Singapore is looking to preemptively increase its number of public hospital beds in the coming years, as the expected increase in Covid-19 next Lunar New Year adds to the issues of overcapacity and other demanding situations that have recently affected emergency services.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that in addition to the purpose of adding 1,900 beds in the next five years, there are short-term plans to ease strain on hospitals, such as activating more transitional care services and moving hospitals away from the reserve of beds for Covid-19 patients.
With the maximum population fully vaccinated or already recovered from the virus, Ong said in a speech to parliament on Tuesday that the country now has “good degrees of hybrid immunity against serious diseases” and deserves to give hospitals the flexibility to optimize bed use during a critical situation.
However, under pressure that the pandemic “is certainly not over for our hospitals and healthcare workers. “