January 8, 2010
More and more needy Singaporeans are seeking help with their medical bills last year even though they are already heavily “subsidized” by the government.
About 370,000 patients received “help” from Medifund in the year ended March 2009, $26,000 more in the previous year.
“C” class patients can have their entire medical bill footed for by Medifund and they form the majority of the hospital inpatients who received help directly from Medifund last year.
Medifund was set up to provide financial assistance to poor patients who are unable to pay for public healthcare.
The exact criteria is unknown, but one must have depleted one’s medisave as well as that of relatives in order to qualify for it.
Needy Singaporeans who have difficulty paying subsidised hospital bills must undergo means testing and assessment by a medical social worker to confirm that they are truly in need.
Singaporeans are allowed to tap on their medisave, part of their CPF savings to foot for hospitalization bills and outpatient bills for chronic disease like diabetes and hypertension.
If they do not have sufficient medisave to pay for their medical expenses, their children’s medisave will be used.
Mr Gerald Ee, the Chairman of the Medifund advisory council reiterated MOH’s stanace that no Singaporean will be denied access to good basic healthcare because of inability to pay.
Though Singapore is a first world country, its citizens enjoy few social welfare benefits compared to other developed nations.
One must be really poor and destitute to qualify for meager “aid” from the government.
The “sandwiched” class of Singaporeans are especially hit because they are not “poor enough” to receive assistance from the government and yet not “rich enough” to afford public healthcare in Singapore whose costs have increased in recent years.
A typical 7 day in a public hospital can easily incur bills for more than tens of thousand dollars especially if one is warded in the ICU.
There is a common saying among Singaporeans that “one can afford to die in Singapore, but not fall sick.”
Despite public sentiments showing otherwise, the ruling party continues to insist that public healthcare is “affordable” to ordinary Singaporeans.
There is no opposition in Singapore’s parliament to check on the ruling party which has governed uninterrupted for 50 years continuously since 1959.
Well, are you pro oppositon or PAP leh??? Since peoples get medical helps, it mean that the present PAP govt is good, at least help is given and recorded, unlike other countries, you wait long long lor. So we are good, PAP forever!!!
i support nothing but the truth
Again, I have to compare the Chinese world I am now living. Try asking your PRC friends what medical cost means. My view is that we are a fortunate lot living in Singapore with these great hosipitals and quality medical care. It cost token if you have a medical insurance a/c in Singapore and I continue to insure for one despite I have not and hopefully will not use the service
I dont know the truth about why Singaporean are complianing when you probably have a great many of doctors and hosiptal that are honest. Try visiting a Chinese hospital for treatment and you end up confusing with the doctors telling you all sort of illness in you that need treatments.
For emergency care, you better know which is the right hospital before allowing yourself to be taken way by an abumlance.
Originally posted by Wmyongj:For emergency care, you better know which is the right hospital before allowing yourself to be taken way by an abumlance.
Painful man lol a bum lance haha.... yar better know the right hospital for that.
Kind Regards
Genie
oh, that mean the ambalance will bum all it way to hospital, then it makes no different on which hospital to go to...because before reaching the hospital, you get bumed liao
Originally posted by Great1:i support nothing but the truth
the problem is....Can you handle the truth??
Originally posted by angel7030:
the problem is....Can you handle the truth??
angel can be TV producer le...
Darb Vader ...your father isssSSSSSS!!!!!
Kind Regards
Genie