Health Minister Gan Kim Yong (pictured) has urged the public to support the building of eldercare facilities in housing estates and do away with the “not in my backyard” (Nimby) syndrome, according to a Straits Times report.
He emphasised that these facilities, located within the community to allow the elderly to age in place, could also benefit younger residents.
“We have to recognise that we do have challenges with an ageing population, and we need to build good facilities to serve our elderly in time to come.”
His call comes after several residents protested against the construction of eldercare facilities in a number of estates earlier this year.
In February, several residents in Woodlands objected to the construction of an eldercare centre in their void deck. At the same time, many residents at Toh Yi Drive in Bukit Timah protested against the building of elderly studio apartments.
Due to land scarcity in Singapore, “there is really no outlying spaces for us to build these facilities, so it’s inevitable that many of them will be in the community”, he noted.
In addition, the government will also engage residents to address their concerns on noise and its effect on housing prices. He also encouraged residents to give suggestions as to how authorities can fine-tune the design and programmes of the facilities.
The government can then “tailor the facilities to the needs of the community and better balance the interests of those who are living there, and those who need the facilities”.
Mr Gan cited St Luke’s ElderCare centre at Clementi, whereby younger people accompanying their elderly relatives were allowed to use the facility’s exercise equipment.
“I think it’s important to encourage our eldercare facilities to work closely with the community so they can see them as part of the infrastructure, not so much of a burden or liability,” he added.
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