Taskforce reached two-thirds of eligible seniors to explain Pioneer Generation Package

SINGAPORE — The Pioneer Generation Taskforce, formed two years ago, has reached out to about two-thirds of the eligible senior citizens, to ensure that they are aware of and understand the Government’s support programmes for them.

This outreach work will still continue now that the taskforce’s assignment is complete, so that they know of the Government’s continued commitment to them in their golden years, Dr Amy Khor said.

More than 400,000 pioneers have received more than S$700 million in benefits under the Pioneer Generation Package, a Finance Ministry spokesperson said.

To date, about 300,000 pioneers have benefited from the Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) under the package, which offers subsidies to pioneers at 1,600 participating general practitioners and dental clinics, a joint statement by the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health stated.

Dr Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health, who co-led the taskforce committee with Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State for Transport, told the media on Friday (Aug 12): “Even as the work of the taskforce has concluded, we will continue to gather feedback from the ground, and from the taskforce members... and (to) remind (the pioneer generation) there are these benefits they can avail themselves to, give them assurance that they can have peace of mind when it comes to healthcare affordability.”

To carry on the work, 3,000 Pioneer Generation ambassadors will go door to door to visit those who are eligible to help them understand the package, as well as other government schemes, for instance.

The package, administered by the Pioneer Generation Office, was introduced in 2014 to thank the pioneers for their roles in nation-building, and it gives them benefits such as special medical subsidies. Those aged 65 and above in 2014 and​​​ who ​​obtained citizenship on or before 31 December 1986 are eligible for the scheme.

In the past two years, each ambassador has reached out to pioneers via 10 to 30 home visits per week, or more than 300,000 pioneers in total.

Mrs Teo said that the taskforce learnt how to communicate more effectively, for example, and how to collaborate with other parties, such as community organisations, in doing its work.

“I remember our very first meeting, our taskforce members raised their hands and reminded all of us that when it comes to communicating with seniors, repetition is very important. Especially when things can get a bit more complex, repetition helps the pioneers to absorb and understand. So we were not shy to repeat the same messages, the same information,” Mrs Teo recalled.

She added that the learning points could even be passed on to other ministries to communicate their policies to the population. This could be done by, say, having internal seminars where relevant colleagues could share the learning points.