{"id":33715,"date":"2026-03-05T14:58:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T06:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=33715"},"modified":"2026-03-05T14:58:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T06:58:35","slug":"250000-woodlands-residents-to-benefit-from-better-health-services-like-specialist-supported-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=33715","title":{"rendered":"250,000 Woodlands residents to benefit from better health services like specialist-supported care"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE \u2013 Diabetes and hypertension rates in northern Singapore are <!-- -->higher<!-- --> than average, and residents exercise less. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">So the region has been singled out to be the first to receive some extra help.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Efforts include longer operating hours at 11 <!-- -->enhanced community health posts<!-- -->, health programmes for individuals at risk, specialist-supported care and even health services at two mosques. This is part of a national effort to nudge people to take charge of their health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The added push for the north was announced by Minister of State for Health Rahayu Mahzam during the debate on the Ministry of Health\u2019s (MOH) budget on March 5. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In her speech, Ms Rahayu announced that healthcare cluster NHG Health \u2013 which oversees central and <!-- -->northern<!-- --> Singapore \u2013 has been progressively enhancing 11 community health posts at active ageing centres in Woodlands since the beginning of the year. <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Better health services in Woodlands as northern S\u2019pore has higher rates of diabetes, hypertension\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sus7j6isP0g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">By the first quarter of 2026, these posts \u2013 which aim to provide access <!-- -->with<!-- --> health services near the homes of seniors \u2013 will open on a weekly basis, compared <!-- -->with<!-- --> the <!-- -->previous monthly arrangement<!-- -->. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The posts<!-- --> will be open to all 250,000 Woodlands residents, regardless of age, who can walk in <!-- -->for services<!-- --> such as basic health assessments as well as support for preventive health and disease management, including health coaching and medication reviews.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The services are provided by NHG Health\u2019s community health teams \u2013 made up of community nurses and health coaches  \u2013 who will bring in dietitians, pharmacists and others depending on the needs of residents. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">They will also work with general practitioners and hospitals to provide coordinated care for residents <!-- -->with<!-- --> chronic conditions and frailty, <!-- -->including<!-- --> <!-- -->services such as<!-- --> glucose monitoring and personalised health counselling <!-- -->for<!-- --> those with diabetes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ms Rahayu added that by September, NHG Health will partner with two mosques in Woodlands \u2013 <!-- -->An-Nur<!-- --> Mosque<!-- --> and <!-- -->Yusof Ishak Mosque<!-- --> \u2013 to provide <!-- -->community health post<!-- --> services <!-- -->to<!-- --> the Malay\/Muslim community. A higher proportion of Malays live in the north.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The services<!-- --> will be tailored to the community\u2019s needs, she said, noting that screening for chronic diseases and breast cancer among Malay residents <!-- -->has<!-- --> fallen in recent years, while obesity <!-- -->rates<!-- --> have risen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Health Minister Ong Ye Kung <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/health\/community-health-posts-to-be-enhanced-from-2026-to-bring-services-closer-to-residents?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">said in October that community health posts would be enhanced<\/p>\n<p><\/a>, beginning with <!-- -->northern<!-- --> Singapore, where three towns  \u2013 Yishun, Sembawang and Woodlands \u2013 have a higher prevalence of chronic illness <!-- -->than<!-- --> <!-- -->other areas<!-- -->.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Data from MOH shows that in the north, the prevalence of diabetes is 10.5 per cent, compared <!-- -->with<!-- --> the national average of 8.8 per cent. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The\u00a0prevalence of hypertension in the region is 35.9 per cent, compared <!-- -->with<!-- --> the national average of 33 per cent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ms Rahayu, who is also Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, said the reasons for these trends are still being reviewed. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">From end-March, Woodlands Hospital (WH) will also <!-- -->begin offering<!-- --> specialist-supported care in the community, with Ms Rahayu noting that some <!-- -->residents<!-- --> miss specialist appointments <!-- -->due to<!-- --> limited mobility or work schedules. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The initial tranche of services will <!-- -->see<!-- --> diabetes and asthma patients <!-- -->provided<!-- --> with access to specialist-supported outpatient care at enhanced community health posts or via teleconsultations with WH nurses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Meanwhile, post-colonoscopy patients with low-risk results will be able to review their findings with WH doctors through teleconsultation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWith these services, patients will be better supported by the community care teams in their neighbourhood while requiring fewer visits to Woodlands Hospital,\u201d Ms Rahayu said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">NHG Health, which operates WH, estimates that these <!-- -->measures<!-- --> will <!-- -->result in<!-- --> some 500 fewer specialist outpatient visits annually.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Meanwhile, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) will work with community partners such as grassroots organisations and active ageing centres to progressively roll out new initiatives to make healthy living easier and more appealing to Woodland residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">These efforts are grounded in an HPB study <!-- -->that<!-- --> found residents are more likely to adopt healthy behaviours when activities are embedded in familiar, accessible spaces, allowing for such behaviours to integrate into their daily routine. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cHPB will work with community partners to identify additional shared open spaces and public amenities for healthy living activities and programmes,\u201d MOH said. Citing community halls, plazas and malls as <!-- -->examples<!-- -->, the ministry said these initiatives will be progressively rolled out starting in April. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">HPB will support the development of community health advocates to design accessible healthy-living programmes in collaboration with community partners <!-- -->and will also co-develop a \u201ccitizen-centric playbook\u201d with them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThrough collective ownership, residents will benefit from healthy lifestyle programmes and activities that are tailored to them. We will also jointly monitor progress to continually refine and improve on the initiatives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cHPB will explore how to expand successful elements to other towns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The playbook will guide the design and delivery of healthy living activities, providing advice on planning <!-- -->strategies in<!-- --> areas such as physical activity, nutrition and mental well-being. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">A first edition of the playbook, focused on physical activity, will be ready by June, with other aspects of healthy living to be incorporated progressively. <\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">To complement this, HPB will roll out a new wayfinding feature on the Healthy 365 app from June 2026 \u2013 to encourage residents to make greater use of existing facilities <!-- -->in<!-- --> their neighbourhoods <!-- -->for<!-- --> healthy living activities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/250000-woodlands-residents-to-benefit-from-better-health-services-like-specialist-supported-care\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE \u2013 Diabetes and hypertension rates in northern Singapore are higher than average, and residents exercise less. So the region has been singled out to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}