SINGAPORE – By 2040, Singapore will add another 500 acute psychiatric beds to hospitals across the island as part of efforts to expand capacity in mental health care, said Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon in an exclusive interview with The Straits Times.
“This is to make sure that even as we have an ageing population, even as the needs for mental health support increase, we have more acute care hospitals with beds available to deliver those needs closer to the homes of our patients,” said Dr Koh.
Acute psychiatric beds provide short-term inpatient care for individuals experiencing an acute phase of mental illness who require constant supervision and intensive care. Treatment could include managing severe symptoms, such as psychosis, suicidal ideation or extreme behavioural issues.
The additional acute psychiatric beds will be added to each of Singapore’s three healthcare clusters. This will include beds at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) – Singapore’s only acute tertiary psychiatric hospital – as well as at the upcoming redeveloped Alexandra Hospital (AH).
IMH will continue to manage the most serious of mental health cases, especially those that require longer-term institutional care, as it has the full spectrum of psychiatric services and expertise, Dr Koh said.
“The other hospitals will be managing more of the acute care, which means someone in acute psychological distress who may need to be warded for a while to manage the situation while they get better,” he said.
While outpatient specialist mental health services are available across all acute hospitals, inpatient psychiatric care in Singapore is currently available at six out of 11 public hospitals.
These are IMH, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, National University Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Singapore General Hospital and Sengkang Hospital.
As at February 2024, there were almost 1,000 acute psychiatric beds in public hospitals, with more than 800 beds at IMH. By 2030, there will be about 1,070 acute psychiatric beds, with about 70 beds added in the redeveloped AH.
Dr Koh was speaking to ST as part of its year-long mental health series No Health Without Mental Health, which has been raising awareness about mental health issues and starting conversations on how people can get and give support.
Around one in three young people between 15 and 35 years old in Singapore reported experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress, according to an IMH study released in 2024.
For the elderly, a separate study, also released in 2024, showed that the number of older adults with dementia rose from 51,934 in 2013, to 73,918 in 2023, due to the increase in the adult population. Numbers are projected to rise as Singapore’s population ages.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said that mental health is a key priority on the national agenda. Efforts are under way to execute the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy launched in 2023. These include expanding the mental health workforce, and drawing on those in the community, such as polyclinics, general practitioners and schools, to address mental health issues.
Dr Jared Ng, a psychiatrist at Connections MindHealth, said the increase in the number of acute psychiatric beds is a meaningful one, and having acute psychiatric beds within general hospitals is especially important.
“It allows for better coordination of care for patients who have both medical and psychiatric needs, such as people with delirium, dementia or self-harm injuries who also require medical monitoring. It also helps medical teams manage patients with behavioural or psychological distress more effectively, instead of transferring them across facilities,” said Dr Ng, who is also the former founding chief of the Department of Emergency and Crisis Care at IMH.
Dr Ng said locating psychiatric wards in general hospitals also helps to reduce stigma.
“It sends a message that mental health is part of health, and that people who seek psychiatric care deserve the same access and dignity as any other patient. For families, having care closer to home makes a difference. It supports early intervention, reduces delays during crises, and allows for better follow-up after discharge,” he added.
Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon said efforts to increase mental health manpower in the public healthcare sector are on track.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Dr Koh, who is chairman of the Steering Committee for Mental Health and Well-being, said that efforts to increase mental health manpower in the public healthcare sector are also on track.
The Ministry of Health has set an aim to have a 30 per cent increase in the number of psychiatrists and a 40 per cent increase in the number of healthcare workers training in psychology by 2030.
To do so, it is also working with institutes of higher learning to roll out new training programmes, including the new Master of Psychology (Clinical) by the Singapore University of Social Sciences, which will see its first intake in January 2026.
Dr Koh said the plan to increase the number of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists is in response to Singapore’s ageing population. These mental health professionals will be looking after the patients in the highest tier of mental health needs.
Singapore’s mental healthcare system operates on a tiered-care model. There are four levels of mental health support, ranging from mental health promotion, self-help and peer support at Tier 1, to the most intensive level of care in hospitals and specialist clinics at Tier 4.
“We anticipate there’ll be a higher demand for, say, dementia care,” said Dr Koh.
