SINGAPORE - Spending on healthcare in Singapore could soon become the single biggest item in the Government’s coffers, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, as he assured Singaporeans that their basic healthcare needs will continue to be affordable. In 2025, the Government has set aside $20.9 billion for health, second only to spending on defence, which has a budget of $23.4 billion. Citing the trajectory of government healthcare expenditure, which had gone up from $9 billion in 2015, the year he joined politics, to $18 billion in 2024, Mr Ong predicted that by 2030, it would likely be close to $30 billion a year. A lot of the money will go towards building more facilities, including new hospitals, nursing homes and community care centres, and for manpower costs. But a substantial portion will be spent on subsidies to keep costs down for patients. “We can make it affordable to the patient, but there’s no doubt that with an older population, healthcare expenditure, whether by the Government or nationally, is going to go up,” he told The Straits Times in an exclusive interview.   https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapores-health-budget-could-soon-surge-past-25-billion-a-year-ong-ye-kung (ICE SINGAPORE)

Fonte notizia: The Straits Times, 10 April 2025