Singapore's diabetes approach "goes in the right direction": Health Minister Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: One of the major spin-offs of the two-day global diabetes conference being held in Singapore this week is that the city's approach to fighting the epidemic is generally going in the right direction ", said Tuesday 27 November to Gan Kim Yong, Minister of Health. ).

Addressing reporters at the end of the Ministerial Conference on Diabetes at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Mr. Gan also said that the war on diabetes could be won, provided that the stakeholders work together to prevent and manage the disease.

Health ministers, senior government officials, academics, and opinion leaders from 18 countries and regions, including Finland, the United Kingdom, Thailand, and the World Health Organization, have attended the conference.

"Although the challenges are great and involve many stakeholders, if we are able to gather support and bring together all stakeholders across borders, collaboration between countries, I think we can move forward in this war ", did he declare. .

It is "provided that we can work together, provided that we are persevering and resolute in our efforts to solve this problem," he said.

READ: Are we winning the war on diabetes?

Singapore has declared war on diabetes in 2016. Nearly half a million Singaporeans have diabetes, which is higher than the global prevalence.

Mr. Gan also acknowledged that the war against diabetes would be long, as opposed to a "quick battle", but added that "what is important is that there is a lot of money." hope we can go ahead.

SUGAR TAX DOES NOT RECOVER INCOME

Turning to the discussion on the sugar tax, which had previously been presented as a way to discourage unhealthy behaviors, Mr. Gan said that the purpose of such a tax would be to encourage the manufacturers to reformulate their drinks and consumers to opt for low-sugar beverages. for the collection of income.

"If they (manufacturers) are able to reduce their sugar content, then they will be able to benefit from a lower tax rate or not be taxed at all. There are different forms of tax structures and the idea is to really encourage manufacturers to reformulate, "said Gan.

It is important for Singapore to consult with stakeholders, producers, consumers and retailers to find out what their concerns are and whether such a tax would be appropriate for the country, he added.

When asked if salt – which was a concern in the recently published National Nutrition Survey – should also be taxed, Mr Gan replied that the salt challenge was "more complex".

He added, however, that many of the diabetes efforts also apply to salt, as those who are aware of sugar are likely to do the same.

MAKE LABELS

Product labels are a way Singapore is exploring to help consumers make more informed decisions about the items they consume.

"How can we label it so that there is enough information, but not too much information? If you give too much information, the consumer is unable to compare the product. You have too little information, the decision could also be inaccurate, "he said.

Mr. Gan gave examples of a grading system based on factors such as salt, sugar and nutrition, and a system of "traffic lights", which indicates green in good health, orange as moderate and red as dangerous.

As the government continued its efforts to defeat diabetes, Gan cautioned against focusing on short-term results, which, even if they were positive, could be the result of past or ongoing efforts. A general change in consumer habits.

"The concrete results of the diabetes efforts will not be felt. It will take five, ten or fifteen years later because habits are hard to change. Even if you change your habits, your health will not be immediately profitable, "he said.

STRENGTHENING THE LANDSCAPE OF PRIMARY CARE

In addition to diabetes, participants in the global conference looked at ways to strengthen the primary health care landscape, an area in which Singapore is also focused and eager to learn about other countries, he said. declared.

Singapore has put in place a Primary Care Network (PCN) program that encourages GP clinics to organize into networks that support more holistic and team-based care, but this initiative presents urgent problems that need to be addressed. did he declare.

The NCP program was piloted in 2012 and expanded in January of this year.

"There are different groups, and not all of them work on the same model, and there is still a need to build their capacity to cope with the aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases," he elaborated.

When it came to learning from other countries' systems, he mentioned Hong Kong's plan to set up district centers to supervise general practitioners in a given field, outsourced to private operators. He said that the idea was interesting and that he would like to know what would be the result.

"We can do a lot more and we have to keep moving forward," he said. However, it is not necessary to add measures and initiatives, he warned.

"The general approach is similar, but we have to change it, we have to adapt it to our context," he said, adding that Singapore "can not copy wholesale".