Bone density and other muscular tests for women to be offered through Healthier SG: Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE – Bone density and other muscular tests will be made more accessible to women, and resources will be provided to help women strengthen their bones and build up their muscles, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Oct 6.

The screening tests will be provided through the national preventive health programme Healthier SG, he said at the annual Her World Woman of the Year award ceremony, highlighting the importance of women’s health on the national agenda.

Ong added that the details of these initiatives will be announced “hopefully soon”.

Women, especially after menopause, are more susceptible to osteoporosis and sarcopenia, conditions where bone tissue and muscle mass are lost with ageing.

At the event held at METT Singapore hotel, Ong said that so long as women continue to be physiologically different from men, “they must continue to be on the health agenda”.

Under new screening guidelines by the Screening Test Review Committee issued in 2026, women from age 50 or post-menopause, whichever is earlier, are recommended to undergo osteoporosis screening and risk assessment.

Previously, there were no screening recommendations for the general population for osteoporosis – a disease characterised by an increased fracture risk because of the deterioration of bone tissue.

Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, also recounted how another recent policy change that benefits women primarily came to be – the extension of subsidised genetic testing to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) from December.

It started with him asking his ministry why preventive mastectomy cannot be claimed under the insurance of those at high risk of having breast cancer. The answer – the procedure is a preventive treatment, whereas insurance claims are allowed only for curative treatments.

Up to 70 per cent of the costs of specific, approved genetic tests will be subsidised for eligible Singapore citizens and permanent residents, who can also tap their MediSave to offset the remaining cost.

In addition to subsidy, MOH has also extended MediShield Life coverage for risk-reducing mastectomy in the third quarter of 2026, and by the fourth quarter, it will extend coverage to risk-reducing removal of both the fallopian tubes and ovaries for those who test positive for HBOC.

Genetic counselling will be offered to women before and after their genetic test. For those who tested positive, the genetic test will also be offered to their immediate family members.

These developments were announced in 2026, a year Ong described as a special year for women to him. Among other things, he assumed the role of co-chairperson of the Board of the World Economic Forum's Global Alliance for Women’s Health.

In addition to placing women on the health agenda, he also said that as long as societal expectations of the role of women remain different from that of men, governments around the world must continue to build up systems, structures and networks, to support women in juggling their various roles.

And “as long as the above two factors continue to hold true, there will continue to be a role for events like this, where we honour the achievements of women, so that young girls looking at the Women of the Year will be inspired by what is possible as they grow up”.

DBS group chief executive Tan Su Shan, 58, was named the Her World Woman of the Year 2026, while environmental advocate Kong Man Jing, 32, received the Her World Young Woman Achiever 2026 award.

Wei Qiang is a correspondent at The Straits Times. He is on the health beat, with a special interest in healthcare policies.