Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Health
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This clarification concerns a factual correction made by Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon regarding the implementation timeline of mental health resources and AI chatbots for youth. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon amended his statement to reflect that these resources were introduced in recent years rather than approximately one year ago. He emphasized that the government will monitor these initiatives over time by collecting and analyzing data to measure their overall effectiveness. This process is intended to provide deeper insights into the impact of public domain interventions and support for teenagers and young adults. Ultimately, the Ministry will use these insights to enhance and refine future interventions to better serve the mental health needs of the public.
Transcript
The following statement was made by the Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Koh Poh Koon) for Question No 2 during Question Time at the Sitting on 27 February 2026:
The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Koh Poh Koon): The third question on whether we will support any studies to measure the outcomes, like I said, these resources were just started just about a year or so ago. We will see over time how we can collect data and then, analyse the impact of some of these interventions we put in the public domain, to make sure that we have a better insight on how to enhance them. [Please refer to "Use of AI Chatbots for Counselling and Mental Health Support by Teenagers and Young Adults", Official Report, 27 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 21, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
Written statement by Dr Koh Poh Koon circulated with the leave of the Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order No 29(5).
I wish to make the following factual correction to my statement made during Question Time at the Sitting on 27 February 2026. My statement should read as follows:
The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Koh Poh Koon): The third question on whether we will support any studies to measure the outcomes, like I said, these resources were just started in recent years. We will see over time how we can collect data and then, analyse the impact of some of these interventions we put in the public domain, to make sure that we have a better insight on how to enhance them.