Speech by MOS at SATA CommHealth's Opening of Our Migrant Worker Dental Centre

Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Minister of State for Manpower, Woodlands Civic Centre

Mr Tan Boon Gin, Chairman of SATA CommHealth,

Dr Kelvin Phua, Chief Executive Officer of SATA CommHealth,

Board Members of SATA CommHealth,

Friends from NGOs, Health Partners,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good afternoon. I am glad to join you today at the opening of SATA CommHealth’s “Our Migrant Worker Dental Centre”. SATA CommHealth has been a steadfast and valued partner in our migrant worker healthcare journey and the opening of the dental centre is testament to this.

2 Today's occasion is another critical enhancement of the health, safety and wellbeing of our migrant workers. Over the years, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), together with our industry and community partners, has worked tirelessly over the years to uplift the well-being of all our migrant workers. These include: (i) raising the living standards in our dormitories, (ii) improving their mental wellbeing, (iii) uplifting healthcare standards and (iv) raising the standards of oral care of our migrant workers. You will agree with me that the government had done much to uplift the heath and wellbeing of our migrant workers, contrary to some of the recent reports and allegations online and on our mainstream media. Let me elaborate each of these efforts.

Raising Dormitory Living Standards

3 Firstly, raising dormitory living standards. Not too long ago, only larger dormitories were licensed and living conditions varied widely. MOM has since put in place a comprehensive regulatory framework and progressively raised standards across all dormitories. These new standards include allocating more living space per resident, lower room occupancy, better ventilation, and en-suite toilets. Earlier this year, we opened NESST Tukang, our first Government built-and-owned purpose-built dormitory, to set the standard in living quarters for our migrant workers. A second in Sengkang West is on its way and expected to be ready by 2028. We believe that our migrant workers’ well-being starts with a safe and comfortable place, where they can rest comfortably so that they can be recharged to concentrate on their work the following day.

Mental Well-being

4 Beyond the living environment, MOM has also put in place programmes to support workers' mental well-being. All new migrant workers attend a Settling-In Programme where they receive mental well-being tips and resources. MOM partners NGOs such as HealthServe and the Migrant Workers' Centre to provide 24-hour multilingual helplines and counselling services. On the ground, we trained close to 1,300 Peer Support Leaders and over 1,000 migrant worker volunteers living in the dormitories in basic psychological first aid, so that workers have peers they can turn to when they need support. More than 9 in 10 migrant workers were satisfied with their working and living conditions in Singapore according to the Migrant Worker Experience Survey conducted by MOM in 2024.

Healthcare

5 Alongside these efforts, we have worked to ensure that migrant workers have access to affordable and timely primary care. In 2022, MOM introduced the mandatory Primary Care Plan (or the PCP), which provides primary healthcare for Work Permit and S Pass holders residing in dormitories and those from the Construction, Marine, and Process sectors. This ensures that workers can seek medical attention with only a small co-payment of just $5. In a 2024 study by NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, 9 in 10 migrant workers found PCP clinics affordable and accessible. In addition, since 1 July 2023, we have enhanced the requirements of in-patient medical insurance minimum annual coverage for workers from $15,000 to $60,000. As announced in December last year, MOM will continue to enhance the PCP. This will result in the increase in PCP clinics in each geographic zone, thereby making healthcare even more accessible to our migrant workers.

6 Concomitant to this, we took steps to strengthen preventive healthcare for our migrant workers. Since 2021, under MOM’s Project MOCCA, which stands for the Management of Oral and Chronic Conditions and Ailments, various initiatives were implemented to improve workers’ awareness of health risk factors such as smoking, and to enable the detection and management of common chronic and oral health conditions early, before they become more serious. For example, workers can access an online Health Library with health education materials in several native languages. Anchor Operators under MOM’s Primary Care Plan system also co-designed health notebooks to educate and follow up with workers with chronic diseases at their medical centres.

Oral Health

7 However, maintaining good oral health can be a challenge for our migrant workers. A 2025 survey by the National University of Singapore which involved over 200 migrant workers found that our migrant workers were visiting the dentist less often here in Singapore than they routinely did back home. When they develop dental issues, many workers were concerned about dental treatment costs and would rather endure the pain and discomfort, and wait until they go back home to seek treatment.

8 In 2025, about 800 migrant workers have benefitted from MOM’s annual dental screening, organised together with volunteer dentists, as well as dental, medical and nursing students. Workers who require follow-up dental care were referred for basic dental care at an affordable cost at dental clinics operated by our partner NGOs and anchor operator, HealthServe, located in the eastern part of Singapore, and St Andrew’s Mission Hospital located in the west, respectively.
Opening of Our Migrant Worker Dental Centre

9 Today’s opening of Our Migrant Worker Dental Centre by SATA CommHealth is therefore another enhancement of our collective efforts to support the healthcare needs of our migrant workers. It will add a third dental clinic for migrant workers, especially serving those staying in the north. It is SATA CommHealth’s first dedicated dental care centre for migrant workers.

10 This Centre can provide dental care for up to 60 workers a week. It offers a comprehensive range of services – from routine check-ups to fillings, extractions, and management of acute dental conditions. These services are provided at affordable cost for the migrant workers. Complex cases are referred to external partners such as Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and HealthServe.

11 What sets this dental centre apart goes beyond the treatment and oral care services offered. SATA CommHealth will conduct regular outreach at nearby dormitories and migrant worker clinics, bringing oral health education directly to workers where they are. In other words, a proactive approach to support our migrant workers. These outreach and educational efforts, anchored around this Centre, will help migrant workers build strong oral preventive health habits.

12 Our migrant workers contribute significantly to Singapore’s development. The Government, together with partners like SATA CommHealth, have and will continue to support our migrant workers’ health and wellbeing — starting with the homes they live in, the healthcare they receive, and the mental well-being resources available to them. This is a demonstration of our collective commitment to ensure that our migrant workers are taken care of. And we will continue to do so, just as they contribute to physically building the Singapore of tomorrow.

Once again, my heartiest congratulations to SATA CommHealth on the opening of their Dental Centre. Thank you!