Government's Operating Expenditure for Long-Term Care Services

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Yip Pin Xiu
Nominated Member of Parliament

Question No. 1553

To ask the Minister for Health in FY2017 and FY2018 (a) what is the Government expenditure on formal long-term care services, broken down by (i) nursing homes including inpatient hospices (ii) day care centres and (iii) formal homecare services; (b) how many people used (i) nursing home services (ii) day centre services and (iii) formal homecare services during these years; and (c) of these, how many were aged 60 and above.

Written Reply 

1     Based on latest available data in FY2017, the Government’s operating expenditure for long-term care services was about $580 million. About 60% of the expenditure was for residential long-term care. The remainder was for home and centre-based care, as well as other support schemes, such as active ageing programmes and the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund. This is on top of the Government’s development expenditure on new long term care capacity.

2     In the same period, approximately 14,100 Singaporeans used nursing home services; 1,300 used inpatient hospice services; and 29,700 used home and centre-based care services.[1] About 90% of them were aged 60 and above.

[1] Data covers mainstream care services including home and centre-based palliative care services, and may be incomplete for non-subsidised clients. Data excludes pilot care services.