Ministry of Health (Singapore) facts for kids
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1955 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Singapore |
| Headquarters | 16 College Road, College of Medicine Building, Singapore 169854 |
| Motto | Championing a Healthy Nation |
| Employees | 1,573 (2018) |
| Annual budget |  S$11.72 billion (2019) |
| Ministers responsible |
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| Agency executives |
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| Child agencies |
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The Ministry of Health (MOH; Malay: Kementerian Kesihatan; Chinese: 卫生部; Tamil: சுகாதார அமைச்சு) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore. Its main job is to manage the public healthcare system in Singapore. This means MOH works to make sure everyone in Singapore has access to good healthcare services.
Contents
What MOH Does: Helping Singapore Stay Healthy
The Ministry of Health works with several important groups called statutory boards. These are like special agencies that help MOH do its job. They focus on different parts of healthcare to make sure everything runs smoothly.
- Health Promotion Board (helps people stay healthy and prevent sickness)
- Health Sciences Authority (makes sure medicines and health products are safe)
- Singapore Dental Council (looks after dentists)
- Singapore Medical Council (looks after doctors)
- Singapore Nursing Board (looks after nurses)
- Singapore Pharmacy Council (looks after pharmacists)
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board (looks after traditional Chinese medicine practitioners)
Who Leads MOH: The Minister for Health
The Ministry of Health is led by the Minister for Health. This person is chosen to be part of the Cabinet of Singapore, which is a group of top government leaders. The current Minister for Health is Ong Ye Kung. He is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Sembawang GRC.
Important Events and Challenges
Sometimes, big organizations like the Ministry of Health face challenges. Here are a couple of notable incidents that MOH has dealt with.
Protecting Private Health Information
On 28 January 2019, some private health information of about 12,400 people was shared online without permission. This information included names, identification numbers, phone numbers, and addresses. This happened because a staff member at MOH, Ler Teck Siang, did not follow the Ministry's security rules. He had access to the information and downloaded it onto a personal device. Later, this information was leaked online.
The Minister of Health at the time, Gan Kim Yong, explained why the leak was not announced immediately. The Ministry wanted to protect the well-being of the patients involved. They worked to secure the information and support those affected.
Fixing Computer System Errors
On 16 February 2019, MOH announced a problem with a computer system used for the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). This scheme helps people get healthcare subsidies, which are like discounts on medical costs. The error caused some people to get the wrong amount of subsidy. About 1,300 people received less help than they should have, and 6,400 people received more.
MOH first noticed a problem on 24 September 2018. They told the company that managed the system, NCS, right away. After more investigation, NCS found that the problem was caused by a software issue during a system update in September 2018. Even though the software issue was fixed in October 2018, the incorrect results from before the fix remained in the system.
MOH and NCS worked together to figure out who was affected. MOH promised to contact the affected people and make sure they received the correct reimbursements. MOH also planned to recover the costs from NCS, as allowed by their contract.
See also
- Healthcare in Singapore
Images for kids
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Kenneth Michael Byrne, who served as Minister for Health from 1961 to 1963.
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Yong Nyuk Lin, Minister for Health from 1963 to 1968.
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Goh Chok Tong, who was Minister for Health from 1981 to 1982.
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Tony Tan, Minister for Health in 1985.
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George Yeo, Minister for Health from 1994 to 1997.
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Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Health from 1999 to 2003.
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Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health from 2003 to 2011.
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Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health from 2011 to 2021.
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Ong Ye Kung, the current Minister for Health since 2021.
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