Additional Nursing Home Beds from 2021 to 2030

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Health (a) how many nursing home beds will be added from January 2021 to December 2030; and (b) how much of the expected demand will be fulfilled by 2020 and 2030 respectively given our ageing population.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) plans for nursing home capacity to meet projected demand based on a combination of factors, such as demographics and incidence of disability. We have increased our capacity from 9,400 beds in 2011 to 12,800 beds today and will develop more nursing homes to reach a total of 17,000 beds by 2020. This is expected to meet the demand for nursing homes in 2020.

Beyond 2020, we will continue to add more nursing home capacity. However, the number of beds added will have to be constantly reviewed and calibrated as demand patterns change. We are also meeting seniors' care needs holistically in different ways.

Even as we continue to build more nursing homes, we are also focusing on upstream efforts to keep Singaporeans healthy and growing our suite of home and community care services to help seniors age in place.