SINGAPORE – PREPARING FOR THE HEALTHCARE NEEDS OF AN AGEING POPULATION

As Singapore heads towards a trebling of its aged population, from the current 300,000 aged over 65 years, to 900,000 in 2030, the Ministry of Health continues to ramp up efforts to provide suitable infrastructure in the form of Intermediate and Long-Term Care (ILTC) – which includes community hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and home care.

New developments planned for general, long term, community and mental healthcare include:

• Khoo Teck Puat General Hospital in Yishun – to be completed by 2010
• Jruong General Hospital in the west – to be completed by 2014
• New community hospitals in Yishun and Jurong by 2016.
• A second heart and cancer centre at the National University Hospital
• Expansion of the second dental centre within the National University Health System.
• Expand nursing home capacity from 9,200 to 14,000 beds over the next decade
• 2,000 more nursing home beds in the next five years. 
• Five new nursing homes in the next two years.  These will include:
• a 300-bed nursing home for patients with psychiatric problems by 2012 (currently there are 3 such nursing homes)
• two 250-bed nursing homes for patients suffering from dementia

(currently there are 20,000 dementia patients which will rise to 45,000 by 2020)

• Plots for two private nursing homes to be released.
• New and larger facilities for two nursing homes run by Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs).

• Manpower expansion and training in healthcare. Recruitment and training of 4,500 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and administrative staff,  with 2000 job openings in 12 months. 

• Further improvements in healthcare delivery, including multi-disciplinary teams to deliver effective care, and new roles for Advanced Practice Nurses, Nurse Educators and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs).

• Third medical school at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The Minister for Health has advised NTU to explore various collaborative models and possible partnerships with reputable overseas medical schools that are at the forefront of medical education, to help transform the way medicine is taught and practised in Singapore.

• To develop a pool of palliative care specialists and further support the  professional development of staff in the VWO sector.

27 May 2009