CAREGIVING
Taking aim at Mr Ong again, Sembawang GRC candidate Dr Gomez described a “crisis of elderly care” in Singapore and said the health minister had failed to put in place adequate support for caregivers.
By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 or above. Dr Gomez also cited a 2024 study by Duke-NUS Medical School, which found that informal caregiving for seniors was valued at S$1.28 billion.
“We believe caregiving must be treated as a national priority, not a private problem,” he said, before listing seven proposals by the SDP.
“We will expand community-based eldercare by setting up nursing care centres staffed by nurses and part-time physiotherapists to provide regular home care, advice and basic medical services under doctor supervision.
“We propose increasing the number of salaried positions for caregiving specialists to come directly to your home and service you,” he said, adding that the funding would come from the Ministry of Health’s budget.
Dr Gomez said the party would fight for comprehensive paid family leave “so caregivers no longer have to choose between their jobs and loved ones”, and push for workplace flexibility across all sectors so caregivers can stay economically active.
“We will fix the subsidy system, removing unrealistic income caps and aggressive means testing, and increasing the support to reflect real costs.
“We will push for inclusive eldercare policies, embedding elder support into housing, transport and community planning. Ageing should not mean isolation or indignity, and caregivers should not be left to fill the gaps of the PAP’s broken system.”
Finally, the SDP will promote active ageing with outdoor activities, senior employment and peer support networks. This would help to reduce the long-term strain on caregivers and public health, said Dr Gomez.
“We believe the true measure of a country is how it treats those who cannot care for themselves and those who carry the responsibility to care for them.”
Sunday’s rally began almost an hour late, with the rain clearing before the first speaker took the stage close to 8pm.
The rally started with Dr Chee apologising for Dr Gigene Wong’s use of a racial slur against her teammate, Mr Ariffin Sha.
Dr Wong and Mr Ariffin are both part of the SDP’s team in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.
SDP is fielding 11 candidates across four constituencies in the polls on May 3. Besides Sembawang and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRCs, they are contesting in Sembawang West and Bukit Panjang SMCs.
