Janil Puthucheary on managing acute bed capacity in hospitals
As Singapore exits from the COVID-19 crisis, hospitals are seeing significantly longer stays by patients. The average length of stay went up from 6.1 days to seven days. This translates into 15 per cent 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 the delay in the completion of healthcare infrastructure projects due to the pandemic. Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary, who gave this update in reply to an MP’s questions in Parliament on Wednesday (Jul 5), said the Ministry of Health is actively working on increasing bed capacity. It will also tap into the capacity of private hospitals if there is a need to do so.
As Singapore exits from the COVID-19 crisis, hospitals are seeing significantly longer stays by patients. The average length of stay went up from 6.1 days to seven days. This translates into 15 per cent 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 the delay in the completion of healthcare infrastructure projects due to the pandemic. Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary, who gave this update in reply to an MP’s questions in Parliament on Wednesday (Jul 5), said the Ministry of Health is actively working on increasing bed capacity. It will also tap into the capacity of private hospitals if there is a need to do so.
Popular Shows
