SINGAPORE
- In response to the resounding success
of its one-stop screening concept launched last year, Health Promotion Board
(HPB) is now taking its integrated screening programme one step further - by
streamlining three essential screenings in what is being dubbed as "Health
Screening v3.0".
The
screening for functional decline and chronic diseases and cancers will be
combined into one, so as to give seniors a one-stop platform to access the full
range of recommended health screening conveniently and affordably.
On-site
follow-up will also be provided by healthcare professionals such as GPs,
dentists, optometrists and counsellors.
This is
a step forward from the original method of HPB referring patients to GPs after
the initial screening for further screening for chronic diseases and cancers,
which was then improved to an introduction of on-site follow-up after screening
for functional decline.
Now, by
streamlining the two screening processes, patients will only have to spend
about two hours on a single day instead of four hours over two separate days,
said Mr Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Officer of HPB.
Mr Ang
said that seniors detected with functional decline and other health-related
risk factors often skip their follow-up medical appointments after getting
screened, likely due to the perceived inconvenience, costs and even fear.
"It
is also worrying that our surveys show one out of five Singaporean seniors do
not know they have hypertension, and two out of five - or about 40 per cent -
do not realise they could be diabetic, simply because many of these diseases
are often silent, giving no pain or symptoms until it is too late," he
said.
The
results so far in providing a one-stop screening process have proven rewarding.
The
post-screening follow-up rate jumped almost fourfold to reach 90 per cent after
consultation and management were provided immediately on-site to participants
detected with age-related functional decline at its functional screening
programme, HPB said.
In
contrast, when on-site follow-up services were not provided, approximately
three out of four seniors who needed follow-up did not visit their GP or other
healthcare providers for further checks.
In
addition to halving the travelling, waiting and screening time, Mr Ang said
that it has also resulted in lower costs for set-up, registration and
administration.
Such
savings is passed to the seniors by keeping the cost of this 3-in-1 screening
programme at $5, which is less than the $7 seniors had to pay previously to be
screened for chronic diseases ($2) and functional decline ($5) separately.
HPB
reassured those who cannot afford the costs that they will work with the
community and grassroots organisations to provide further assistance.
The new
initiative will be kick-started in Marine Parade, as about a quarter of
residents here are more than 65 years old.
Members
of the public can also look forward to interactive exhibition booths at the
screening site as well as Health Ambassadors on sit to assuage any fears and
clarify doubts.
By
2015, HPB aims to roll out its 3-in-1 enhanced screening programme to the rest
of Singapore.
YourHealth,
AsiaOne
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment