this as our mission to help seniors; we will ‘chope’ their time to attend interesting activities in the community; and we will ‘chope’ each other as good partners.

 

[jw5]

OYK remembers fondly the days when he was a Chinese Helicopter Secondary School Student.

Ong Ye Kung​

23 h ·
I fondly remember the days when we had to walk through a forest or the cemetery to get to school at Maris Stella High School - Singapore (MSHS).
Over the years, school facilities have improved and new features added. However, when I visited the school in May last year, it was also evident that the school was getting old and needed a refresh.
I am so glad the school will get more than a refresh, but a rebuild - of its primary and secondary school campuses from 2027 to 2029.
Hope that the iconic school gate can be preserved and integrated into the new campus, to remind future Marists of the school's history, achievements and growth through the decades.
MOE also announced today that the primary school section will take in girls from 2027. This would benefit parents, especially Marist alumni, who wish to enrol their daughters in the primary school, and brings greater diversity to MSHS.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Patients will be charged for upgrading from lower-class wards: Ong Ye Kung​

Upgrading to a higher-class ward will incur retroactive charges for the earlier treatments in the more heavily subsidised ward. ST FILE PHOTO

Joyce Teo
Senior Health Correspondent
UPDATED

MAY 07, 2024, 09:42 PM

FacebookTelegram

SINGAPORE - Hospital patients who stay in a lower-class ward and then upgrade to a higher-class one will have to pay more for their stay in the heavily subsidised ward.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament on May 7 that the Government has to discourage patients from selecting lower-class wards to secure more subsidies for more costly treatments – such as surgery and intensive care unit treatment – at the beginning of their stay and then switching to higher-class wards once the treatments are completed.
Many of these patients are not of lower income and could have chosen the higher-class ward from the outset, he said. That is why if a patient upgrades, the level of subsidies will be adjusted retroactively, he added.

Mr Ong was responding to questions from Mr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast GRC) and Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai.
The Ministry of Health recently addressed the issue of retroactive charging when a patient switches between a higher and lower-class ward in a Straits Times Forum page reply in April.
A reader had written in to say it was unfair that his elderly mother, who was admitted to hospital as a Class C patient, will be retroactively charged more for previous treatments received in the same admission if she upgrades to a single-occupancy room and becomes a Class A1 patient.

It meant that the bill for her earlier stay as a Class C patient would be retroactively adjusted to reflect her new Class A1 status, effectively doubling the amount payable, he wrote.

In its reply in April, the Ministry of Health said the current policy is meant to discourage patients from selecting lower-class wards to enjoy higher subsidies for more costly treatments and then upgrading to higher-class wards once these treatments have been completed.
As for patients who stay in a higher-class ward and then downgrade to a lower-class ward towards the end of their stay, they will receive subsidies based on the respective ward class, Mr Ong said in Parliament on May 7.
“This is fair. In fact, where the request to downgrade is due to unaffordability because of complications or unexpected additional costs, public hospitals will find ways to support these patients financially,” he added.