Ong Ye Kung dismayed by S$52,000 clinic rent bid; HDB to roll out new tender approach for GP clinics

[SINGAPORE] Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung has expressed his dismay at the S$52,188 bid that a GP clinic in Tampines received in a tender which closed in January this year.
In a Facebook post, the minister said the monthly rental for the clinic – which would amount to more than S$1,000 per square metre (psm) – would translate into higher cost of healthcare one way or another, and negate the Ministry of Health's (MOH) efforts to keep the cost of primary healthcare affordable.
'More importantly, higher rental bids do not necessarily translate to the best healthcare that the community needs,' he noted.
The S$52,188 bid was put in by I-Health Medical Holdings for the unit at Block 954C Tampines Street 96. There were 13 bids in total for the clinic which made waves online over the weekend.
The role of a GP is increasingly important, as our population ages, Ong said.
'The GP is key in developing a relationship of trust with patients, and to guide them towards better health. He or she is the vital link to connect patients to acute hospital care, preventive community care and social prescriptions.'
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Ong went on to add that this is why in May, MOH and the Housing and Development Board launched a new tender approach for GP clinics at Bartley Beacon. Quality of care will account for 70 per cent of the tender evaluation, and rental 30 per cent, he added.
The unit is a larger unit, about 100 sq m, twice the size of normal clinics, and suitable for clinics that intend to provide multi-disciplinary care and try out new models of care, Ong said.
'Through this price-quality evaluation model (PQM), we can shift the competitive focus away from rental rates to better care models – including preventive care, chronic disease management and mental health,' Ong said.
'The tender was closed on May 29. I understand from my MOH officers that we have received interesting proposals, with rental bid prices significantly below the Tampines site in psm terms. We are currently assessing the proposals.'
The Tampines clinic was tendered in December 2024 and awarded in March 2025, before MOH embarked on the PQM model, Ong said.
'Going forward, and given the encouraging response to the Bartley Beacon site, we will make the new PQM approach the norm, when tendering our GP clinics in our HDB heartlands,' Ong added. 'It will be a meaningful shift, both in improving primary care, and ensuring greater affordability.'

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