Public service report card: Improved education, eldercare and economy in 2021

It also said that the Gini coefficient, an indicator of income inequality, has been falling in the past decade, due in part to enhanced social policies and measures that support more individuals to be in employment. 

The Gini coefficient, before accounting for taxes and transfers, fell in 2021 to 0.444 from 0.452 the year before, as a result of stronger income recovery among lower-income groups, the report said.

Areas that could be better

Areas that need to be addressed, according to the report, are the abuse of children and vulnerable adults, overall mental health, and the management of physical health, especially for those with chronic diseases.

There were about 2,140 new cases of child protection needed, and 200 involving the abuse of vulnerable adults in 2021, up from about 1,300 and 170 respectively in 2020. The report said these were driven by increased stress experienced by families amid the pandemic, as well as greater public awareness of what constitutes abuse and reduced stigma in reporting such abuse.

A National Anti-Violence Helpline was set up in 2020 and expanded in May 2022 to include calls about sexual violence and sexual harassment.

On the topic of mental health, some people faced symptoms of depression or anxiety amid the pandemic, while others struggled with stresses such as the threat of infection, changes in daily routines and social isolation, noted the report.

The Institute of Mental Health’s helpline received 64,000 calls in the 2021 financial year, a 39 per cent increase from the year before.

Efforts in this aspect included community outreach teams set up to identify mental health needs earlier, and more than 300 general practitioners trained to diagnose and support people with mental health conditions.

In terms of physical health, the report noted that the prevalence of high blood pressure and high cholesterol has been increasing since 2010, and the prevalence of obesity has returned to its 2010 level after seeing a dip in 2017.

While the number of Singaporeans engaging in leisure exercise increased from 29.4 per cent in 2017 to 33.4 per cent in 2020, those who participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly is on the decline, falling from 80.9 per cent in 2017 to 76.4 in 2020.

Active lifestyle programmes are being rolled out, including on digital platforms and in the heartland, to engage Singaporeans.

While gradually shifting to a preventive healthcare model, the healthcare system has also been beefed up.

The report noted that the number of acute hospital beds had increased by 1.4 per cent from 2020 to 2021 while the number of community hospital beds increased by 0.5 per cent.

This was enough to cater for the more than 560,000 acute hospital and 21,000 community hospital admissions in 2021.

In terms of eldercare, home care capacity expanded to about 12,000 places in 2021, while daycare places increased to 8,300. There are also about 17,000 nursing home beds.