Supporting Home Hospice Services
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the financial sustainability and funding models for home hospice services as raised by Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung responded that the Ministry of Health reviews funding rates regularly, with the latest increases implemented this year to address escalating costs. He highlighted support for training, technology adoption, the standardized compassionate discharge protocol, and the Equipment Rental Scheme under the National Strategy for Palliative Care. The Minister noted that home hospice capacity is targeted to reach 3,600 by year-end, with government funding continuing to grow alongside rising patient numbers. These measures aim to ensure the long-term resilience of providers and facilitate a seamless transition to home-based palliative care for patients.
Transcript
54 Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health given the rising demand for home hospice services (a) how is the Ministry assessing the financial resilience of current providers and planning for future cost escalations; (b) what long-term funding models are being considered to ensure the sustainability of these services; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider increasing direct grants to support charitable hospice providers.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Palliative care, including home hospice services, are strongly supported by the Ministry of Health (MOH). MOH regularly reviews the operating costs of the services and adjusts our funding rates per patient accordingly. The latest round of funding increases was effected this year.
Besides direct funding, we support the training and hiring of palliative care workers, and adoption of technology to improve productivity. To make the transition to home hospice care more seamless, public hospitals have developed a standardised compassionate discharge protocol and MOH has implemented the Equipment Rental Scheme, a subsidised rental scheme for medical equipment.
These measures are all part of the National Strategy for Palliative Care. As a result, the capacity of home hospice care has increased significantly from 2,400 to 3,000 over the past two years and is targeted to reach 3,600 by end of this year. Total Government funding to the sector will continue to grow over time, as costs and patient numbers rise.