SINGAPORE, Aug 31 — A new private not‑for‑profit acute hospital will be built in eastern Singapore to relieve persistently high bed occupancy rates in the region, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed. The facility, first announced in 2024, is expected to add 300 to 400 beds to the national healthcare system.

According to The Straits Times, MOH said hospitals in the eastern and central regions have recorded consistently higher occupancy rates compared with other parts of the country — a key factor behind the decision to locate the new hospital in the east. “Among various factors, one key consideration was that hospital bed occupancy rates were higher in the central and eastern region,” an MOH spokesman said .

Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital — both in the central region — posted their highest annual average occupancy rates in 2023, at 95.8 per cent and 96.9 per cent respectively. In the west, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital reached 93.8 per cent that same year, also a record high .

Public health specialist Jeremy Lim said the demographic profile of the east and central regions — including higher population density and a larger proportion of older residents — likely contributed to MOH’s projections. He noted that hospital development requires strategic land use and significant long‑term investment.

Possible sites identified

While MOH has not disclosed the exact location, The Straits Times identified three potential sites that have been rezoned or proposed for rezoning for health and medical use:

Upper Serangoon Road / Lorong Low Koon — an 11,000 square metre plot rezoned for medical use

Simei Avenue / PIE — land parcels opposite Changi General Hospital

Paya Lebar MRT area — a 22,800 sq m site previously zoned for commercial use, now earmarked for healthcare development 

Property analysts say the Paya Lebar site is the closest in size to Mount Alvernia Hospital, Singapore’s only existing private not‑for‑profit acute hospital.

More affordable private care

The upcoming hospital is part of a broader effort to expand acute bed capacity and offer more affordable private healthcare options, especially as Singapore’s ageing population drives demand. Under the not‑for‑profit model, profits are reinvested into the hospital or used for charitable purposes rather than distributed to shareholders.

Details on subsidies, bed allocation for subsidised care, and the final site will be announced by end‑2026, MOH said.