SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) and Housing & Development Board (HDB) have awarded the first tender under a new approach for general practitioner (GP) clinics at a new public housing project in Bidadari estate.
Under the pilot Price Quality Method (PQM), quality of care accounts for 70 per cent of the tender evaluation, while price plays a factor in the remaining 30 per cent.
The tender, which opened on May 8 and closed on May 29, was awarded to BridgePoint Health, said MOH and HDB in a joint press release on Friday (Aug 1).
“The awarded monthly rent is S$18,000 (US$13,900) for the clinic space of about 100 sq m, which is twice the size of a typical clinic,” they said.
Eighteen bids were received for the tender at Bartley Beacon, a Build-To-Order (BTO) project which was completed in July.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung spoke about the new tender approach in June when he expressed dismay at a healthcare company's S$52,188 monthly rental bid for a clinic in a HDB estate in Tampines.
Mr Ong said in a Facebook post then that higher rental bids do not necessarily translate to the best healthcare that the community needs.
“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,” he said.
The awarded monthly rent for the tender at Bartley Beacon works out to S$180 per sq m.
This is lower than the average awarded bid of S$382 per sq m for GP clinic tenders in new housing projects awarded from 2022 to 2024, said MOH and HDB.
“In comparison, the unusually high tendered rent for the recent clinic in Tampines GreenGem was about S$1,000 per sq m,” they added.
Under the tender requirements, BridgePoint Health will have to be onboarded to Healthier SG as part of the Primary Care Network, and will need to be Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) accredited.
According to MOH and HDB, the health company has committed to focusing on the provision of primary care services and steering away from the provision of aesthetic services.
“They have also committed to work with community partners, such as the Community Health Posts in Active Ageing Centres, to strengthen preventive and chronic care for residents,” said MOH and HDB.
This includes providing basic ancillary services onsite, such as Diabetic Retinal Photography (DRP), Diabetic Foot Screening (DFS) and nurse counselling for diabetic patients.
BridgePoint Health will continue to be part of the Mental Health General Practitioner Partnership (MHGPP) and manage patients with more complex mental health conditions in the community, said MOH and HDB.
“They will also collaborate with the healthcare clusters to provide more integrated and seamless care for residents,” they added.
“With a larger clinic space of about 100 sq m, the awarded tenderer will also offer most of their services onsite, minimising the need for referrals.”
The health ministry will follow up with BridgePoint Health to monitor and review its compliance with its tender commitments.
The new GP clinic will not pay the full rental in the first two years, under a staggered rent structure to ease the transition for tenants of newly-constructed shops in new estates as residents move in, said MOH and HDB.
The structure applies for the first three-year tenancy term: 80 per cent of the tendered rent in the first year, 90 per cent in the second year, and the full tendered rent in the third year.
Three more GP clinic tenders will be launched under the pilot PQM framework in 2025, said MOH and HDB.
The next tender will be launched at Costa Grove, a BTO project in Pasir Ris. Another two tenders will be launched at Parc Point and Toh Guan Grove at the end of the year.
“MOH and HDB are working closely to bring value healthcare services that are of quality and affordable, to residents,” said the health ministry and housing board.
“MOH will also continue to review how ‘Quality’ is assessed under such PQM tenders to ensure that GP clinics in HDB estates can offer better quality healthcare for residents near their homes and support chronic disease management under Healthier SG,” they added.
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Under the pilot Price Quality Method (PQM), quality of care accounts for 70 per cent of the tender evaluation, while price plays a factor in the remaining 30 per cent.
The tender, which opened on May 8 and closed on May 29, was awarded to BridgePoint Health, said MOH and HDB in a joint press release on Friday (Aug 1).
“The awarded monthly rent is S$18,000 (US$13,900) for the clinic space of about 100 sq m, which is twice the size of a typical clinic,” they said.
Eighteen bids were received for the tender at Bartley Beacon, a Build-To-Order (BTO) project which was completed in July.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung spoke about the new tender approach in June when he expressed dismay at a healthcare company's S$52,188 monthly rental bid for a clinic in a HDB estate in Tampines.
Mr Ong said in a Facebook post then that higher rental bids do not necessarily translate to the best healthcare that the community needs.
“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,” he said.
The awarded monthly rent for the tender at Bartley Beacon works out to S$180 per sq m.
This is lower than the average awarded bid of S$382 per sq m for GP clinic tenders in new housing projects awarded from 2022 to 2024, said MOH and HDB.
“In comparison, the unusually high tendered rent for the recent clinic in Tampines GreenGem was about S$1,000 per sq m,” they added.
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SHIFT AWAY FROM AESTHETIC SERVICES
Under the tender requirements, BridgePoint Health will have to be onboarded to Healthier SG as part of the Primary Care Network, and will need to be Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) accredited.
According to MOH and HDB, the health company has committed to focusing on the provision of primary care services and steering away from the provision of aesthetic services.
“They have also committed to work with community partners, such as the Community Health Posts in Active Ageing Centres, to strengthen preventive and chronic care for residents,” said MOH and HDB.
This includes providing basic ancillary services onsite, such as Diabetic Retinal Photography (DRP), Diabetic Foot Screening (DFS) and nurse counselling for diabetic patients.
BridgePoint Health will continue to be part of the Mental Health General Practitioner Partnership (MHGPP) and manage patients with more complex mental health conditions in the community, said MOH and HDB.
“They will also collaborate with the healthcare clusters to provide more integrated and seamless care for residents,” they added.
“With a larger clinic space of about 100 sq m, the awarded tenderer will also offer most of their services onsite, minimising the need for referrals.”
The health ministry will follow up with BridgePoint Health to monitor and review its compliance with its tender commitments.
The new GP clinic will not pay the full rental in the first two years, under a staggered rent structure to ease the transition for tenants of newly-constructed shops in new estates as residents move in, said MOH and HDB.
The structure applies for the first three-year tenancy term: 80 per cent of the tendered rent in the first year, 90 per cent in the second year, and the full tendered rent in the third year.
Also read:
UPCOMING GP CLINIC TENDERS
Three more GP clinic tenders will be launched under the pilot PQM framework in 2025, said MOH and HDB.
The next tender will be launched at Costa Grove, a BTO project in Pasir Ris. Another two tenders will be launched at Parc Point and Toh Guan Grove at the end of the year.
“MOH and HDB are working closely to bring value healthcare services that are of quality and affordable, to residents,” said the health ministry and housing board.
“MOH will also continue to review how ‘Quality’ is assessed under such PQM tenders to ensure that GP clinics in HDB estates can offer better quality healthcare for residents near their homes and support chronic disease management under Healthier SG,” they added.
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