Supporting Home Hospice Services

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.

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.