{
  "id": 135623,
  "title": "Besides National Cancer Centre, 11 other MOH projects have undeclared savings: Ong Ye Kung",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/besides-national-cancer-centre-11-other-moh-projects-have-undeclared",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-04T14:50:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/besides-national-cancer-centre-11-other-moh-projects-have-undeclared-savings-ong-ye-kung"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Health Minister Ong Ye Kung revealed on August 4 that, apart from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), an additional 11 Ministry of Health (MOH) development projects had undeclared savings after major construction tenders concluded. This disclosure follows the latest Auditor-General's Office (AGO) report, which identified MOH's failure to declare savings on the NCCS construction and project execution without prior approval from the Ministry of Finance (MOF). The audit uncovered lapses in contract management, financial governance, and consultancy service contracts handled by MOH Holdings (MOHH), the strategic holding company overseeing MOH's healthcare infrastructure development projects.\n\nOng addressed a written parliamentary question from WP's Louis Chua, asking about the number of other MOH projects with undeclared savings and their combined amount. He stated that six of these 11 projects were completed with closed accounts, while five are ongoing. The unnamed projects yielded estimated savings of $165 million upon tender awards, which grew to $436 million upon completion, all returned to MOF for reallocation. For the remaining five projects, estimated savings are approximately $48 million, down from an initial $95 million.\n\nOng explained that savings at the tender award stage occur when the tender price is below budget, and savings may be used for unforeseen purposes during the project's progression, such as Covid-19 material price fluctuations, operational improvements, and regulatory compliance changes. However, savings may also increase due to unused contingency funds. He emphasized that the significance lies in the actual savings upon project completion and their utilization.\n\nThe NCCS construction savings totaled $105 million, which MOH used to fund three projects worth $11.95 million without MOF's approval, according to the AGO audit. Ong clarified that these funds were utilized for public benefits, including improving connectivity through a pedestrian link bridge and developing cancer immunotherapy laboratories. He affirmed that the NCCS savings were not instances of mismanagement or inappropriate fund allocation.",
  "summary": "Eventual savings in the construction of the National Cancer Centre Singapore amounted to $105 million.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Cancer Research UK",
        "title": "Boosting clinical trials – will the National Cancer Plan deliver?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/boosting-clinical-trials-will-the-national-cancer-plan-deliver",
        "published": "2026-08-04T08:30:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}