S’pore should aim to train 10,000 nurses, healthcare workers in palliative care by 2030: Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE - Palliative care training must be strengthened in Singapore by training up to 10,000 nurses and healthcare workers to support patients and their caregivers on this challenging end-of-life journey.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said this on April 18 at the start of the 9th Singapore Palliative Care Conference, held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

The two-day event is organised by the Singapore Hospice Council (SHC).

It attracted almost 1,000 delegates, including nurses, doctors, social workers, pharmacists and allied health professionals, from 17 countries and regions.

Mr Ong set the ambitious target for the sector because he said the focus is on upgrading the core skills of as many healthcare workers as possible, instead of viewing palliative care as a specialised skill for a small group of healthcare workers.

He said: “By 2030, let’s train 10,000 nurses, healthcare workers in general palliative care competencies... 10,000 is more than one-fifth of our national nursing workforce.

“This will empower our nurses to manage physical needs, while also supporting patients’ emotional and spiritual well-being at the end of life.”

This comes as palliative care here evolves, extending from a niche speciality to a community service, particularly as Singapore became a super-aged society in 2026. This is defined internationally as having at least 21 per cent of the population aged 65 or older.

About one in four Singaporeans will be in this age group come 2030.

The shift in palliative care underscores the goal of the refreshed National Strategy for Palliative Care, launched by the Ministry of Health in July 2023 to expand and enhance such care.

Mr Ong said not everyone needs to acquire full qualifications before they can practise palliative care.

He said they can pick up the basics, practise alongside more experienced palliative care practitioners, and then attain more advanced skills later on.

He said: “We should also go beyond nurses to equip family physicians, allied health practitioners and community care workers with these same skills.” 

Dr Jennifer Guan, who chaired the organising committee for the 2026 conference, noted that nearly half of the speakers and moderators this year come from beyond the field of palliative medicine.

She said: “This shift is vital as palliative care is becoming everyone’s business, whether it’s the family physician initiating goals of care, a surgeon integrating symptom control into treatment pathways, or an allied health professional supporting function, meaning and dignity.”

Strengthen support

Support around patients and caregivers also needs to be strengthened so they have greater confidence to undergo palliative care at home.

With more trained healthcare workers, patients facing an emergency at home will, for instance, be able to contact their Healthier SG general practitioner or a community nurse at a nearby active ageing centre, he said.

Mr Ong added that to increase the capacity of caregivers, the SHC has been leading the Compassionate Communities Singapore movement since November, bringing together organisations, workplaces, schools, religious groups and grassroots partners.

Singapore has raised its home-based palliative care capacity from about 2,400 in 2023 to more than 3,600 places, while inpatient hospice capacity also increased by a third to over 330 beds.

Mr Ong said: “We believe the key constraint to home palliative care today is that families and caregivers do not feel ready or confident to carry out the care tasks, especially when procedures can be complex or unexpected.

“Further, patients and families may still seek active treatment for their loved ones, even though they are already on palliative care.”

Mr Ong added that the percentage of people who died in Singapore who received palliative care in their last year of life has risen to 51 per cent today from 46 per cent two years ago, but many of them received the care in acute hospitals.

He noted that if patients are not discharged for palliative care in community settings, such as hospices or their own homes, it is inevitable that they will die in hospitals, despite this not being the preference for many of them.

Costs

Mr Ong said that while palliative care is “almost free”, patients may still face considerable residual expenses.

These include non-medical costs like transport expenses and adult diapers, rental of hospital beds, hiring of caregivers and potential income loss due to family members’ caregiving responsibilities.

For this, patients can tap the Central Provident Fund’s Reduced Life Expectancy Scheme, where patients medically certified to be approaching the end of their life can withdraw their CPF savings.

Mr Ong said the Government will explore ways to improve awareness of the scheme for eligible patients, and streamline the referral and approval processes in the future.

He said there is a need to help patients make their care preferences known to their caregivers and doctors.

They can do this through tools like advance care planning, which has a digital version called myACP for the public to self-document care preferences for free. Furthermore, the Government should continue to make palliative care very affordable.

Mr Ong said: “Beyond funding, support systems and trained healthcare workers, the most important work that needs to be done for palliative care is its humanistic acceptance.

“Caring for a person does not necessarily always mean treating the disease, and the value and dignity of a human being transcend his or her physical health.” 

At the conference’s opening ceremony, the SHC announced that the Singapore Palliative Care Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dr Angel Lee Onn Kei. 

She trained as a geriatrician at Tan Tock Seng Hospital with a sub-speciality in palliative medicine, and is currently the medical director of St Andrew’s Community Hospital.

Dr Lee said: “I hope that in receiving this award, it may shed a light on all of you who work in the community.”