Older Persons in Southeast Asia: An Emerging Asset

3. Economics and Old Age: The Singapore Experience

Economics and Old Age: The Singapore Experience 71 3 ECONOMICS AND OLD AGE The Singapore Experience David Reisman The indicators in Singapore are good. The infant mortality rate was 2.6 per 1,000 live births in 2007. It had been 8.0 in 1980, and 82.0 in 1950. In the United States the rate was 7.0, in Sweden and Japan 3.0, in China 23.0, and in India 62.0. Life expectancy at birth was 77.9 for males, 81.8 for females: the average was 15 years longer than at internal self-government in 1959. The corresponding figures were 75.0 and 80.0 in the United States, 78.5 and 85.5 in Japan, 66.0 and 70.0 in Indonesia, 61.0 and 63.0 in Laos. Figures 3.1 and 3.2 show where Singapore stands. Healthy life expectancy at birth was 68.8 for males, 71.3 for females in 2007. In the United States, the respective figures were 67.2 and 71.3, in Japan 72.3 and 77.7. Adult mortality in the productive years of 15-60 was 85 per 1000 for males, 50 for females: in United States the figures were 144 and 83, in Sweden 82 and 51 (World Bank 2007). Figures 3.3 and 3.4 illustrate Singapore’s relative performance. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the effectiveness of Singapore’s health care system sixth among its 191 member states: France was first, Japan tenth, the United Kingdom eighteenth, the United States 72 David Reisman 0 20 40 60 80 100 S i n g a p o r e U n i t e d S t a t e s J a p a n S w e d e n I n d i a C h i n a I n d o n e s i a L a o P D R Z i m b a b w e R u s s i a 0 20 40 60 80 100 S i n g a p o r e U n i t e d S t a t e s S w e d e n J a p a n I n d i a C h i n a I n d o n e s i a L a o P D R Z i m b a b w e R u s s i a Males Females FIGURE 3.1 Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births): Singapore and Some Other Countries, 2007 Source: World Bank (2007). FIGURE 3.2 Life Expectancy at Birth: Singapore and Some Other Countries, 2007 Source: World Bank (2007). Economics and Old Age: The Singapore Experience 73 0 20 40 60 80 100 U n i t e d S t a t e s J a p a n S i n g a p o r e A S E A N Males Females 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 U n i t e d S t a t e s S w e d e n J a p a n I n d i a C h i n a S i n g a p o r e I n d o n e s i a L a o P D R Z i m b a b w e R u s s i a Males Females FIGURE 3.3 Healthy Life Expectancy at Birth: Singapore and Some Other Countries, 2007 Source: World Bank (2007). FIGURE 3.4 Adult Mortality in the Productive Years 15–60 (per 1,000): Singapore and Some Other Countries, 2007 Source: World Bank (2007). 74 David Reisman thirty-seventh. Fairness of financing was a different matter. There Singapore was number 101 (World Health Organization 2000: 154). Colombia topped the list for fairness. There were 2.9 hospital beds per 1,000 of population in Singapore (fewer than the 3.3 in United States, or 4.0 in the United Kingdom, far fewer than 7.6 in France or 14.3 in Japan). There were 1.3 doctors per 1,000 of the population. In Japan the figure was 1.98. In the United States it was 2.2, in the United Kingdom 2.3, in France 3.4 (World Health Organization 2006; World Bank 2007...