Singapore, Taguig sign health care agreements

MANILA, Philippines — Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited Taguig City as part of his state visit in the country to reinforce bilateral relations focusing on sustainability, health care and economic collaboration.

The Taguig government signed two health care agreements with Singapore, which aim to enhance maternal and child health services and expand access to underserved communities.

During his visit, Tharman underscored the importance of investing in maternal health and early childhood development, particularly during the first two years of life.

“I’m so happy that we are doing this together. The good comes in the doing, not just in policymaking, not just in having a strong enunciation about the importance of this intervention,” Tharman said.

“The good comes in the doing. And that requires partnership. It requires committed partnerships,” he added.

For her part, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano affirmed their vision of a “Transformative, Lively and Caring City” and how the partnership with Singapore aligns with that vision.

“As we embark on this journey, you can be assured that Taguig will approach this partnership with the same dedication and determination that have defined our progress over the years. We are always committed when it comes to opportunities that can elevate the standard of living for our people,” she said.

Also present during the visit was the mayor’s husband, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

Among the health care agreements signed by Singapore and Taguig is a public-private philanthropic partnership led by CareSpan Asia Inc. and Temasek Foundation, which is set to provide primary health care access to 350,000 underserved residents of Taguig through an advanced digital health care platform.

The second initiative is in collaboration with the SingHealth Duke-NUS Maternal and Child Health Research Institute, which focuses on improving key health indicators, infrastructure planning and capacity building in Taguig’s maternal and child health facilities.