Singapore has made remarkable achievements in child and maternal healthcare through significant reduction made in childhood and perinatal morality rates. A number of “new morbidities” however, present emerging child healthcare challenges. Indeed, the Child Development Programme (CDP) under the Ministry of Health has observed about a 2-fold increase of new referrals from 2004 to 2011. Primary child healthcare prevention is crucial to address these problems early. Healthcare providers however, need to be cognisant that children’s development and health-promoting behaviours are contingent on primary caregivers’ responsiveness to their needs. Caregivers’ health and well-being constitute a “capacity” that affects the production of future capacities of their children.
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