Hospital bed crunch a cumulative problem

[SINGAPORE] As Singapore moves to adopt universal healthcare through MediShield Life, observers say the government needs to review its long-term care financing structure and explore community-based alternatives in view of the hospital bed crunch here.

The bed crunch is a problem that has grown with the population over the years.

Data from the Singapore Department of Statistics showed that the rate of increase in hospital beds from 2006 to 2013 did not match the rate of population growth.