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12th public general hospital to be built in the east by 2030: Gan Kim Yong

The state-run Singapore General Hospital said 678 patients as well as 273 medical workers were being contacted to be screened for the virus
FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore

SINGAPORE — Singapore will have its 12th public general hospital built in the east by 2030, to ease the current load on Changi General Hospital (CGH).

Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong announced the plan during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate in Parliament on Thursday (5 March).

The actual location of the hospital, which will be run by SingHealth, has not been announced yet. Its opening will add to the 10 current public general hospitals and a new one in Woodlands, which is expected to open in 2022.

Gan also announced that Alexandra Hospital will be redeveloped with greater access and land area, as well as built-up space to trial new models of care. The first phase of redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2030.

National healthcare expenditure gone up

Gan revealed that the national healthcare expenditure has gone up from $13 billion in 2012 to $22 billion in 2017 – an 11 per cent yearly increase.

While some of the high cost comes from an ageing population, he told Parliament that five percentage points of the increase were due to higher use of facilities and services. Another two percentage points of the increase cost were due to the higher cost of drugs and medical devices.

"This is partly the result of making care more accessible and affordable to all, and partly due to earlier diagnosis and closer monitoring and follow-ups for medical conditions,” he said.

“The range of treatment options has also expanded as the frontiers of medicine advance, increasing utilisation, but at the same time improving life spans and the quality of life.”

Expanding polyclinic network to 32 by 2030

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health will continue to expand the polyclinic network, with 12 more to be added to provide a total of 32 polyclinics by 2030.

Three new polyclinics will open this year in Bukit Panjang, Eunos and Kallang, with one in Sembawang opening next year. Another six will open by 2026 – in Khatib, Tampines North, Serangoon, Kaki Bukit, Tengah and Yew Tee.

The last two, to be opened by 2030, will be in Bishan and Bidadari.

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