THE twin forces of an ageing population and an increasing pool of foreigners here are the main factors pushing up the demand for subsidised health care, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Tuesday.

He was responding to Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC), who wanted to know if there were sufficient subsidised beds in public hospitals to meet increased demand as more people seek cheaper health care in the current downturn.

The surge in demand, according to Mr Khaw, has in fact been at government polyclinics as people 'move to a cheaper sector'.

As for public hospitals, he said there has not been a noticeable jump in demand for subsidised beds. Admission rates have remained stable.

'The downturn and its impact on hospitalisation has yet to be seen. I have been looking at the admission figures (and) they remain quite stable,' he said.

While there has been a growing demand, he said that the 'main driver' of this increase 'is actually the ageing (population) and the sudden increase in total population here'.

About a million non-Singaporeans have been added to the population in the past decade, which he said was a 'very sharp increase' for a small population of about four million.

Nonetheless, the Health Ministry has been steadily increasing the number of subsidised hospital beds in the past few years to keep pace with the increased demand.

Read the full story in today's edition of The Straits Times.