Subsidised hospital-level care in homes of patients from April

MORH strategy to expand capacity will also see a hospital in Tengah by the early 2030s

- Judith Tan

Patients who opt for hospital-level care at home will be subsidised and can use their MediSave healthcare savings, as well as insurance payouts from MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans, to pay for it from April 1.

This, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said, will turn the service, called Mobile Inpatient Care @ Home (MIC@Home), into a recognised and accepted model of care in Singapore's public healthcare institutions.

Also, to serve the medical needs of the country's growing population, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has a new integrated general and community hospital in the pipeline for Tengah town in the west of Singapore. It will be ready in the early 2030s.

These are some of the strategies to expand the country's healthcare capacity, said Mr Ong in his speech on his ministry's budget on March 6.

In Singapore, what is driving up hospital bed occupancy is the increased number of seniors with complex conditions post-Covid-19, he said.

The average length of stay went up from about six days pre-Covid-19 to seven days post-Covid-19, which alone represents a 15 per cent increase in patient load, he noted.

"This is happening against the backdrop of a rapidly ageing population, which compounds the problem and makes it a long-term challenge," he said.

Three MPs, including Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, had raised the issue of capacity and waiting times at hospitals.

Suggestions included dynamic waiting times at hospital emergency departments and deploying more urgent care centres, which are meant for people who need urgent treatment for non-life-threatening illnesses.