We must improve the health of our adult population by focusing our efforts on the areas that we are not doing so well, otherwise, although Singaporeans are living longer, their quality of life in their autumn years may actually be quite poor due to ill health. Singaporeans must take responsibility for their own health. They must adopt healthy lifestyles, go for health screening to detect chronic diseases early and if they have chronic diseases they should go for treatment and regular follow-up. Unless Singaporeans take health education, health promotion and prevention seriously, many Singaporeans will live the last years of their life burdened with ill health and disability. There are other areas of concern such as breast cancer and osteoporosis.
Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women in Singapore today.
The incidence of breast cancer has more than doubled over the last 30 years. It is associated with higher risk of hip fractures and results in significant morbidity and mortality. With an ageing population, the number of hip fractures is expected to increase, giving rise to much ill health, disability and suffering. As the build up of bone mass reaches its peak by about 30 years of age, we need to ensure that measures to prevent osteoporosis start from young and continue throughout life. We need to embark on a more focused, integrated and concentrated approach to get the health outcomes we want.