ENHANCING QUALITY AND COORDINATION OF CARE

To meet the rising demand for healthcare services and manpower, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will continue to expand capacity while enhancing the quality and coordination of care in the healthcare system.​ Efforts are also underway to transform our workforce to keep pace with evolving practices.

Expansion of Healthcare Capacity​

2.             As announced at the Committee of Supply 2025, MOH is on track to add about 2,800 new public acute and community hospital beds by 2030. Some key infrastructure updates include:

a. The new Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Elective Care Centre will open by 2027.

b. Sengkang General Hospital will add new beds progressively from 2027.

c. Woodlands Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Integrated Care Hub will continue to ramp-up their bed capacity.

d. The redeveloped Alexandra Hospital has commenced construction works and will open progressively from 2028.

e. The new Eastern General Hospital Campus at Bedok North, comprising a new integrated general and community hospital has commenced construction works and will open progressively from 2029.

3.             Beyond 2030, MOH will continue to boost capacity. The design consultancies for Tan Tock Seng Hospital Medical Tower, Tengah General and Community Hospital, and the redevelopment of National University Hospital (NUH) Kent Ridge have commenced. MOH will also be calling the design consultancy tender for Phase 2 redevelopment for SGH in the coming weeks.

Growing our polyclinic network 

4.             There were 28 polyclinics as at end-February 2026. MOH is on track to expand the network of polyclinics to 32 by 2030

New Polyclinics

a. Three polyclinics, located in Bidadari, Kaki Bukit and Yew Tee, are scheduled to be completed by 2027; and

b. Taman Jurong Polyclinic is scheduled to be completed by 2030.

c. Beyond 2030, there will be a new polyclinic at Bishan.

Redevelopment of existing Polyclinics

 d. Four polyclinics – Clementi Polyclinic, Jurong Polyclinic, Queenstown Polyclinic and Toa Payoh Polyclinic – will be redeveloped by 2030.

e. Beyond 2030, Bukit Merah and Outram polyclinics will be consolidated into one polyclinic at Tiong Bahru.

Strengthening support for healthcare providers to onboard and contribute to the National Electronic Health Record

5.             To ensure that all healthcare providers have the necessary support to onboard and contribute to the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR), MOH will launch the NEHR Connect Grant (NCG), with up to $45 million set aside over the next four years to support healthcare providers. The NCG is a one-off funding support to help healthcare providers defray the costs of adopting a certified health information management system (HIMS) or enhancing their existing HIMS to meet Health Information Act (HIA) requirements.

6.             The NCG will be rolled out from July 2026. For healthcare providers using subscription-based HIMS, which represents the majority of smaller practices, the NCG provides funding to cover approximately two years of subscription costs for HIA-compliant systems. For providers using in-house systems requiring enhancements, the funding support covers up to 40% of enhancement costs up to a cap, which varies between the licensable health sectors (e.g. clinical laboratories, and private hospitals). Healthcare providers that have previously received similar MOH funding support for NEHR data contribution will not be eligible for the NCG.

7.             Besides the NCG, providers requiring IT/cybersecurity solutions such as firewalls and anti-malware solutions may tap on funding support from Enterprise Singapore’s (EnterpriseSG) Productivity Solutions Grant. Healthcare providers can also tap on existing support schemes from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and EnterpriseSG to meet HIA cybersecurity and data security requirements. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) without cybersecurity capabilities can receive up to 70% co-funding support[1] to engage consultants certified by CSA.

8.             Based on the set up of a typical solo practitioner clinic, they may be eligible for approximately $20,000 in grants across the agencies to onboard NEHR and help meet the HIA cybersecurity and data security requirements.

9.             In addition, MOH is developing comprehensive resources to help healthcare providers meet their cybersecurity and data security obligations under the HIA. These initiatives include:

 a. Thematic infographics explaining cybersecurity and data security requirements in bite-sized and manageable content;

b. A guide for healthcare providers on the steps to take for HIA implementation, which will include a step-by-step guide and templates for healthcare providers to implement the cybersecurity and data security measures, and a self-assessment tool for healthcare providers to gauge their cybersecurity and data security readiness; and

c. Training courses on cybersecurity and data security tailored for healthcare providers, for example, through NTUC LearningHub.

10.          MOH is also partnering professional bodies such as the Singapore Medical Association to deliver targeted support through webinars and townhalls, to address specific concerns and implementation challenges faced by healthcare providers.

11.          All information on support schemes, resources and guides will be made available at the Health Information Act website (www.healthinfo.gov.sg).

12.          HIA will facilitate the onboarding of all healthcare providers onto the NEHR.  Authorised healthcare providers may tap on the NEHR during patient consultations to access patient histories, thus reducing medical errors and improving clinical decision-making. With more healthcare providers contributing to the NEHR, healthcare providers will have more comprehensive information on their patients, which will facilitate coordinated care across the entire healthcare system.

 Strengthening Regulatory Framework for the Practice of Psychology

13.          MOH is strengthening the regulatory framework for the practice of psychology. An inter-agency Implementation Committee comprising psychologists, employers, regulators, and academics from across public and private settings identified five psychological subdisciplines for regulation: clinical, clinical neuropsychology, forensic, counselling and educational psychology. These subdisciplines provide direct care involving higher-risk assessments and interventions across various sectors that warrant regulatory oversight.

14.             Psychologists belonging to these subdisciplines will be registered under the Allied Health Professions Act 2011 to improve the safety of psychological services, raise standards of care, and strengthen public confidence in the profession and its services. Registration will be phased across the five identified subdisciplines, and the detailed requirements and timelines will be announced in due course.

15.          The Implementation Committee is developing registration requirements based on international standards, local and overseas regulatory frameworks, the current criteria of the Singapore Register of Psychologists, and feedback from public and private sector psychologists. The Committee will ensure that requirements are fair, balanced, and inclusive through continued industry engagement, with adequate lead time for implementation, and grandfathering provisions to accommodate in-service psychologists and avoid service disruption.

16.          With the registration of these subdisciplines, MOH and partner Ministries, namely the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and Ministry of Education (MOE), will work with Singapore Psychological Society to raise public awareness of the scope of practice and protected titles of each subdiscipline. This will provide the public with clearer guidance on the types of psychological services and help them identify the appropriate psychologist for their treatment needs.

17.          We recognise that all psychologists, including those who belong to the unregistered psychology subdisciplines, as well as other mental health professions, provide essential care and support to help patients and clients achieve positive mental health outcomes. Psychology subdisciplines that are unregistered generally operate in lower-risk practice settings. Along with the other professions with overlapping scopes of practice, we will continue to rely on existing safeguards for these professionals whilst monitoring the need for further regulation as the landscape evolves.

Accelerated Pathway for Clinical Psychology Specialisation at Master's Degree Level for Eligible Undergraduates

18.          To support the growing demand for mental health services and complement the regulatory framework, MOH is also working with MOE and National University of Singapore (NUS) to offer eligible undergraduates the option of an accelerated pathway to specialise in Clinical Psychology at Master’s level. The programme is targeted to roll-out for the undergraduate intake cohort of 2026

19.          NUS is carefully curating a curriculum comprising of didactic learning and exposure through clinical training during the undergraduate years. This will develop practitioners with knowledge and skills that are fit-for-purpose to care for vulnerable patients upon graduation with both a Bachelor’s degree with Honours and a Master’s degree.

20.          NUS’ new accelerated pathway will complement existing postgraduate training pipelines, including its existing standalone two-year Master of Psychology (Clinical) for those with relevant clinical work experience. Together, these courses expand our clinical psychologist manpower to meet a growing need.

Redesigning Nursing Post-Diploma Specialty Programmes into Work-Study Format

21.          Building upon existing initiatives such as the ITE Work-Study Diploma in Nursing for Enrolled Nurses to upgrade to Registered Nurses, MOH will work with Nanyang Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to transit nursing post-diploma specialty programmes to a work-study format with a greater focus on competencies.

22.          Nursing work-study programmes have a greater emphasis on work, with a recommended work-study ratio of 70:30. The work-study model combines formal academic learning with extensive structured on-the-job training in healthcare settings. This helps to bridge the gap between study and practice, enabling nurses to be more confident and ready for their new roles and responsibilities upon completing the nursing specialty programme.

23.          The work-study format offers a distinct advantage over traditional full-time programmes by enabling nurses to remain in clinical practice whilst developing new competencies through real-world application. This will allow nurses to apply newly acquired knowledge directly to their clinical roles, ensuring that learning translates immediately into patient care under guidance.

24.          Existing programmes will be progressively transited into the new work-study format in phases, to allow for proper planning, stakeholder engagement, and quality assurance throughout the process. To meet the needs of Singapore’s evolving healthcare landscape, two Advanced Diploma in Nursing programmes – Palliative Care and Community Health, will be prioritised for initial launch in work-study format. More details will be shared when ready.

[1] CSA’s CISO as-a-Service (CISOaaS) for Health Information Act (HIA) Cybersecurity and Data Security Essentials (CS/DS Essentials)