SINGAPORE – Singapore has contributed an additional US$10 million (S$13 million) to the global pandemic fund, the health and finance ministries said in a joint statement on Nov 1.

       The new infusion – announced at a pledging event attended by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G-20) joint finance and health ministerial meeting in Brazil on Oct 31 – raises Singapore’s total contribution so far to US$20 million.

       “This reflects our (Singapore’s) continued commitment to strengthening the global health architecture in preparation for the next pandemic,” Mr Ong said at the pledging event.

       He suggested that the pandemic fund, to maximise its impact, should focus on two areas: global surveillance and enhancing the abilities of less-developed countries to prepare for and respond to future pandemics, especially by upgrading their manpower capabilities.

       “Every day of early warning can make a major difference, between life and death, or lockdown and freedom. Every country needs to be the eyes and ears of the others,” he said.

       The pandemic fund was set up by the World Bank in 2022 to help developing nations better prepare for pandemics, following the devastation to economies and health systems that Covid-19 left across the globe.

       It is meant to fill critical financing gaps and promote a more coordinated approach in prevention, preparedness and response, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

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       Singapore contributed US$10 million to the fund in 2022.

       At the health ministerial meeting, Mr Ong underscored the importance of digitalising healthcare, specifically by integrating electronic medical records across various care settings, to improve health span and enable seamless, continual care and artificial intelligence (AI) innovations.

       Digitalisation and integration, he said, eliminate “frustrating and unnecessary repeated testing and screening”.

       They also enable “AI health innovations”, he added.

       He also pointed during the joint finance and health ministerial meeting to the need for finance and health ministers to address the issues of healthcare finance and ageing together.

       “An older population means a heavier disease burden and, with it, a higher fiscal burden,” he said.

       “Health is already, in many countries, the highest spending item, and it can go up even further, in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP (gross domestic product), and there is a risk of it rising unsustainably,” he added.

       Mr Ong said “the fates and interests of health and finance ministries are tied closely together because of ageing, and the fundamental solution is actually to keep seniors active and healthy by tackling the social determinants of health”.