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Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
BridgePoint Health awarded tender for Bidadari clinic with $18,000 rental
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A staggered rent structure will be implemented to help tenants of newly-constructed shops in new estates. SINGAPORE - Bridgepoint Health has been awarded the tender for a General Practitioner (GP) clinic at the newly completed Bartley Beacon, a Build-To-Order (BTO) project in Bidadari. In a joint statement on Aug 1, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Housing & Development Board (HDB) said the tender was awarded under the new Price-Quality Method (PQM), where tenders are evaluated based on both price and quality factors. Bridgepoint Health's care teams consist of family physicians, administrators, other health professionals, and specialists. It works with Northeast Medical Group, with a total of 20 clinics planned and in operation island-wide. A total of 18 bids were received for the tender which opened on May 8 2025 and closed on May 29. Under the pilot, the tender price – or the rental bid – accounted for 30 per cent of the scoring criteria, and was evaluated by HDB. The quality of the tender proposal accounted for the remaining 70 per cent, and was assessed by MOH. The awarded monthly rent is $18,000 for the clinic space of about 100sqm, which is twice the size of a typical clinic. The cost per square metre is $180, lower than the average awarded bid of $382 per sqm for GP clinic tenders awarded in new housing projects in the last three years, said MOH and HDB. This comes after the monthly rental bid for a GP clinic in Tampines was reported at $52,188 for a 52sqm ground-floor unit, bringing the cost per square metre to about $1,003.60, in early June. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Road will progressively open to motorists from Aug 2 noon World Trump modifies reciprocal tariffs ahead of deadline; rate on Singapore likely to remain at 10% Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Singapore NUS launches S'pore's first nursing practice doctorate to meet evolving healthcare needs Singapore Data breach involving 147,000 Cycle & Carriage Singapore customer records under probe Business CAD probing Tokenize Xchange operator; firm's director charged with fraudulent trading Singapore PM Wong to deliver National Day message on Aug 8 Then, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung expressed his dismay at the bid , and said that the monthly rental for the clinic would translate into higher healthcare costs one way or other, and negate MOH's efforts to keep the cost of primary healthcare affordable. He also noted that higher rental bids do not necessarily translate to the best healthcare that the community needs. Bridgepoint Health will have to be onboarded by Healthier SG as part of the Primary Care Network, and will have to be Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) accredited. Additionally, the clinic will have to refrain from providing aesthetic services and instead focus solely on providing primary care services, said MOH and HDB. The clinic will also be able to provide basic ancillary services such as Diabetic Retinal Photography (DRP), Diabetic Foot Screening (DFS), and nurse counselling for diabetic patients. It will remain part of the Mental Health General Practitioner Partnership (MHGPP) and manage patients with more complex mental health conditions, while offering most of their services onsite to reduce the need for referrals. Three more GP clinic tenders are to be launched under the pilot PQM framework in 2025. The next PQM tender will be launched at Costa Grove, a BTO project in Pasir Ris. Another two PQM tenders, at Parc Point and Toh Guan Grove, will be launched by the end of 2025. To help tenants of newly-constructed shops in new estates, HDB has a staggered rent structure in place over the first three-year tenancy term, said the statement. Tenants will be required to pay 80 per cent of tendered rent in the first year, 90 per cent in the second year, and the full tendered rent in the third year.
New Paper
22-07-2025
- Business
- New Paper
MOH overpaid $7m in subsidies and grants, caused $2m in shortfalls
The issue that caused a processing error in a government means-testing system which led to about 20,000 people getting the wrong subsidies and grants has been identified, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on July 22. MOH, which manages the Household Means Eligibility System (Homes), said that the error had resulted in about $7 million in overpayments for about 90 per cent of the affected individuals, and about $2 million in shortfalls for the remainder of those affected. On July 21, MOH said that Homes had experienced a processing issue resulting in about 20,000 people receiving wrong subsidies and grants. The ministry said then that those who received excess subsidy or grant amounts will not have to return them, while those who received less than they were entitled to will have the difference topped up by government agencies by November. Homes uses income information from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) to means-test individuals with business income, such as self-employed people - for selected subsidy schemes across the Government. What happened? For the 2025 year of assessment, Iras' tax filing notification process began later in mid-January, compared with the preceding December in previous years, said MOH. This was to ensure Central Provident Fund contributions for the full year were captured for more accurate income tax assessments. However, the "system logic" at the time caused Homes to omit the business income of selected individuals. This led to inaccurate means-testing for individuals with business income and members of their households between Jan 1 and Jan 27, 2025. MOH said that Homes was first alerted to the issue on Jan 13 through a member of the public's query when applying for subsidies, which triggered an investigation, leading to the identification of the issue. The ministry added that it is currently enhancing the design of Homes for better integration and coordination with agencies. In a similar incident in 2019, about 7,700 people who applied for and renewed their Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) cards in September and October 2018 received inaccurate subsidies after a computer system miscalculated their means-test results.
Business Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH
[SINGAPORE] About 20,000 people received the wrong subsidies and grants owing to a processing issue in a government means-testing system. The Ministry of Health (MOH), which manages the Household Means Eligibility System (Homes), said on Jul 21 that corrections to the subsidy and grant levels of those affected are in progress. The ministry added that it has completed a reassessment of the affected individuals' subsidy tiers. The majority of those affected received more subsidies and grants than they were entitled to, said the ministry. They will not have to return the excess subsidy or grant amounts that have already been paid out. Those who received less than they were entitled to will have the difference topped up by government agencies, said MOH. They will receive the reimbursement payments by November. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up MOH said it will adjust the means-test and subsidy tiers of affected individuals to the intended levels from Jul 21. Homes uses income information from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore to means-test individuals with business income. It provides means-testing results for selected subsidy schemes across the government. Explaining the processing issue, MOH said that, in January, Homes could not appropriately account for the business income of some people after changes to data processing timelines. This caused miscalculations in the means-test results of these individuals and members of their households between Jan 1 and 27, said MOH. It added that the roughly 20,000 affected people represent less than 3 per cent of all individuals means-tested during this period. MOH said about 19,000 people were affected for schemes under MOH, while around 1,000 individuals were affected for other schemes under the Early Childhood Development Agency, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Education and Infocomm Media Development Authority. The MOH schemes affected by the processing issue are: Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) Subsidies for CareShield Life or MediShield Life premiums and Additional Premium Support Subsidies for long-term care services Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund Equipment Rental Scheme Home Caregiving Grant ElderFund Subsidies at public healthcare institutions for day surgery, inpatient services, specialist outpatient clinics, polyclinic drugs/vaccines and community hospital services Schemes by other government agencies affected by the processing issue are: Early Childhood Development Agency's pre-school subsidies and early intervention schemes Infocomm Media Development Authority's DigitalAccess@Home Scheme Ministry of Education's Higher Education Bursaries and Kindergarten Care Additional Subsidies Ministry of Social and Family Development's Enabling Transport Subsidy, Taxi Subsidy Scheme and Assistive Technology Fund Agencies will reach out to inform those impacted by the processing issue progressively. These individuals do not have to take any action on their part, said MOH. In a similar incident in 2019, about 7,700 people who applied for and renewed their Chas cards in September and October 2018 received inaccurate subsidies after a computer system miscalculated their means-test results. The Straits Times has contacted MOH for more information. THE STRAITS TIMES
Straits Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A processing issue in the Household Means Eligibility System led to inaccurate means-testing for some 20,000 people, said the Ministry of Health on July 21. SINGAPORE – About 20,000 people received the wrong subsidies and grants due to a processing issue in a government means-testing system. The Health Ministry (MOH), which manages the Household Means Eligibility System (Homes), said on July 21 that corrections to subsidy and grant levels are in progress. The ministry added that it has completed a reassessment of the affected individuals' subsidy tiers. The majority of those affected received more subsidies and grants than they were entitled to, said the ministry. They will not have to return the excess subsidy or grant amounts that have already been paid out. Those who received less than they were entitled to will have the difference topped up by government agencies, said MOH. They will receive the reimbursement payments by November 2025. MOH said it will adjust the means-test and subsidy tiers of affected individuals to the intended levels from July 21. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes at college campus Singapore ST Explains: What does it mean for etomidate to be listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act? Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region Singapore NTU introduces compulsory cadaver dissection classes for medical students from 2026 World US passenger jet has close call with B-52 bomber Singapore Jail for man who conspired with another to bribe MOH agency employee with $18k Paris trip Singapore New research institute will grow S'pore's talent in nuclear energy, safety Homes uses income information from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore to means-test individuals with business income. It provides means-testing results for selected subsidy schemes across the Government. Explaining the processing issue, MOH said that in January 2025, Homes could not appropriately account for the business income of some people after changes to data processing timelines. This caused miscalculations in the means-test results of these individuals and members of their households between Jan 1 and 27, said MOH. It added that the roughly 20,000 affected people represent less than 3 per cent of all individuals means-tested during this period. MOH said about 19,000 people were affected for schemes under MOH, while around 1,000 individuals were affected for other schemes under the Early Childhood Development Agency, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the Ministry of Education and the Infocomm Media Development Authority. The MOH schemes affected by the processing issue are: The Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) Subsidies for CareShield Life or MediShield Life premiums and Additional Premium Support Subsidies for long-term care services Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund Equipment Rental Scheme Home Caregiving Grant ElderFund Subsidies at public healthcare institutions for day surgeries, inpatient services, specialist outpatient clinics, polyclinic drugs/vaccines and community hospital services The schemes by other government agencies affected by the processing issue are: Early Childhood Development Agency's pre-school subsidies and early intervention schemes Infocomm Media Development Authority's DigitalAccess@Home Scheme Ministry of Education's Higher Education Bursaries and Kindergarten Care Additional Subsidies Ministry of Social and Family Development's Enabling Transport Subsidy, Taxi Subsidy Scheme and Assistive Technology Fund Agencies will reach out to inform those impacted by the processing issue progressively. These individuals do not have to take any action on their part, said MOH. In a similar 2019 incident, about 7,700 people who applied for and renewed their Chas cards in September and October 2018 received inaccurate subsidies after a computer system miscalculated their means-test results. The Straits Times has contacted MOH for more information.
Straits Times
19-06-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Forum: Work in progress to make all health screening data accessible to GPs
Forum: Work in progress to make all health screening data accessible to GPs We agree with Dr Ang Yee Gary that a central health screening registry accessible to all general practitioners (Create a central health screening registry that all GPs can access, June 10) will be useful and improve care for patients. Today, Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) GPs can access their patients' eligibility for Healthier SG screening through their clinic management systems or the MOH Healthcare Claims Portal. GPs can also access the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) system, which contains the results of health screening conducted by public healthcare institutions and GPs participating in Healthier SG. However, it does not capture the results of health screening conducted by other private clinics. The Ministry of Health is working on a Health Information Bill where all private and public healthcare providers will be required to contribute clinical information, including screening test results, to NEHR. This will be made available to GPs to further enhance patient care. Ruth Lim (Dr) Director (Disease Policy and Strategy) Ministry of Health More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
