Speech by SPS Sun Xueling at the Singapore Vet

Oct 11, 2019

A very good morning to everyone. I am very happy to join you at the inaugural edition of Singapore Vet today. Let me start by extending a very warm welcome to all our participants – especially to those who have come from afar to Singapore, a very welcome to all of you. 

Since the first Vet Show was held in London ten years ago, it has grown into a series of conferences held in locations throughout Europe and the US. This is now a key platform for veterinary professionals to network, collaborate, and learn from each other.

Singapore is honoured to host the first Asian edition of the Vet Show. In this regard, I would like to thank the organisers, CloserStill Media, the Royal Veterinary College, and the Singapore Veterinary Association, for their hard work in establishing the Show in Singapore.

This annual event is timely, given that pet ownership in the region is growing. In fact, the pet industry in Asia is expected to grow at about 14 per cent annually until 2021. With more pet owners, the demand for veterinary care and other pet-related services will naturally increase. 

In tandem, pet owners’ expectations of the services provided by the veterinary sector will also rise. Thus, there is a need for professionals to continually update their skills and knowledge to keep pace with the latest advancements in veterinary science and technologies. Events such as the Singapore Vet help the sector to enhance its capabilities to meet future demand as well as expectations. 

The importance of the veterinary sector goes beyond providing animals with high standards of care and ensuring animal health. The health of humans and animals is closely linked. Vets play a critical role in safeguarding public health. With the help of the veterinary industry, we can combine science with compassion to achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals and the environment.

I would like to first elaborate on two key ways in which vets help to safeguard animal and public health in Singapore. First, they help to prevent and control the spread of zoonotic diseases. Six out of ten existing infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals. And at least 75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans, such as Avian Influenza, have an animal origin and are transboundary. Hence, our local animal health authority, the National Parks Board (NParks), works closely with vets to ensure that diseases are promptly detected and reported. Vets are also important to the success of our pre-emptive measures. For instance, NParks conducts annual rabies vaccination exercises on dogs living on our offshore islands and at coastal fish farms. Although Singapore has been rabies-free since 1953, we must continue to remain vigilant. I understand that private sector vets and  students from Temasek and Ngee Ann Polytechnics’ veterinary-related Diploma courses have been actively participating in these efforts. Thank you for your contribution towards keeping Singapore rabies free. 

Second, our vets help to combat antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. AMR threatens the effective prevention and treatment of a range of diseases, and is an increasing global threat to human and animal health. We developed a National Strategic Plan on AMR in 2017 to encourage the prudent use of antimicrobials as well as educate users on its proper usage. In this regard, the Singapore Veterinary Association and NParks have been working together to develop Singapore’s first vaccination guidelines for dogs and cats, which aim to reduce the usage of antimicrobials. Ensuring that vaccinations maintain their efficacy safeguards not only animal health but also public health as the risk of zoonotic diseases is reduced. We aim to share these guidelines with the international community when they are ready next year.

In addition to their contributions to animal and public health, our vets work closely with us to uphold animal welfare, and promote responsible pet ownership. This is where your science in the veterinary industry meets our community’s compassion to take care of our animals. For example, in 2016 and 2017, our vets were involved in a multi-stakeholder effort to draft a Code of Animal Welfare for the Pet Industry and the Code of Animal Welfare for Pet Owners. Our vets are also supporting NParks’ nationwide Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) programme to sustainably reduce the stray dog population in Singapore. Some of you may be familiar with this process, which involves humanely catching stray dogs, sterilising them, and rehoming or releasing them at suitable locations to live out their lives naturally. 

As we move forward, there will be further opportunities for our vets to do more. NParks is undertaking a review of the pet industry. During this review, we hope to tap on the veterinary industry’s knowledge and expertise to achieve a better understanding of animal health and its impact on public health. We will also seek your views on how we can further develop the veterinary profession in Singapore. 

To conclude, I would like to thank the organisers again for bringing the Vet Show to our shores. I look forward to our veterinarians strengthening their competencies and knowledge so as to continue to provide the best care for animals, and safeguard public health.

I wish you all an enjoyable and enriching event. Thank you.