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Long waiting list
Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Lam Pin Min, who is also the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee on Health, said: "As far as I am aware, there is a long waiting list for places in nursing homes. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is currently looking into this and has promised to build more nursing homes over the next few years."
He said MOH should look into expanding home-care services as he feels family support is still most important in caring for the elderly in Singapore.
But Dr Tsao said the rising costs of hiring a helper here have made nursing homes more competitive.
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A Singaporean family of four earning $1,440 or below gets 75 per cent subsidy. Families earning above $5,600 a month pay full fees.
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Filipino maids coming here must now be paid a minimum monthly wage of $520. The levy is $170 a month for maids who live with the elderly or young children and $265 for others.
Private nursing homes, like those run by Econ Healthcare, typically charge between $1,400 and over $4,000 a month.
But after subsidies, the charges in some private nursing homes can come down to as low as about $600 a month, excluding medical care.
Full monthly fees at VWO-run homes range between $1,200 and $2,100.
A Singaporean family of four earning $1,440 or below gets 75 per cent subsidy. Families earning above $5,600 a month pay full fees.
Dr Tsao said: "When I first moved to Singapore, nursing homes were almost non-existent and, availability aside, it was also culturally not acceptable to place a parent in a home. Now I don't think this is so any more.
"Along with greater affluence as well as subsidies that can be applied to private nursing home beds, nursing homes are just more accessible."
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