SINGAPORE – Diabetes and hypertension rates in northern Singapore are higher than average, and residents exercise less.
So, the region has been singled out to be the first to receive some extra help.
Efforts include longer operating hours at 11 enhanced community health posts, health programmes for individuals at risk, specialist-supported care, and even health services at two mosques. This is part of a national effort to nudge people to take charge of their health.
The added push for the north was announced by Minister of State for Health Rahayu Mahzam during the debate on the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) budget on March 5.
In her speech, Ms Rahayu announced that healthcare cluster NHG Health – which oversees central and northern Singapore – has been progressively enhancing 11 community health posts at active ageing centres in Woodlands since the beginning of the year.
By the first quarter of 2026, these posts – which aim to provide access to health services near the homes of seniors – will open on a weekly basis, compared to the previous monthly arrangement.
The posts will be open to all 250,000 Woodlands residents, regardless of age, who can walk in for services such as basic health assessments as well as support for preventive health and disease management, including health coaching and medication reviews.
The services are provided by NHG Health’s community health teams – made up of community nurses and health coaches – who will bring in dietitians, pharmacists and others depending on the needs of residents.
They will also work with general practitioners and hospitals to provide coordinated care for residents with chronic conditions and frailty, including services such as glucose monitoring and personalised health counselling for those with diabetes.
Ms Rahayu said that by September, NHG Health will partner with two mosques in Woodlands – An-Nur Mosque and Yusof Ishak Mosque – to provide community health post services to the Malay/Muslim community.
A higher proportion of Malays live in the north.
The services will be tailored to the community’s needs, she said, noting that screening for chronic diseases and breast cancer among Malay residents has fallen in recent years, while obesity rates have risen.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung
said in October that community health posts will be enhanced
, beginning with northern Singapore, where three towns – Yishun, Sembawang and Woodlands – have a higher prevalence of chronic illnesses than other areas.
Data from MOH shows that in the north, the prevalence of diabetes is 10.5 per cent, compared with the national average of 8.8 per cent.
The prevalence of hypertension in the region is 35.9 per cent, compared with the national average of 33 per cent.
Ms Rahayu, who is also Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, said the reasons for these trends are still being reviewed.
From end-March, Woodlands Hospital (WH) will also begin offering specialist-supported care in the community, with Ms Rahayu noting that some residents miss specialist appointments due to limited mobility or work schedules.
The initial tranche of services will see diabetes and asthma patients provided with access to specialist-supported outpatient care at enhanced community health posts or via teleconsultations with WH nurses.
Meanwhile, post-colonoscopy patients with low-risk results will be able to review their findings with WH doctors through teleconsultation.
“With these services, patients will be better supported by the community care teams in their neighbourhood while requiring fewer visits to Woodlands Hospital,” Ms Rahayu said.
NHG Health, which operates WH, estimates that these measures will result in some 500 fewer specialist outpatient visits annually.
Meanwhile, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) will work with community partners such as grassroots organisations and active ageing centres to progressively roll out new initiatives to make healthy living easier and more appealing to Woodland residents.
These efforts are grounded in an HPB study which found that residents are more likely to adopt healthy behaviours when activities are embedded in familiar, accessible spaces, allowing for such behaviours to integrate into their daily routine.
“HPB will work with community partners to identify additional shared open spaces and public amenities for healthy living activities and programmes,” MOH said. Citing community halls, plazas and malls as examples, the ministry said these initiatives will be progressively rolled out starting in April.
HPB will support the development of community health advocates to design accessible healthy-living programmes in collaboration with community partners, and will also co-develop a “citizen-centric playbook” with them.
“Through collective ownership, residents will benefit from healthy lifestyle programmes and activities that are tailored to them. We will also jointly monitor progress to continually refine and improve on the initiatives,” she said.
“HPB will explore how to expand successful elements to other towns.”
The playbook will guide the design and delivery of healthy living activities, providing advice on planning strategies in areas such as physical activity, nutrition and mental well-being.
A first edition of the playbook, focused on physical activity, will be ready by June, with other aspects of healthy living to be incorporated progressively.
To complement this, HPB will roll out a new wayfinding feature on the Healthy 365 app from June 2026 to encourage residents to make greater use of existing facilities in their neighbourhoods for healthy living activities.
