A Thai-Singaporean Initiative to Address Asia’s Ageing Population

Clinicians from Changi General Hospital (CGH) work with partners on international capacity-building strategies to enhance quality of geriatric care.

Asia is not only the world’s most populous continent, but it is also the fastest ageing one. It is set to have the largest elderly population in the world, exceeding 4.9 billion¹, by 2030.

Beyond Japan and South Korea, other Asian countries are also experiencing significant ageing trends. Thailand, for example, has already transitioned into a fully aged society, with seniors accounting for 20% of its 13.5 million people. It is poised to become a super-aged society by the next decade. Likewise, one-fifth of Singapore’s citizens are aged 65 and above, up 11.7% from a decade ago. The country is set to become a super-aged society by 2026².

The effects of an ageing population can already be felt across Asia. Complex workforce considerations and increases in manpower demands in the healthcare sector³ present a challenge that will require multifaceted solutions.

Understanding the challenges of an ageing society, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has put in place national strategies to address the upcoming healthcare needs. The 2023 Action Plan for Successful Ageing (APSA) focuses on preventive health and bringing healthcare to the grassroots level by encouraging seniors to age well in the community. Social service agencies such as Lions Befrienders and the Agency for Integrated Care empower and enable seniors to lead connected, fulfilled lives.

“A whole system approach is required to manage the needs of older adults, where everyone from policy makers, stakeholders, healthcare personnel, caregivers and even the community at large are required to embrace ageing and acquire core knowledge and competencies in service or care delivery,” said Clinical Assistant Prof Goh Kiat Sern, Chief and Senior Consultant, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Changi General Hospital (CGH).

In Thailand, the ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI) promotes healthy ageing societies by conducting research on driving evidenced-based active ageing strategies, policies and innovation⁴.

Given the common challenges we face, it makes sense for countries to collaborate on research, education and the sharing of best practices.

"The sharing of best practices and knowledge through the programme enabled us to gain a deeper understanding of the similarities in the healthcare challenges faced by Singapore and Thailand on the care required for an ageing population. This presents opportunities for further collaboration between our countries, institutions and across disciplines, as we look into not just tackling and improving the health of our ageing population through health systems infrastructure, but also in community care and mental health,” said Associate Professor Png Gek Kheng, Chief Nurse (Advanced Practice Nurse), CGH.

“We would like to thank our partners and funder, Temasek Foundation, for allowing us to initiate such a programme,” said Ms Vijaya Rao, Director of the ICO. “There is still much more that needs to be done to ensure that our seniors are taken care of. We’re hoping to increase awareness of the importance of geriatric care so that support can be gathered for the cause."

Asia's role in addressing the needs of the most rapidly ageing population is significant. Other parts of the world might benefit from the fastest ageing population's guidance on aspects such as clinical care, community support, infrastructure, and social services for their own ageing populations.

“As the world and our population demographics change, the challenges we are faced with will evolve,” said Clinical Assistant Professor Koh Lip Hoe, Senior Consultant, Department of Geriatric Medicine and Head, Palliative Medicine, CGH. “Only by continually studying the environment we are in, learning from the community and listening to people we want to serve, can we create and adopt an agile approach to geriatric healthcare that will lead to sustainable outcomes.”

A delegation of Thai healthcare professionals in Singapore for the Master Trainer’s Programme held in October 2023.