Building In-house Dialysis Facilities in More Public Nursing Homes

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) which public nursing homes in Singapore currently provide in-house dialysis facilities for their residents; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider incorporating in-house dialysis facilities into more public nursing homes to enhance accessibility and convenience for residents requiring such treatment.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not require public nursing homes to provide in-house dialysis as a standard service. As only a very small proportion of clients in public nursing homes require dialysis today, it would be more cost and manpower efficient for such clients to receive treatment at community dialysis centres.

Nonetheless, some public nursing homes are co-located with community dialysis centres as there is sufficient demand for such services by nursing home clients and patients residing in the vicinity.