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National Statement by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, Republic of Singapore at the 69th World Health Assembly, Geneva, 23 May 2016
23 March 2016
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Honourable President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Afternoon.
Health Challenges of Our Times
1. We are living in challenging times. As we fight our battles against new outbreaks of communicable diseases such as Zika and Yellow Fever, the silent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) continue to wreak havoc in the background.
2. At the same time, we are ageing much more rapidly than before. The proportion of the world’s population aged 60 years or more is expected to double from one in ten in year 2000 to one in five in 2050.[1] Our longevity, which ironically is a positive result of our advances in medicine and healthcare, will only exacerbate our fight against NCDs.
Impetus for Immediate Change
3. This year, WHO has picked diabetes as the theme for World Health Day. Globally, the number of adults living with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980 to over 400 million in 2014. In Singapore, more than 400,000 are diabetic.
4. Singapore has therefore “declared war” on diabetes earlier this year. Our approach is three-pronged. First, targeting upstream prevention by promoting a healthy lifestyle and reducing obesity rates. Second, strengthening early screening and intervention to allow us to identify the disease early. Lastly, better disease management for those who are already ill.
5. The challenges of ageing will be with us for a long time and the war on diabetes will also be a long journey. We need to fundamentally rethink our current approaches and discuss how we can develop long-term sustainable strategies.
Key Shifts towards Sustainability
6. We need to make three key shifts.
7. First, we need to shift beyond delivering good healthcare towards promoting good health so as to keep our people healthy.
8. We should aim to start young by helping our children and youth develop healthy habits. This year, Singapore launched NurtureSG, a multi-agency taskforce, to guide the development of an action plan to help our young embrace healthy living. Parents, caregivers, educators and the community must come together and work together to achieve this aim.
9. The second shift involves changing our mind-set on ageing. We cannot stop ageing but ageing does not need to be associated solely with ill health and disability. We should advocate a more positive mind-set about population ageing and help our people maximize the opportunities of longevity. We can achieve this by empowering our citizens to continue to learn, stay active and remain healthy even as they grow old.
10. To this end, Singapore recently introduced the Action Plan for Successful Ageing to provide comprehensive support for our seniors.
11. In line with WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals[2], many countries have introduced Universal Health Coverage. But with Universal Health Coverage, demand is likely to grow and we need to ensure that the healthcare system is sustainable. This is where the third and final shift becomes especially relevant. We must move beyond simply enhancing the affordability and quality of healthcare but also ensuring that they offer good value. This involves making sensible choices regarding appropriate interventions that make best use of our limited resources. This will go a long way in helping us manage costs and ensure the sustainability of our health systems.
Conclusion
12. Ladies and Gentlemen, there is much to do, and there is no better time to start than now. With careful planning and implementation, we will be able to prepare well for the challenges in the years ahead and deliver better care, better health and better life for our people.
13. Thank you.
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[1] The proportion of the world’s population aged 60 years or more is expected to grow from 11% in 2000 to 22% in 2050. Source: Report on multisectoral action for a life course approach to healthy ageing: draft global strategy and plan of action on ageing and health, tabled at 138th plenary session of Executive Board, December 2015.
[2] Please see Annex A for details on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Annex A
Sustainable Development Goals: Transforming Our World
At the UN Sustainable Development Summit in Sep 2015, countries adopted the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is embodied by a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (please see figure 1). Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.
Figure 1. 17 Sustainable Development Goals
2. Almost all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals contribute to health outcomes either directly or indirectly. The third goal, which is specific to promoting good health and well-being, describes that nations should “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” The 13 targets under this goal are listed below.
Table caption
Goal 3: Ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Targets
3.1 By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
3.2 By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births. 3.3 By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases. 3.4 By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. 3.5 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol. 3.6 By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents. 3.7 By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes. 3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. 3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination. 3.10 Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate. 3.11 Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all. 3.12 Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States. 3.13 Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks
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