Singapore is working to improve access to mental health services by prioritizing community-based care and raising awareness about available resources. Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary highlights the importance of accessible support networks and encourages individuals to utilize various touchpoints like hotlines, online platforms, and physical centers.
Dr Janil Puthucheary speaking to The Straits Times on Singapore 's mental health landscape for the ST mental health series at the Ministry of Health on Sept 23.
Though there are now more than 200 mental health touchpoints such as hotlines, text or e-mail platforms, digital resources, and in-person services in Singapore, people may not know about them or how to go about getting help.“The need to get to mental health care shouldn’t be about going to IMH in the first instance.
The Ministry of Health said the average median wait time for a new subsidised psychiatrist appointment in a public hospital has risen to 47 days in 2023, up from 27 days in 2018, while the wait for a new psychologist appointment was at 36 days in 2023, compared with 28 in 2018. “Having access close to you in the community means that you have care available sooner where you need it, rather than having everything centralised and having a single waiting line, as it were,” Dr Janil said.
MOH is also raising the number of beds for acute psychiatric care and step-down care to 1,070 and 3,500, from around 1,000 and 3,000 respectively, and increasing psychiatric nursing home beds. Prof Fung said: “This strategy brings in the ecosystem beyond IMH, and gives the playing field out to the rest… Now, we have partners, and it’s very helpful, because we can’t do everything.
Efforts to prevent, detect and treat conditions early will not just improve lives, but also reap outsized benefits in terms of productivity and economic gains. Having 140 such teams by 2030 is significant as it will be more than half the number of active ageing centres for seniors, which will reach 220 by 2025, he said.
Ms Ong said: “It will certainly get increasingly easier to navigate the system, especially if we can seamlessly integrate primary care with community care to address accessibility and affordability.” The spending for mental health has stayed consistent at 3 per cent of total healthcare expenditure since 2019, but should go up to reflect the increased prevalence of mental health conditions, evolved needs and also dedicated suicide prevention efforts, said Ms Ong.Creating the ecosystem is one
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