Parliamentary Questions filed by Ms Carrie Tan on 4 & 5 October
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has any projections for the anticipated increase in informal caregivers needed over the next 10 to 20 years as the population ages; (b) if so, what are the projected figures; and (c) how is the Government intending to build up the capacity and capability of care workers to relieve the elderly care load on women and men who are currently having to give up their jobs to care for their ageing parents.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the current protocols in place for the prescription of anti-depressants to patients under 25 years old by primary care doctors; and (b) in view of the co-relation between increased anti-depressant usage and youth suicide, whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the intervention pathway and protocols to enhance safeguards against the use of anti-depressants in youths and children too early or unnecessarily in their mental health recovery process.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has figures on post-partum depression cases tracked over the years; (b) if so, what is the observed trend regarding the rate of post-partum depression in mothers over the past 10 years generally and by socio-economic segments; (c) whether the Government has any longitudinal studies on post-partum depression and its link to mental health conditions in mother and child in later years; and (d) if not, whether it will consider conducting studies on this.