SINGAPORE: The KK Women's and Children's Hospital's (KKH) efforts in the community have been an integral part of Singapore's push to give every child a good start, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Saturday (Oct 27).
"We want, in particular, to do more to help those who start off from a disadvantaged position to reduce early deficits, and to achieve their full potential in school and through life," he said at a dinner marking the hospital's 160th anniversary.
Advertisement"Our early interventions will also help in our broader efforts to keep social mobility alive in Singapore."
KKH started in 1858 as a general hospital and became a maternity hospital in 1924. It is "remarkable" that more than 1.2 million Singaporeans have been born there, said Mr Tharman, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies.
THREE FUTURE STRATEGIES
In his speech, he highlighted three strategies that KKH has embarked on for the future. In the first, it aims to go "beyond healthcare to health" by helping patients stay healthy.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"KKH is focused on enhancing the long-term health outcomes of Singaporean mothers and children. It is a profoundly important effort," he said.
One way it does this is with its efforts to screen for gestational diabetes and care for mothers with the condition.
A second strategic thrust aims to keep quality health care affordable and sustainable. This entails tapping on technology for solutions such as tele-consultation in selected areas and using robots to automate functions like dispensing medicines.
[h=3]READ: 'Keep the escalator moving up': DPM Tharman urges Singapore to maintain social mobility[/h]A third shift for the hospital is going beyond the hospital to the community.
Citing scientific research on the importance of early childhood development, Mr Tharman said that the Government aims for the "holistic development" of young children.
"It means shifting the balance in the early childhood years, which is still too focused on academic preparation for the school years," he said.
Mr Tharman added that shift is towards a greater emphasis on "the right nutrition and eating habits and developing children's physical abilities; and their social and emotional development."
Their language abilities should also be developed, he added.
MORE OVERWEIGHT KIDS
An emphasis on nutrition and outdoor play also addresses a "worrying" trend, he said. Eight years ago, about 10 per cent of primary school children were overweight, last year, this figure increased to 13 per cent.
Seventy per cent of children who are overweight at age seven remain overweight as adults, Mr Tharman cited.
"We have to act much more decisively to change habits in the early years. Otherwise, the situation will only get worse – not only for our children, but with consequences for the health of our population later on in life," he said.
He also highlighted KKH's involvement in the KidSTART programme, which provides children from low-income and vulnerable backgrounds with additional support from a young age.
The programme built on the early efforts of KKH to help mothers and babies from vulnerable families, he said. KKH has also been working with the Early Childhood Development Agency on home visits to these vulnerable families.
MORE HELP FOR CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS
The hospital has also been involved in helping children with developmental delays.
A programme to give support and therapy to preschoolers with mild developmental needs before they start attending mainstream schools was piloted in 2009 by a group of KKH professionals, he said.
It was later adopted by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in 2013 and has expanded to run in about 550 preschools.
MSF plans to further increase the support for children with special needs within the mainstream preschool setting, Mr Tharman said.
It is exploring a programme which will allow the children to continue to receive support within their preschool from early intervention professionals, who can teach and support them alongside the preschool teacher, he added.
"The interventions I have just described – whether they are for children from vulnerable families or children with specific developmental needs - are really part of a much broader journey," he said. "They are part of how we invest in every child, and help every Singaporean develop through life."
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