Employee welfare crucial to improve population’s health

By enhancing employee welfare, businesses can work with the Singapore government to improve the overall health of the population, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. 

Unlike acute care, preventive care needs to be a sustained effort, and if done early enough, can be easy, affordable and even enjoyable, said the minister, who spoke at the launch of the European Chamber of Commerce’s Whitebook On The Future Of Healthcare And Wellbeing.

“Preventive care opens up far more opportunities for innovation and participation by enterprises and industries, and we have a great opportunity to build a strong public-private-people partnership for health,” he noted, reports The Straits Times.

The workplace is a very important part of people’s social circles, and a natural touchpoint to encourage people to change their habits, said the minister. 

READ: More employees in Singapore received wage increases in 2021

Over the years, Singapore’s Ministry of Health has worked with companies to put in place various workplace wellness programmes, but some of these had been disrupted due to COVID-19. 

“With employees now returning to workplaces, I hope companies will double down on reintroducing many of these programmes for self-care, fitness and wellness,” he added.