Subsidies for Incontinence Treatment

2 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Health (a) how many senior citizens currently suffer from incontinence; (b) what is the average cost to treat this illness; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider providing more subsidies for incontinence treatment so as to enable more senior citizens to seek treatment early.

The Senior Minister of State for Health (Mr Chee Hong Tat) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank Er Dr Lee Bee Wah for raising this important question on behalf of her residents. We certainly share her view that for seniors suffering from incontinence, we would encourage them to seek treatment early. We do not have data on the total number of seniors suffering from incontinence, as patients could be seeing their doctors for other primary conditions, such as urinary infection, prostate problems or post-stroke treatment, which include treatment for incontinence.

Mr Speaker, over the past three years, around 2,900 seniors aged 65 and above received subsidised treatment specifically for incontinence at polyclinics and Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioners (GPs). This would be a subset of the total number of seniors seeking treatment for incontinence.

Among this group of 2,900 seniors, those who received treatment at the polyclinics paid a median annual cost, after subsidies, of less than $10 in 2016. The cost and treatment required for each patient will depend on the nature and severity of his condition.

Seniors receive subsidies of up to 75% when they visit polyclinics. Seniors who require further financial assistance after Government subsidies may seek help from the medical social workers at our public healthcare institutions.

Mr Speaker: Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Sir, I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. I have one supplementary question. Besides treatment, I always think that preventive measures are a better cure. I would like to thank the Health Promotion Board (HPB) for organising many exercises nowadays in our housing estates. Perhaps, there can be more talks during these exercise sessions because incontinence will affect the quality of life, especially of our elderly residents. So, I would like to ask whether there will be more awareness programmes conducted by HPB so as to help more residents.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Er Dr Lee for her supplementary question and suggestion. I certainly agree with her that prevention is better than cure. That is the approach that we take in the Ministry of Health (MOH). And HPB will be happy to work with our Regional Health Systems, our healthcare institutions, to be able to reach out to residents in the community to raise awareness and to give talks focusing on prevention, on health promotion. This is something which we will continue to work with our community partners, including our grassroots organisations and community leaders, to reach out to our residents.

Mr Speaker: Dr Tan Wu Meng.

Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong): I thank the Senior Minister of State for his answer. In Clementi where I serve, we have a number of elderly residents, some of whom have shared about the costs of consumables that they need because they have incontinence, for example, adult diapers and other recurring expenditure items. Would MOH, either on its own or together with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), be willing to consider studying the costs of such consumables for patients with incontinence and to see whether there are areas where these consumables might be delivered in a less expensive way?

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Speaker, I thank Dr Tan for his supplementary question. Indeed, I think he is right that the help that we provide to our residents suffering from incontinence is not just for treatment but also in other areas like consumables, diapers, for example. If seniors require adult diapers, they can apply for assistance under the Seniors Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF). The fund provides means-tested subsidies of 50% or 80% for consumables, such as diapers.

It would be something that we would be happy to work with Dr Tan Wu Meng and his team in Clementi to raise awareness and to reach out to his residents who require such assistance.