Mr Wong Yew Meng, Chairman, Health Promotion Board;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen:

INTRODUCTION

It is a pleasure for me to join you this afternoon for the inauguration of the Health Promotion Board.

Over the past years, the Ministry of Health has made some progress in improving the health of Singaporeans through our health promotion and disease prevention programmes. But it is a continuous struggle. We are going against strong trends, of a more affluent and ageing population, eating rich food, having sedentary habits and leading more stressful lifestyles. In addition, as our society becomes more educated and sophisticated, we will have to use different strategies and approaches so that our health promotional efforts are more effective.

We also know that many diseases do not produce any symptoms in the early stages when treatment is most effective. Thus, we encourage people to go for health screening for those diseases where highly reliable screening tests are available and where mass screening has been proven to be cost-effective. Then, there is also secondary prevention. This is early treatment of diseases to prevent complications which are expensive and difficult to treat. Take diabetes as an example. If diabetes is not well-controlled at an early stage, it can result in blindness, stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and limb amputation.

HPB will work in collaboration with public, private, and community organisations to develop and sustain national efforts to manage these major health problems. This building of close partnerships with other agencies and organisations will enable HPB to reach out to Singaporeans in various settings, in schools, at work and in the community, and to reinforce the messages in many different ways. The formation of HPB will also ensure more efficient use of financial and manpower resources, and strengthen the capacity and capability to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate these programmes.

Since its formation in April this year, I am pleased to note that HPB has initiated and launched many new health education, promotion and prevention programmes. These programmes are targeted at specific high risk groups and diseases to improve health outcomes. I would like to take this opportunity to outline some of these programmes, as well as some of the programmes which are in the pipeline and that will be introduced in the near future.

In addition to regular exercise, healthy diet and not smoking, good mental health is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. The major mental health disorders are depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. The main problems concerning these mental disorders are delay in diagnosis and treatment, and stigmatisation. Without adequate treatment, these disorders would lead to significant morbidity to the patients, as well as emotional burden for the family.

A 10-year prevention programme called "Mind Your Mind" was implemented in April this year. This Programme adopts a multi-sectoral approach, and is being implemented by HPB and the Institute of Mental Health, together with various partner organisations such as Ministry of Education, Ministry of Community Development & Sports, Voluntary Welfare Organisations and health professional groups.

The Programme aims to promote mental wellness and raise awareness of the importance of early detection and treatment of the major mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. The Programme will target the general public, and this includes children / adolescents, adults and the elderly.

The increasing rate of myopia among our students is another major concern. Statistics show that in 1990, 20% of our primary one pupils and 55% of our primary six pupils had poor eyesight. Ten years later, the figures have risen to 33% and 65%, respectively.

To address this concern, HPB launched the National Myopia Prevention Programme in August this year. The Programme, based on a multi-pronged approach, aims to delay the onset and reduce the rapid progression of myopia among children.

Mass media public education, with the theme "Fight Myopia, Give Your Eyes A Break" was aired in August this year. Print and audio-visual materials have been distributed to parents and children through the schools. Seminars for teachers and parents will be held to educate them on myopia and good eye care habits. In October, vision screening for pre-school children began for the first time. A Myopia Registry will be set up and children at risk of high myopia will be identified so that they and their parents can be given personalised advice and follow-up.

Currently, dental clinics are only provided in primary schools. HPB will be extending its network of dental clinics to secondary schools. The construction of dental clinics in secondary schools has already started and by the end of 2002, 8 dental clinics will be completed. In addition, 20 mobile dental clinics will be operational by July 2002. Altogether, these clinics will serve 80 secondary schools.

To facilitate the provision of dental services for secondary school students, HPB will carry out a pilot programme involving private general dental practitioners. HPB will invite general dental practitioners to participate in the provision of dental care to the students, both in their own clinics located near schools, as well as in the mobile dental clinics.

Today, breast and cervical cancer are the top and 4^th most common cancers, respectively, among women in Singapore. There are screening tests available that can detect these 2 cancers early: mammography for breast cancer and Pap smear for cervical cancer. When these cancers are detected early, they can be treated and the chances of being cured will be significantly greater.

Mass publicity will begin in January next year to inform women about the Programme, as well as to highlight the importance of mammography in detecting breast cancer early, to reduce deaths and the need for major breast surgery. Family members will be encouraged to persuade their wives, daughters, mothers, and aunts, to go for regular screening. In addition, doctors will be requested to talk to their women patients to motivate them to go for regular mammography.

HPB will also implement a National Cervical Cancer Screening Programme in April next year. This Programme is targeted at women aged 25 and above. Similarly, letters will be sent to encourage or remind women to go for the Pap smear test. There will also be public education to increase awareness of cervical cancer, and the importance of Pap smear screening in the prevention and detection of cervical cancer.

I have outlined the key initiatives and programmes which HPB has introduced or will be introducing soon. Let me in closing say that we have appointed a Board of highly qualified and dedicated members to lead HPB. With the commitment of the management and staff, I have every confidence that HPB will continue to come up with relevant and innovative health education, promotion and preventive programmes to improve the health of the nation. I am sure Singaporeans will benefit tremendously from the programmes implemented by HPB.

On this note, ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to inaugurate the formation of the Health Promotion Board. Thank you.

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