The transnational care facilities, also known as TCFs, that were setup during the pandemic so as to prevent the hospitals from being overwhelmed have proven to be so valuable that they are now going to be retained as a significant part of Singapore’s healthcare system, as per Ong Ye Kung, the health minister of Singapore.
They will now be dedicated to medically stable patients from public hospitals who have been waiting for long-term care arrangements like home or nursing home care.
It is well to note that as there are currently no TCFs in the west, a new one will be opened in the next few months, confirmed the health minister during a debate on the white paper concerning Singapore’s response to COVID-19.
The paper got released on March 8, and as expected, the Singapore government is drawing lessons from it so as to better prepare for the next pandemic.
Notably, during COVID-19, Singapore set up 500 TCF beds across five locations, all of which were run by private operators. According to Ong Ye Kung, it will be as good as adding 500 more beds to the acute hospitals, and hence they have decided that TCF will go on to become either a medium or even a long-term trait of their healthcare system.
He added that Singapore will keep expanding the community as well as step-down care sectors like nursing homes and community hospitals. All this will help meet the increasing demand for hospital beds.
Singapore, according to him, is determined to grab key takeaways from the crisis and enhance numerous aspects when it comes to its healthcare system so as to make it more resilient.
