Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ over 60% of Singapore’s workforce, but according to the National Workplace Health Programme Survey 2006, only about half of SMEs have a workplace health programme, compared to nearly 80 per cent of companies with over 500 staff. A 2005 survey by the Ministry of Manpower showed that business survival – rather than workplace health – tends to be the priority for SMEs.
In a new effort to kick-start WHP in SMEs, a tripartite committee (formed by the Ministry of Health, NTUC and Singapore National Employers' Federation) is looking at ways to provide more funding support to carry out health programmes for their employees. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Hawazi Daipi noted in parliament that SMEs are a particular target group for health screening, health promotion and chronic disease management programmes. He said that WHP not only improves employee health, but reduces healthcare costs for employees and employers. Although details of how the funding will be provided were not given, it could build on an existing workplace health and sports promotion grant of up to S$10,000 per organisation.
To help encourage people to take greater responsibility for their health through prevention and early detection of disease, the Ministry of Health is to set aside an additional budget of S$4.2 million over the next three years for public education.
Sources: The Business Times, Singapore, 25 January and 11 February 2009.