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11 Jan 2011
Question No: 678
Question
Name of the Person: Mdm Halimah Yacob
To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the average waiting time for a place in a subsidised nursing home; (b) how many percent of the current cohort of elderly will need nursing home care in the future; (c) whether there are plans to improve the quality and standards of care provided in the nursing homes in Singapore; and (d) whether the Government will consider expediting the building of new nursing homes which was announced recently.
Reply
Reply From MOH
1. The average waiting time for a subsidised nursing home bed is about 49 days.
2. Currently, 2% of our elderly population above 65 years requires nursing home care. The figure may grow in the future but we must try to keep it low as all seniors prefer to age at home, rather than in an institution.
3. It is our priority to raise the standard of care in nursing homes. We have discussed these plans in this House before. Last month, we have also set up an Expert Panel on Nursing Homes to improve the rehabilitative capabilities of nursing homes, so that patients can benefit from effective rehabilitation and be able to return home eventually. The Expert Panel will be advising MOH on how we should go about achieving this objective.
4. Meanwhile, we have started building six new nursing homes. They are at different stages of planning and construction. Three of them should be ready by early 2013. And of the three, two are in the West.