Sarah Fong
NURS 03401 Community Health Nursing
Eileen Pummer RN, MSN, CPHQ
Suzanne Taylor RN, MSN
Rowan University
Abstract
This paper examines Singapore’s demographics that include the population breakdown, socioeconomic status (SES), and health indicators like costs for treatments, birth and mortality rates, and major health issues. Along with a discussion of health indicators, there is also a review of how Singaporeans view health, the financing of healthcare, and who provides the healthcare. The advantages of the Singaporean healthcare system are assessed as well as an analysis on areas that need improvement.
Demographics The country of Singapore is located in Southeast Asia in between Malaysia and Indonesia and is comprised of an island and islets. It is roughly 275 square miles, which is the smaller than the city of San Diego. Around 1819, the British colonized the island and turned it into a major trading post between Malaysia, China, and India (Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI), 2009). Singapore became an independent nation in 1965. As of 2011, the Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI) stated that Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) totaled USD $327 million. The Ministry of Statistics, Singapore recorded 3.31 million people that were employed and a 1.9% unemployment rate in September 2012 (Department of Statistics, Singapore, 2013). Along with a low unemployment rate, Singapore’s educational system ranks fifth in the world with 96.1% of its population over the age 15 having the ability to read and write (Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI), 2009).
Singapore’s Health Indicators Compared to United States In 2012, it was reported that Singapore had a very low birth rate of 7.72 births per 1,000 residents. The Department of Statistics, Singapore also reported a crude death rate of 3.41 deaths per 1,000 residents for the year of 2012. Some major health
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