Singapore's western region will have two new nursing homes by 2012, to meet the demands of the country's rapidly ageing population.

The Government will pick up the tab of building the facilities at Bukit Batok Street 51 and Jurong West Street 91, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said last month.

Each 250-bed home will cost an estimated $15 million to $20 million to build, it said in a document obtained by The Sunday Times inviting consultants to provide building-related services.

The homes - scheduled to be completed around the second or third quarter of 2012 - are part of a plan to add 5,000 nursing-home beds here over a decade.

The Government is already footing the bill for three new 250-bed nursing homes in the northern region. They are due to open next year.

The three - in Yishun, Punggol and Sembawang - are estimated to cost $25 million each. They will be run by voluntary welfare organisations Villa Francis, Bright Hill Evergreen Home and Singapore Christian Home respectively.