Mt Alvernia strives to expand services while keeping costs low

Finding a balance key at Singapore’s only not-for-profit private acute hospital: CEO

- Zhaki Abdullah

Operating as Singapore's only notfor-profit private acute hospital, Mount Alvernia Hospital has had to find a balance between moderating costs for patients and shelling out for operational expenses such as broadening its range of services, said the hospital's chief executive James Lam.

This includes introducing the Icon Cancer Centre and the St Anne Mother and Child Centre for maternity and paediatric care, both of which were launched in 2023.

The hospital tries to use its surplus to address what it sees as unaddressed gaps in healthcare, Dr Lam said.

In line with this, Mount Alvernia is exploring the possibility of offering inpatient and outpatient mental wellness services, he said.

He was speaking to The Sunday Times earlier in March after the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced in January that it hoped to introduce a new not-for-profit private acute hospital model, inviting private healthcare operators here to participate in a consultation for such a model.

MOH cited a need to increase acute hospital bed capacity in both the public and private sector, amid rising demand for healthcare services due to Singapore's ageing population.