Health Systems

Question 1

What does a health system consist of?

Answer 1

all organisations, people and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore or maintain health

Question 2

What is a health action?

Answer 2

any set of activities whose primary intent is to improve or maintain health and includes all actors and institutions who see their primary purpose as contributing to health

Question 3

What are the 3 main goals of a health system?

Answer 3

• better health
• fairness in financial contribution toward the costs of ill-health
• responsiveness to people’s expectations in regard to non-health matters; reflects the importance of respecting people’s dignity, autonomy and the confidentiality of information

Question 4

What is a healthcare system?

Answer 4

the delivery of medical services and patient care

Question 5

What does primary care involve?

Answer 5

common health problems and preventive measures (account for 80-90% of visits to a physician/caregiver)

Question 6

Describe primary, secondary and tertiary care

Answer 6

• primary - first usual contact with patients
• secondary - problems that require more specialised clinical expertise e.g. hospital care
• tertiary - management of rate disorders (specialised)

Question 7

What does long-term care involve?

Answer 7

a variety of services designed to meet a person’s health or personal care needs during a moderate or long period of time

Question 8

What are the key institutions for health in Singapore?

Answer 8

• national ministry (MOH)
• agencies and statutory boards (HSA, HPB, AIC)
• integrated healthcare clusters (NHG, NUHS, SingHealth)

Question 9

What are the roles of HSA?

Answer 9

• serves the administration of justice with the use of forensic medicine, forensic science and analytical chemistry testing
• secures the nation’s blood supply by ensuring a safe and adequate supply for public and private hospitals
• regulates health products to meet standards of safety, quality and efficacy

Question 10

What is Synapxe?

Answer 10

the health technology agency for the public healthcare sector

Question 11

What are key initiatives of Synapxe?

Answer 11

• mobile app for patient use – HealthHub
• electronic medical record system for clinician use – NGEMR
• consolidated health records system at national level – NEHR

Question 12

What is the HPB?

Answer 12

a government organisation committed to promoting healthy living in Singapore