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S$52,188 Rent Bid for Tampines Clinic Draws Minister’s Criticism, Prompts Quality-Focused Tender Overhaul

Future GP clinic tenders will be assessed under a model assigning 70 per cent weight to care quality, with rental price accounting for the remaining 30 per cent.

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A I-Health Medical Clinic in Singapore. Photo: Handout

Overview

  • I-Health Medical Holdings secured a 50 sq m Tampines HDB unit in March by bidding a monthly rent of S$52,188, citing its proximity to five new public housing estates and planned mixed-use developments.
  • Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the high rental bid risks translating into higher patient fees and undermines efforts to keep primary healthcare affordable.
  • The Ministry of Health and HDB piloted the price-quality evaluation at Bartley Beacon in May, attracting tender proposals with significantly lower rental bids than the Tampines site.
  • Under the new framework, quality of care will account for 70 per cent of each tender’s evaluation score while rental price makes up the remaining 30 per cent.
  • General practitioners warn that post-pandemic volatility in HDB rental markets may force clinics to pass increased costs to patients and deem rents above S$10,000 unsustainable for small practices.