Mr Wong Yew Meng - Chairman, Health Promotion Board

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to join you at this afternoon’s Singapore H.E.A.L.T.H. Award Presentation Ceremony.

We have been promoting workplace health for more than 20 years. The Workplace Health Education Unit was set up in 1984 under the then National Health Education Department of the Ministry of Health. In 1994, the government made a further commitment to workplace health by prohibiting smoking in all air-conditioned offices. A year later, the government took the lead to promote workplace health in the public sector by establishing the PS21 Healthy Lifestyle Programme for the civil service. Today, practically all public sector organisations have in place a workplace health promotion programme.

To ensure that the employees in the private sector are also covered by workplace health programmes, the Ministry of Health set up a Tripartite Committee on Workplace Health, comprising representatives from government, employers and unions, in 1999. This Committee was tasked to recommend strategies to encourage and support private organisations implement workplace health programmes. The Committee also set a target to have 50% of the private sector workforce covered by a comprehensive workplace health promotion programme by 2005.

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) is working closely with the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to actively promote workplace health to organisations through various avenues.

The SNEF has a special project team to work with companies to encourage them to start workplace health promotion programmes.

The NTUC collaborated with the HPB to conceptualise and plan the Healthy Canteen Programme for workplaces. NTUC was instrumental in encouraging workplaces with canteens to make available healthier food choices for their employees. Many workplaces without canteens have adopted a healthier catering policy for their corporate functions.

Three years after the collaboration by the key partners, the Workplace Health Promotion Programme has gained momentum. More and more organisations have applied for the HEALTH Award which today cover 400,000 employees, an increase of 33% compared with 1999. These 400,000 employees constitute 20% of the total workforce.

Workplace health promotion programmes in Singapore have strengthened not only in numbers but also in quality. Workplace health programmes have progressed from the provision of health education activities to a comprehensive and balanced approach that addresses the work environment, organisational policies and the provision of lifestyle change interventions. Workplace health promotion programmes are also better positioned within organisations as a result of greater management support. They are also carefully planned and evaluated.

An integrated approach to workplace health and well being has been adopted to maximise the synergy between various national initiatives that are designed to create a healthy and productive workforce. The message of promoting workplace health to employers and employees is incorporated into SPRING Singapore’s productivity movement, the Ministry of Manpower’s Occupational Safety and Health programme and the Ministry of Community Development and Sports’ work-life balance programme.

The 1998 National Health Survey showed that 5% of workers were obese and 25% have high blood cholesterol. This is comparable to the total population. However, the workforce is not doing well with regard to regular exercise and smoking. Only 14% of the working population engaged in regular physical activity compared to 17% in the total population. The smoking rate of 18% in the working population was higher than 15% in the total population.

The challenge is for working adults to improve their health status and lifestyles to reduce their risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. The Intersectoral Management Committee on Workplace Health Promotion has set targets for the risk factors for the working population. The targets are to increase the proportion who exercise regularly from 14% in 1998 to 25% in 2010, to reduce the proportion of smokers from 18% in 1998 to 15% in 2010, to reduce the proportion with high blood cholesterol level from 25% to 22%, and to maintain the proportion who are obese at the current level.

Singapore is faced with a new and rapidly changing economic environment. The global environment has become more competitive with new and bigger players entering the global market. Our employees will face strong and increasing competition both from educated workforces in developed countries, and from the lower cost workforces of countries like China. As a result, Singapore must upgrade, transform and revitalise its economy to meet the challenges ahead.

Central to meeting these challenges is the health of our employees as a healthy workforce is a pre-requisite to a competitive workforce. Employees and employers with healthy minds and bodies will be able to adapt to the changing environment much better. I call on all employers to implement a workplace health promotion programme as a key strategy to meet these challenges. I urge all employees to take greater personal responsibility for their own health and to participate actively in their organisations’ workplace health promotion programmes and activities. This will lead to a win-win situation as both employers and employees can reap the rewards of the workplace health promotion programme.

The Singapore H.E.A.L.T.H. Award is now in its 4^th year. To give recognition to organisations that have excelled and received the Gold Award throughout these years, I am pleased to announce that a Platinum Award will be introduced next year. The Platinum Award will be given to organisations that have achieved the Gold Award standard for 3 or more consecutive years and who have demonstrated tangible results in their workplace health promotion programmes. The tenure of the Platinum Award will be for 3 years.

My heartiest congratulations to all 213 Singapore HEALTH Award recipients, the 2 HEALTH Leaders and 12 HEALTH Promoters. I hope that organsiations especially those who have yet to make workplace health promotion part of their organisational culture will learn from your example. A good workplace health promotion programme is a sound investment. Make that investment!

Thank you.