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Singapore needs more hospitals due to aging population: PM Lee

Xinhua, October 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Singapore needs more hospitals as the number of patients has been rising steadily due to the country's aging population, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the inauguration of two hospitals on Saturday.

"We need more hospitals and capacity because our patient numbers have been rising steadily. And the numbers have been rising mainly because our population has been aging very rapidly," Lee was quoted as saying by local TV Channel NewsAsia.

The premier said both facilities will add much needed capacity to Singapore's healthcare system, with the hospitals an important part of the country's Healthcare 2020 plan.

He noted the government has been steadily expanding and building hospitals since 2010, with the number of beds also increasing.

More hospitals will also be inaugurated in the years ahead, including Yishun Community Hospital by the end of this year and Sengkang General and Community Hospital in 2018. Outram Community Hospital is also set to open in 2020, and Woodlands General and Community Hospital in 2022, the local media said.

Turning to the overall plans for healthcare in Jurong, an industrial area, Lee emphasized that hospitals are just one piece in the overall healthcare system.

"They have got to fit in well with all the other components, which also have to be properly developed, properly resourced, and properly organized, which is what we have been trying to do for healthcare in Singapore and in particular in Jurong," he added. Endi