This is the latest post by Minister for Health in his MOH blog:
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On several occasions, MPs, the media and Singaporeans I met have asked me whether we can ease the current squeeze on the capacity of our restructured hospitals and whether our new hospitals and other healthcare infrastructure can be built faster. We have indeed accelerated our hospital building programme over the past few years, to keep pace with the rising healthcare needs of the population. Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital, and Yishun Community Hospital, will open in 2014-2015. We are also building a number of nursing homes, which will be opening over the next few years.
I had indicated earlier that MOH is studying whether we can bring forward the opening of Sengkang Hospital, scheduled for 2020. The planning team has completed their review and I am happy to share that we would be targeting to bring forward the building completion date to 2018, and to open the hospital thereafter in phases to serve the residents living in north-eastern Singapore.
However, adding more beds to the system is only part of the solution. We also need to find more innovative and cost effective ways to deliver health-care services and to optimise the use of our healthcare capacity. That is why the Sengkang hospital, when it is ready, will need to work closely with other healthcare partners (e.g. nursing homes, GPs and home healthcare providers) in the same region to provide coordinated and seamless care.
Over the past two months, we shared with our stakeholders the draft Primary Care Masterplan and we have received valuable feedback and suggestions. We hope to finalise it by early next year. MOH is also working on a master plan for intermediate and long-term care to address the challenges of our aging population. I will share more of this later.
As we build more healthcare facilities, we will need the continued support and understanding of Singaporeans, especially those who live in the vicinity of these facilities, so that we can meet Singapore’s immediate and future healthcare needs.
Giving our aging and blooming population, it should be done if not earlier. Beside hospitals, could you also look at the existing polyclinic service? My mum often has to wait for 5 long hours to see a doctor (less than 10 minutes) on every visit to the polyclinic. The number of old residents, PRs, Foreign Workers, Maids have push up the no. of patients per polyclinic.
Secondly, please look into the traffic junction between Sengkang West and Sengkang road, outside the Sengkang Police Post. The timing of the pedestrian crossing is ridiculous. You have to walk or I says jog to beat the “Red” man for a young man. It poses a danger to older folks or young children who unable to made it across in time. Whose safety first? Vehicles or human?
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Pin Min’s Reply:
James,
Thanks for your feeedback. Will inform LTA about the traffic light timings.
As for the crwoding in polyclinic, MOH is already aware of this. Currently Sengkang polyclinic serves Sengkang as well as Punggol residents. MOH is building a new polyclinic in Punggol and when ready will help alleviate the situation in Sengkang polyclinic.