PUBLIC AND PRIVATE REHABILITATIVE CENTRES

Mr Goh Choon Kang asked the Minister for Health (a) how many public and private rehabilitative centres are there in Singapore; (b) whether the current number is sufficient to meet needs; and (c) what is the projection for such service over the next five to ten years in view of our rapid greying population.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Rehabilitation services in Singapore are provided at both acute hospitals and community levels to help patients recover from conditions such as stroke and fractured hips. All the 5 public hospitals, namely, SGH, CGH, NUH, TTSH and AH provide rehabilitation services. The 4 private hospitals, Mt Elizabeth, Gleneagles, East Shore and Mt Alvernia, also provide rehabilitation services to their patients. At the community level, four community hospitals and 23 day rehabilitation centres provide among others 970 places for rehabilitation. Most nursing homes also provide rehabilitation to their patients. Half of the 50 nursing homes are run by private organisations.

The standalone rehabilitation centres are all run by voluntary welfare organisations. Based on our provision norms of 3.5 places per 1,000 elderly, we estimate that there is currently a slight overprovision of day rehabilitation places by about 150 places. This is borne out by the utilisation rate of day rehabilitation centres, which at 60% is a little underutilised.

We will have sufficient day rehabilitation places over the next 10 years, based on projected requirements and known development plans over the next few years. However, my Ministry reviews the provision of such step-down facilities regularly so as to ensure an adequate supply to meet the needs of our patients.