Number of Licensed Nursing Home Beds Needed for Next Five Years

84 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Health (a) what are the projections on the number of licensed nursing home beds needed for the next five years; and (b) what is the Government doing to meet these projections.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: As at end 2020, there are around 16,300 licensed nursing home beds. Based on our assessment of the needs, we plan to add around 5,000 nursing home beds by 2025.

We increase nursing home capacity in three main ways. First, MOH develops purpose-built nursing homes and appoints operators through competitive Requests for Proposals. Second, MOH provides financial support to eligible operators who wish to increase their existing nursing home capacity through redevelopment. Third, the Government releases suitable land sites and state properties for interested operators to bid for and run nursing homes.

We will continue to monitor nursing home utilisation rates regularly and adjust capacity plans accordingly to address evolving care needs.