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Target to cut waiting time for nursing home place
HEALTH Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday said he aims to reduce the average waiting time for a place in a subsidised nursing home by 20 days.
He told Parliament he found the current average waiting time of 49 days 'a bit too long', and has a personal target to bring it down to 29 days.
But Mr Khaw took pains to explain that a longer waiting time did not mean patients were not being served.
'What (it) actually means is, usually they are kept waiting in an expensive setting, which is usually an acute hospital,' he said in reply to a question from Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC).
To mitigate the situation, six new nursing homes will be built. Three are expected to be ready by early 2013.
However, Mr Khaw warned against making nursing homes too accessible, as this could encourage people to send their elderly parents to institutions instead of caring for them at home.
Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC) suggested that the home care option be looked at first before a place is granted in nursing homes.
Mr Khaw agreed with such an approach. He said: 'All seniors do want to age at home, and I think our job is to try to facilitate that.'
HEALTH Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday said he aims to reduce the average waiting time for a place in a subsidised nursing home by 20 days.
He told Parliament he found the current average waiting time of 49 days 'a bit too long', and has a personal target to bring it down to 29 days.
But Mr Khaw took pains to explain that a longer waiting time did not mean patients were not being served.
'What (it) actually means is, usually they are kept waiting in an expensive setting, which is usually an acute hospital,' he said in reply to a question from Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC).
To mitigate the situation, six new nursing homes will be built. Three are expected to be ready by early 2013.
However, Mr Khaw warned against making nursing homes too accessible, as this could encourage people to send their elderly parents to institutions instead of caring for them at home.
Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC) suggested that the home care option be looked at first before a place is granted in nursing homes.
Mr Khaw agreed with such an approach. He said: 'All seniors do want to age at home, and I think our job is to try to facilitate that.'
