Waiting Times for Admissions at Public Hospitals

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1929
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 5 JULY 2023

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Dr Lim Wee Kiak
MP for Sembawang GRC

Question No. 4603

To ask the Minister for Health (a) when can the results from the measures announced to reduce waiting time for admissions to public hospitals be expected; (b) what is the longest projected waiting time for beds; (c) when will the Ministry start to mobilise private hospitals and healthcare facilities; and (d) what steps have been taken to ensure that patients who are not admitted within a day receive timely and quality care.

Answer

1     As we exit from the COVID-19 crisis, hospitals have found that the average length of stay has increased significantly, from 6.1 days to 7 days. This translates into 15% more utilisation of hospital beds and is the key driver for longer waiting times for admission. The patients who need longer stays are older with comorbidities and complex conditions. The situation is aggravated by healthcare infrastructure projects being delayed due to COVID-19. 
 
2     We are actively working on increasing acute bed capacity, community hospital bed capacity and Transition Care Facilities to address the capacity constraint. In the meantime, our hospitals will continue attending to life-threatening cases at the Emergency Departments (EDs) immediately and carry out urgent surgeries promptly. For non-life threatening patients who require admissions, hospitals will activate inpatient teams to start investigations and treatments in the emergency departments, even before a ward bed is available.  If need be, we will tap on the capacity of private hospitals, as we did during COVID-19.