CNA938 Rewind - Mindline: Help for mental health is just a call, chat away
CNA938 Rewind
Singapore has launched a new national helpline for residents to reach out to for help — yet another step in boosting the country's mental health resilience. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng speak with Dr Christopher Cheok, Director, National Mindline 1771, to find out more about the team and the benefits for Singaporeans.
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Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK MPs debate assisted dying law ahead of key vote
Protesters for and against the assisted dying Bill demonstrated outside Parliament in London on June 13. PHOTO: EPA-EFE LONDON - British lawmakers debated whether to allow assisted dying for terminally ill people ahead of a knife-edge vote on June 20 that could see the country take a major step towards legalising euthanasia. Protesters for and against the legislation demonstrated outside Parliament , as inside MPs packed out the lower House of Commons Chamber to consider one of Britain's most emotive and significant bills in years. MPs will either approve sending the legislation to the upper House of Lords for the next step – and further scrutiny – or end it entirely during a crucial vote expected around 2.30pm in London (9.30pm Singapore time). Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has proposed the Bill , said changing the law would 'offer a compassionate and safe choice' for terminally ill people. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults with an incurable illness who have a life expectancy of fewer than six months. They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient's wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts. A change in the law would see Britain emulate several other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying, including Belgium and the Netherlands. Advertisement ban Supporters say euthanasia would give the terminally ill greater protections and choice at the end of their lives, but critics worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into dying. Outside in Parliament Square, protesters waved placards with slogans including 'Let us choose' and 'Don't make doctors killers'. Mr David Walker, 82, said he supported changing the law because he saw his wife of 60 years suffer for three years at the end of her life. 'That's why I'm here, because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people who are going through the same thing, because if you have no quality of life, you have nothing,' he told AFP. 52-year-old doctor Elizabeth Burden said she feared the Bill could open 'a floodgate' of people being forced to end their lives and urged the government to focus on providing palliative care instead. 'It is a slippery slope. Once we allow this. Everything will slip down because dementia patients, all patients... are vulnerable,' she told AFP. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater argues that changing the law will 'offer a compassionate and safe choice' for terminally ill people. A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults, surveyed in May and published on June 19 , suggested the public overwhelmingly supports changing the law, with 73 per cent in favour. MPs backed the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in Parliament in November 2024. Since then , the Bill has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on advertisements for assisted dying and allowing all health workers to opt out of helping someone end their life. MPs have also added a safeguard which would prevent a person being eligible 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking', ruling out people with anorexia. Several lawmakers in the 650-seat Parliament have subsequently switched positions, and parties are not telling them how to vote, making the outcome difficult to predict. Undecideds An ITV News tracker of around half the parliamentarians estimates that 162 MPs plan to vote for changing the law, with 152 against. Some 22 remain undecided , with another 23 due to abstain. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords need to approve the legislation before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely sometime in the autumn, or the Bill will fail. If it passes and receives royal assent, then it would be four years before an assisted dying service is implemented. A government impact assessment published in June estimated that approximately 160 to 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in a decade. If he votes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to vote in favour , but several of his top ministerial team, including the health and justice secretaries, have publicly opposed changing the law. Assisted suicide currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish Parliament , while the Isle of Man at the end of March became the first British territory to pass an assisted dying bill. UK MPs last considered changing the law in 2015 and Ms Leadbeater warned it could be another decade before the issue returns to Parliament if MPs reject her Bill . AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
SAMH launches festival to raise mental health awareness among seniors
SINGAPORE – While some seniors blended tea and others came together in a drumming circle, Madam Kamala Devi Marimuthu was rolling dice in a game of mental wellness snakes and ladders. This adapted version of the childhood game encourages self-reflection by prompting players to answer questions related to everyday mental health challenges, and was among the 10 activities that seniors could partake in at an outreach festival organised by the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) on June 20. Madam Kamala found the game to be a dose of positivity. 'The volunteer who played the game with me was very friendly, he cracked a lot of jokes and made me really happy,' said the 80-year-old. The inaugural SAMH Golden Connect festival, being held at the non-profit's Space2Connect integrated wellness centre in Jalan Besar, is aimed at raising awareness of challenges faced by senior citizens, such as social isolation and mental health issues . Seniors aged 60 to 74 are the least likely age group to seek mental health support, whether from professionals or from their informal support networks, according to the 2023 National Population Health Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Health Promotion Board. At the event, Central Singapore District Mayor Denise Phua underscored the importance of maintaining mental health as a person ages, given the close connection it has with physical well-being. She highlighted instances of elderly loneliness in Jalan Besar, and encouraged seniors both to look out for one another and to tap the support of organisations such as SAMH, especially for cases that do not require institutionalisation. 'As we get older, so do our neighbours. So please be more compassionate...(not) every time something happens, we must send them to the Institute of Mental Health,' she said. The festival also saw the debut of a mental health screening application powered by artificial intelligence that can detect symptoms of anxiety and depression for early intervention. The application, developed by Singapore-based company Opsis Emotion AI, involves a series of questions and video clips to be watched. As a person undergoes the 10-minute evaluation, the application assesses his emotional state through real-time analysis of facial expressions and body language, and produces a report for SAMH professionals to interpret. Ms Jane Goh, deputy director of creative services and youth at SAMH, said the tool complements the association's existing face-to-face screening processes. 'This is useful for clients who might not be able to articulate their emotions very well but might still want to convey certain things,' she said. The tool will be rolled out at SAMH's premises from June 20, and will eventually be extended to other age groups that SAMH supports, such as youth and adults. Among the 200 people that attended the festival on its opening day was Mr Hassan Arshad, 76. He felt that the activities were very meaningful, and looked forward to joining more of SAMH's programmes. Adjunct Associate Professor Lee Cheng, president of SAMH, said community outreach has been at the heart of the association's work since it was started in 1968, and remains a vital part of its efforts to support mental wellness across people's life stages. He noted that the two-day festival involved numerous community partners, including the Jalan Besar Active Ageing Centre, Kallang CC Community Drumming Circle, and student volunteers from Republic Polytechnic, the Singapore University of Social Sciences, and Raffles Girls' School. 'Through strong community partnerships, we can bridge gaps, build trust, and make support more accessible,' he added. 'We want every senior to know they are not alone, and that care and joy are within reach.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Mount Elizabeth hospitals not always most expensive among private providers, CNA finds
SINGAPORE: Despite its reputation for premium pricing, Mount Elizabeth hospitals do not consistently charge the highest fees among private healthcare providers in Singapore, a CNA review of medical billing data has found. Based on typical bills for 10 common medical procedures listed on the Ministry of Health's (MOH) cost comparison portal, Mount Elizabeth topped the list in only three cases. The "typical bill" refers to the median cost paid by patients in 2023. While Mount Alvernia Hospital was found to be cheaper in some instances, it was excluded from CNA's comparison as it operates as a not-for-profit institution. In the three cases where Mount Elizabeth was most expensive, Mount Elizabeth Novena charged 5.1 per cent more for a knee arthroscopy, 11.3 per cent more for hernia repair and 38.2 per cent more for an appendicectomy compared with the next-most expensive private hospital option. However, the same data showed that Mount Elizabeth is not always the costliest option. For example, fibreoptic colonoscopy day surgery and iridectomy at Mount Elizabeth Orchard and Novena were cheaper than at other private hospitals. Insurer Great Eastern announced on Tuesday (Jun 17) that it has stopped issuing pre-authorisation certificates for policyholders admitted to the two Mount Elizabeth hospitals. Such certificates are still available for other hospitals and day surgery centres, it said. Pre-authorisation refers to the insurer's approval of coverage for medical costs before treatment. 'In the last few years, we have observed that certain private hospitals have been charging significantly more than others for the same treatment, same clinical outcome, similar level of complexity, as well as for procedures that are less complex," the insurer said on Thursday in response to CNA's queries. "The cost difference in total bill size typically ranges between 20 and 30 per cent but can sometimes go higher in some cases.' Based on MOH data, the typical inpatient bill for a knee arthroscopy – a surgical procedure to diagnose problems within the knee joint – at Mount Elizabeth Novena was S$22,559 (US$17,560) and S$22,208 at Mount Elizabeth Orchard. It was cheaper at Gleneagles Hospital, which charged S$21,456. For an appendicectomy – removal of the appendix – Mount Elizabeth Novena charged S$30,808, compared with S$22,297 at Raffles Hospital, while for hernia repair, Mount Elizabeth Novena charged S$35,944, higher than the S$32,288 charged by Gleneagles. In contrast, iridectomy, a surgical procedure primarily to treat glaucoma, was cheaper at Mount Elizabeth Orchard (S$2,367) and Mount Elizabeth Novena (S$2,602) compared with Farrer Park (S$3,874). Beyond MOH's data, CNA reviewed itemised hospital bills from Mount Elizabeth Orchard, Parkway East and Gleneagles over the past two years. While Mount Elizabeth charged marginally more for common items such as hygiene sheets and lignocaine injections (1.7 to 7.7 per cent higher), it charged less for other items, such as ECG electrodes. Mount Elizabeth Orchard and Novena are operated by IHH Healthcare Singapore, the country's largest private healthcare provider. Other hospitals under its umbrella – including Gleneagles and Parkway East – are not affected by Great Eastern's pre-authorisation suspension. CNA contacted IHH and Great Eastern for comment on the pricing differences. In response, IHH said that comparing the typical bill sizes across hospitals and interpreting them at 'face value' is 'overly simplistic' and 'misleading' in reflecting each hospital's value and affordability. 'The Table of Surgical Procedures is a ranked listing of procedures that focuses on the intent and outcome of the surgical procedure. It does not reflect the surgical access route or the technologies, facilities and equipment used. Neither does it reflect the expertise and skill of the healthcare practitioners involved,' an IHH spokesperson said. The spokesperson also said that the two Mount Elizabeth hospitals, due to their level of 'equipping and capabilities', tend to take in more complex cases across all specialties, as doctors also make 'active choices' on where to admit patients based on the patient's best clinical interests. 'It is therefore natural that the average bill sizes seen at these two hospitals be higher compared to other facilities,' the spokesperson added. Great Eastern referred CNA to its previous statement. Great Eastern said earlier that the move is part of its efforts to manage rising healthcare costs and ensure affordability for its policyholders. "We want to assure our policyholders that there is no change to their coverage, and they can still receive treatment and submit claims as usual with no impact to their benefits," a spokesperson added. The IHH spokesperson said that their analysis of publicly available data from MOH does not correspond to Great Eastern's claims that bills at Mount Elizabeth hospitals are 20 to 30 per cent higher. They added that they have formally written to the insurer and are 'awaiting their response'. IHH previously expressed "surprise" at Great Eastern's move, saying it has been in active discussion with the insurer over the past few months. 'We do not agree with GE's claim about higher prices at two of our hospitals for similar procedures and case profiles," its group COO and Mount Elizabeth CEO Yong Yih Ming said on Wednesday. "Each of our hospitals has different focus and areas of excellence - Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital house facilities and equipment that allow specialists to manage patients and perform surgeries that are not available at other hospitals.' This is also why some of the more complex cases are managed at these two hospitals, he said. In response to media queries, MOH said on Thursday it is engaging Great Eastern to better understand the implications of its decision. Integrated shield plans (IPs) are commercial products, the ministry said. While MOH regulates the key parameters of these products for financial sustainability, insurers retain discretion over administrative processes like pre-authorisation. "However, IP insurers would have to ensure that policyholders continue to be able to access the full benefits of their policies in accordance with the terms and conditions for claims, as stated in their policy contracts," it added. MARKET DYNAMICS, COST STRUCTURE DRIVE PRICING VARIATION Experts told CNA that pricing differences across private hospitals are influenced by a range of factors, including the time and resources required and the hospital facilities used. 'Public hospital fees are subsidised by the government and are structured to ensure patient affordability. In contrast, private hospitals operate independently and need to factor in staffing, overheads, service-level costs and profitability when setting prices,' said Mr Joshua Siow, who is a partner at Simon-Kucher and its head of healthcare and life sciences in Singapore. For example, in the case of different drug prices, public hospitals rely on a centralised procurement system, which helps standardise prices across institutions, said Ms Verlene Law of The Reg Consultants, a regulatory service provider specialising in pharmaceutical and medical companies. Private hospitals procure drugs independently and prices can differ based on their supplier agreements and business models, she said. Private hospitals may also serve different patient segments or offer specialised clinical services that justify higher fees, said Mr Siow. "Patient experience, hospital infrastructure and differing target customer segments can contribute to variation," he said. "Importantly, some institutions may be equipped with specialised equipment or specialist capabilities that may not be routinely available at other centres.' He added: 'As for-profit institutions, private hospitals in Singapore operate independently and serve varied patient segments. In this context, pricing is shaped less by regulation and more by consumer choice – patients can select their providers, and hospitals must remain reasonably price-competitive to sustain demand.'
