• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Calling for a mental revolution

by onlinecitizen
07/04/2009
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0

Mental health issues continue to be overlooked

Amidst the much-publicised furore over the Human Organ Trading Act (HOTA) which was debated in Parliament last week, the Chinese paper Lianhe Zaobao carried a commentary on 2nd April that tried to make a case for a subject that it argued was far too often overlooked – mental healthcare in Singapore.

Indeed mental health issues were briefly debated in Parliament before being overshadowed by the HOTA controversy, even as there seems to be evidence that it is becoming an increasing grave issue.  The health minister told MPs that nearly one in six people are believed to suffer from mental illnesses, with some 25,000 patients with serious mental illnesses – a figure higher than that of kidney disease sufferers, the expected beneficiaries of the HOTA. One MP noted that a 2004 study showed that more people in Singapore die from suicide than from road traffic accidents every year, even as conditions such as schizophrenia and depression were showing significant increases.

Treatment is hampered by serious shortfalls in insurance coverage, which are likely to discourage people from seeking the treatment that could help them get an early grip on their conditions.  Government help is highly circumscribed: many mentally ill people do not have Medisave accounts and are excluded from Medishield.  They are therefore largely restricted to Medifund, itself a contingency fund limited to those who are practically impoverished. 

Private insurance is hardly better.  The Straits Times highlighted in an article on 28th March that applications by mentally ill people for health insurance were largely rejected by local insurers.  Insurers are probably discouraged by the difficulty of quantifying risks from conditions that might be difficult to evaluate – a comment from a NTUC spokesman about the possibility that some patients could be “imagining” their conditions, is particularly instructive – but this is in rather glaring contrast to developed countries where coverage is common.

Another oversight that has been little highlighted is how thinly resources are being stretched in Singapore to cope with an increasing number of mental patients.  There are about 115 practising psychiatrists in Singapore, giving a psychiatrist-to-population ratio of about 2.6 per 100,000 – significantly lower than developed countries like the US (13.7), the UK (11) or Australia (14) – as well as a corresponding shortage in support staff like psychiatric case managers and medical social workers1.  Such scarcity would have contributed to high prices for treatment in the private sector.

In the public sphere, treatment might be limited by underinvestment – the Zaobao article of 2nd April worried that the Institute of Mental Health (the only specialised government institution for mental healthcare) alone might not be able to deal with rising patient numbers.  The government has also set great store in a community-based approach to minimise institutionalisation of patients, preferring to have case managers and social workers monitor patients at home, though this system is still rather weak – in Parliament the health minister admitted that it was “far from perfect”, one MP was more scathing, calling it simply “inadequate”.

The main problem seems to be a continuing stigma against mental illness and a perception that mental healthcare is “not scientific”.  For instance the health minister blamed the lack of support from “society at large” for slow progress in improving its community-based approach.  That is understandable, but that is where the government needs to lead the way.  The inescapable issue is funding – to deal with the growing number of cases, the government has to spend a great deal more on new facilities and staff.  It also needs to open up MediShield and compel private insurers to provide coverage.  Otherwise keeping the current inequitable system will only reinforce notions that mental illness is somehow a lesser condition that does not deserve as much attention as those that were in the news recently.

***

1 Siow-Ann Chong, “Mental Health in Singapore: A Quiet Revolution?”, Editorial in the Annals Academy of Medicine, October 2007, Vol. 36 No. 10

 —

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.
Tags: healthcareKhaw Boon Wan

Related Posts

Where is SMT’s chairman Khaw Boon Wan on the scandal of SPH Media?
Singapore

Where is SMT’s chairman Khaw Boon Wan on the scandal of SPH Media?

12/01/2023
Former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan to become chairman of SPH non-profit media entity
Media

Former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan to become chairman of SPH non-profit media entity

10/05/2021
Opinion

While Goh Chok Tong praises Singapore’s world-class healthcare, he negates to mention that the world-class services are only for those who can afford the price tag

24/11/2020
Current Affairs

Khaw Boon Wan diagnosed with dengue fever after being admitted to isolation ward

23/07/2020
Current Affairs

Khaw Boon Wan admitted to isolation ward, assures it’s unlikely COVID-19 but possibly dengue

23/07/2020
Current Affairs

PAP and non-PAP voters: cost of living and jobs are two biggest concerns in GE2020

17/07/2020
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

LTA revises ERP rates up after latest review; Gantries reach as high as S$5 for 8:30am – 9:00am

LTA revises ERP rates up after latest review; Gantries reach as high as S$5 for 8:30am – 9:00am

07/02/2023
Stern warnings was an “in-between” solution as CPIB lacks sufficient evidence to prosecute six former KOM executives for bribery, said Indranee Rajah

Stern warnings was an “in-between” solution as CPIB lacks sufficient evidence to prosecute six former KOM executives for bribery, said Indranee Rajah

06/02/2023
19-year-old delivery rider in China covers 5km in 22 minutes to deliver antivenom to woman who had bitten by snake

19-year-old delivery rider in China covers 5km in 22 minutes to deliver antivenom to woman who had bitten by snake

06/02/2023
Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

Adani shares dive again as Indian opposition stages demos

06/02/2023
Josephine Teo defends SPH Media Trust in Parliament on its circulation scandal; Commitment of S$900 million funding will still be made available

Josephine Teo defends SPH Media Trust in Parliament on its circulation scandal; Commitment of S$900 million funding will still be made available

06/02/2023
Japanese-Canadian junior high school girl breaks national record with 3km in 9:02 mins

“I want my normal life back,” Sherry Drury withdraws from National Junior High School Tournament due to overheated public attention

06/02/2023
FY2023 Budget Statement to be delivered by Lawrence Wong on 14 Feb, 3.30pm

FY2023 Budget Statement to be delivered by Lawrence Wong on 14 Feb, 3.30pm

06/02/2023

Scholar, lawmakers and journalist among Hong Kongers on trial

06/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
25

...

Cognizant India transfers staff to work in Singapore as recently as this year

Local IT grads can’t find jobs while engineers constantly transferred from India to work in SG under CECA

by Correspondent
05/02/2023
93

...

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

by Augustine Low
01/02/2023
47

...

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

by Correspondent
03/02/2023
26

...

No response from Josephine Teo on whether Mediacorp has been instructed to stop coverage of SMT circulation scandal

No response from Josephine Teo over alleged blackout of coverage by Mediacorp over SMT circulation scandal

by Terry Xu
06/02/2023
11

...

Excessively charging for an essential need, and calling it affordable because people still can pay for it?

by Terry Xu
31/01/2023
40

...

April 2009
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« Mar   May »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz