Making home and community services more affordable.
Private operators can bid with VWOs to run subsidised care services for elderly in move to raise capacity.
BETTER subsidised home and community services are on the cards as private operators have been invited to join voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) to bid for them, said Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Amy Khor yesterday.
These services include home nursing, day care and day rehabilitation services.
All operators can now take part in the Ministry of Health's (MOH) Build-Own-Lease tenders for the provision of subsidised aged care services, she said.
Previously, most subsidised home and community services were provided by VWOs.
The change in policy would help Singapore scale up capacity and provide affordable care for a greying population, she said.
Capacity was an issue, given feedback about long waiting lists at certain care centres, said Ms Ellen Lee (Sembawang GRC).
But this has already improved somewhat, Dr Khor noted, citing how an elderly patient now faces a shorter wait of about 20 days for admission into day care, down from 30 days last year.
When it comes to choosing providers of home and community services, the Government will look at care models and affordability of fees, she added. The Government may also request more bundled services for future centres.
Recently, it solicited proposals from private organisations and VWOs for a senior care centre at Ci Yuan Community Centre in Hougang. Providers had to tender to operate day services in the senior care centre as well as offer home-care services out of the centre.
Extending the tender of subsidised services to private operators is part of an ongoing effort to expand home and community services for seniors to age in familiar surroundings.
"We want to fulfil our seniors' aspirations to age in place and enable their children to take care of their parents at home for as long as possible," Dr Khor said.
Besides expanding capacity, the Health Ministry will also pay close attention to the quality of home and community care.
Last year, new home-based, community and palliative care guidelines were proposed. These have been finalised and will be implemented soon.
With Singapore's population ageing, several MPs raised concerns about health-care manpower. "Caring for the elderly requires much human touch and many aspects cannot be automated through productivity measures," said Ms Tin Pei Ling (Marine Parade GRC).
She noted that in Britain, for example, one in five nursing homes was found to have a lack of staff to provide adequate care.
Fortunately, Singapore is on track to meet its health-care manpower targets of expanding the workforce by 20,000 staff from 2011 to 2020, Dr Khor said.
In the last four years, Singapore's health-care professional workforce expanded by 9,000. Health-care job roles have also expanded as technology takes over more mundane jobs.
Senior patient service associate Rajasoluchana Rasayam, 34, for instance, needs to do less administrative work with advanced IT systems at Tan Tock Seng Hospital nowadays.
Instead, her role has been expanded to include more meaningful tasks such as drawing blood for patients, which helps in the diagnosis of diseases.
"There is career progression and I have been given more opportunities to grow," she said.
MOH will continue to look into training, remuneration and flexible work arrangements to encourage a higher take-up of health-care jobs, Dr Khor said. She also hoped more mid-career entrants, women re-entering the workforce and retired nurses will join the health-care workforce.
The Straits Times / Singapore Published on 13 March, 2015
By Kash Cheong kashc@sph.com.sg
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