Increasing Annual Cap for Caregiver Training Grant

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider increasing the annual cap for the Caregiver Training Grant for each care recipient.

The Caregivers Training Grant was introduced in 2007 to support caregivers of seniors and those with disability with up to $200 each year to attend caregiver training courses.

We do not have plans to increase the annual cap for the grant at the moment, as the current grant quantum is generally adequate. Today, about 80% of all approved caregiver

Page: 134

training courses cost $200 or less. Over the last four years, the average annual utilisation of the grant was about $160 per caregiver.

In the last two years, we have further refined the training framework and worked with training providers to raise the quality of the courses offered.

The grant now benefits more than 6,000 caregivers annually. More than 26,000 caregivers have benefited from this grant to date.

We will, however, continue to monitor the utilisation and adequacy of the Caregivers Training Grant.