Organisation:
KPMG
Resource Link:
Published in 2021, Link
My Key Takeaways
There’s finally light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Yet, let’s not lose sight of the progress in mental health awareness in Singapore and Southeast Asia (SEA) over the last few years.
Sharing my takeaways from this KPMG report:
What is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)?
One of the most overlooked disorders, MDD kills around one million people globally each year.
MDD is characterised by a depressed mood, with a markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all activities that must persist for at least 2 weeks.
Mental healthcare in SEA (Pg 6)
SEA’s healthcare systems are chronically underfunded with about 5% or less of GDP vs OECD’s 10% target.
Funding support for mental health is even lower – budget allocation for mental healthcare per capita in SEA can be as low as US$1.
Singapore has 4.4 psychiatrists per 100,000 population, and the figure drops below 1.0 for Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines (pg 6). The WHO recommends 10 professionals per 100,000 population.
MDD impacts the young disproportionately in SEA (Pg 12)
Singapore – an estimated 18%, or nearly one in five, youths are diagnosed with depression.
Malaysia – a 2019 study found that 424,000 children already experienced mental illness.
Thailand – 33.6% of mental healthcare consultations in the first 6 months of 2019 were for 11-25 year-old patients, an increase from previous years. The same year, suicide rates for the age-group 20-24 increased by 8% to 5.33 per 100,000 people.
Country snapshots to save mental health solution providers’ market research time (Pg 18 to 35):
Examples of key statistics
➡️ Healthcare spend vs GDP
➡️ Mental health budget vs total
➡️ Annual per capita mental health expenditure
➡️ Annual budget for mental healthcare
➡️ Trained psychiatrists per 100k population
➡️ Mental illness & neuro-developmental disorders prevalence
➡️ Suicide rates
➡️ Public reimbursement % for mental health (important to note if your business model includes public subsidies)
Each country snapshot includes notable facts and analysis to support your company’s market entry strategy
Singapore’s National Healthcare Group Polyclinics also introduced teleconsultations which led to a 10% increase in patients seeking treatment for mental health conditions in the first half of 2020.
For example, in Singapore, the subsidised one-year treatment cost of mental illnesses is between US$12,838 – $25,131 (2019 figures). The Singapore government spends 18% of its total healthcare budget on mental health, considered high in SEA.
Pg 17 is a must-read journey map of a fictive SEA patient Fazilah’s struggle with MDD
It includes suggestions of touchpoints where public and private players can jointly play a part to support her recovery and avoid relapses.
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Patients in Singapore take an average of one year after onset of symptoms before seeking help.
This is way too long and is sadly a common phenomenon across SEA!
How could Singapore support companies in this important movement to lower the cost and stigma of mental health treatments, and nudge SEA patients to seek timely help? ❤️🩹🧑⚕️
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About Zhilin SIM
Having worked and lived in Singapore, the Nordics, China, Spain, UK, I’m now based in Paris.
I’m fluent in English, French and Mandarin, and I’m learning Arabic because it’s a beautiful and fascinating language.
My team creates and supports one-many initiatives connecting corporate and startup ecosystems in Europe to business and innovation opportunities in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
I’m passionate about horticulture, watercolour, startups/tech as well as French cuisine, Peranakan kueh techniques and other global cuisines.
Feel free to connect with me if you think my network in Europe and Asia could be of benefit to your business and innovation activities.
