Health subsidy cut for PRs
Move is to further sharpen the distinction between S'pore citizens and PRs.
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent
Jan 28, 2010
Citizens enjoy heavy subsidy in Class B2 and C wards. PRs receive significant subsidy while foreigners are not subsidised at all. --ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
THE difference in healthcare subsidy between citizens and permanent residents (PRs) will widen further from next year.
PRs now get 10 percentage points less in subsidy than citizens. This will go up - in two stages - to a 20 point difference.
This means a PR in a C class ward will get only 60 per cent subsidy from July next year, compared to 80 per cent for citizens.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who announced this after donating blood at the Health Sciences Authority on Thursday morning, said the move is to further sharpen the distinction between citizens and PRs.
The difference in subsidy will also affect patients in nursing homes and community hospitals.
The Health Minstry said in a statement: 'Citizens enjoy heavy subsidy in Class B2 and C wards. PRs receive significant subsidy while foreigners are not subsidised at all. The subsidy distinction reflects the privileges of citizenship, but there is scope for refinement.'
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_483227.html
Overcrowding at TTSH: Answer lies in quality, not quantity
SINGAPORE - Occupany in public hospitals may be on the rise, but Tan Tock Seng Hospital's (TTSH) chief executive officer Dr Eugene Fedelis Soh says that in order to serve its patients, "having more room for beds is not the solution".
What needs to be done, he said, is for the hospital to re-look its quality framework.
On top of this, staff must realise that the needs of the patients come first and foremost.
"I think for the longest time we have not looked at quality in isolation," Dr Soh told MediaCorp.
"We have been making changes, telling our staff they are to look at the value they bring to our patients," he added.
Nonetheless, the 165-year-old hospital recently came under fire from some patients for the lack of beds.
Dr Soh said the hospital is learning from its mistakes and doing its best "to make sure that patients' experiences are part of the healing process".
Over the last three years, TTSH said it had added 145 beds. It also operates 80 beds in collaboration with RenCi Hospital, he added.
Last month, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan apologised for the overcrowding situation in his blog.
Several times a week, TTSH has had to divert civil defence ambulances to other hospitals.
"It is no fun waiting for a bed, in a crowded room or in a corridor; I am truly sorry," wrote the minister.
Despite this, some patients seemed pleased with the work put in by TTSH. The hospital pulled up last year's score to 67.2 out of a 100 - up 0.21 points from 2008 in the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore.
The findings, released on Monday by the Institute of Service Excellence at the Singapore Management University, ranks sectors based on customer expectations, perceived overall quality and perceived value.
Said Dr Soh: "We are happy that improvements have been made despite the challenges in the last year, especially during the H1N1 period… credit for this must go to our staff as well."
Improving patient experience in the last year was an uphill challenge said Dr Soh, especially when TTSH is one of the busiest restructured hospitals in Singapore.
This situation has been made even more complicated by the manpower crunch faced by the healthcare industry.
The Ministry of Health has taken steps to beef up manpower, with more than 1,200 people enrolled in nursing courses at the polytechnics.
Dr Soh said the challenge for TTSH was to ensure that its nursing recruits from China and the Philippines were made aware that they should be adding value and care for the patients.
What's heartening is that TTSH caregivers have been going the extra mile, he added.
For example, nurses at the hospital have been following up on recently discharged patients.
Furthermore, caregivers have also been working with the Home Nursing Foundation (HNF) to ensure that patients' needs are met even if they choose to recuperate at home.
These steps have impressed Mrs Chan Foong Chueen, 49.
She said: "My mother has been hospitalized here for the sixth time since 2008… Even though she was warded at different wards each time, the care she received was always of a consistently high standard."
"The nurses went beyond being healthcare professionals who provided medical care for my mother, as they were good listeners who gave me good advice when I encountered difficulties in communicating with the maid my siblings hired to look after my mother". - TODAY
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...033252/1/.html
Election is coming so doing this small action to pacify Singaporeans. Health subsidy cut for PRs help them save $ so why not.
Originally posted by Fantagf:Election is coming so doing this small action to pacify Singaporeans. Health subsidy cut for PRs help them save $ so why not.
this type of thing happened before election only
January 28, 2010
Written by Our Correspondent
Fearful of a backlash from voters at the coming general election, the ruling party of Singapore has introduced yet another cosmetic change to its pro-foreigner policy to appease fast rising anger from Singaporeans at being relegated to “second class citizens” in their own country.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, a former Malaysian himself, announced this morning that PRs will get less health subsidies than Singaporeans from next year “to further sharpen the distinction between citizens and PRs.”
PRs now get 10 percentage points less in subsidy than citizens. This will go up – in two stages – to a 20 point difference.
From Jan 1, 2011, the subsidy for PRs in the public hospitals (Class B2 and C wards) and specialist outpatient clinics will be reduced by 5 percentage-points. From July 1, 2011, another 5 percentage-point reduction will apply in the public hospitals and specialist outpatient clinics.
The changes are unlikely to benefit citizens much since most PRs can easily afford to pay for subsidized healthcare in Singapore as they should be of a certain “economic class” to be accepted as PR in Singapore.
In the first place, PRs should not qualified for subsidized healthcare in the first place. Singapore’s public healthcare system is stretched to its limits lately faced by rising demands from the growing population.
The Straits Times reported a few days ago that patients in Tan Tock Seng hospital have to be lined along the corridors as there are insufficient places in the wards to accommodate all of them.
Besides healthcare, the ruling party should also look into its generous housing policies towards PRs which enable them to purchase resale HDB flats and sell them at a hefty profit later on, thereby contributing to the sky-rocketing of prices in recent years.
A minimum period of residency in Singapore should be imposed before foreigners can apply for PRs and a further period after which they are permitted to buy HDB flats.
An additional “property tax” should be imposed on the profits made by PRs when they sold their HDB flats and return to their homelands eventually to ensure that they do not profit from the transactions. The taxes paid by PRs can then be transferred to subsidize needy Singaporeans to enable them to obtain a roof over their heads.
The subtle policy shift in the PAP’s stance towards the twin issues of immigration and foreign workers in the last few weeks is an indication that they have heard the rising chorus of discontent from the ground, especially the protest voices aired by Singaporeans in cyberspace.
Singaporeans should continue “making noises” as loudly as possible not only on the internet, but during Meet-the-People sessions, dialogue sessions with ministers and other official channels to make their grievances heard so as to exert political pressure on the PAP to amend their policies to be more “people-central”.
However, it is foolhardy to expect the PAP to make fundamental changes to reverse its policy mistakes. To guarantee that the rights of Singaporeans are protected, we have to vote in enough opposition MPs into parliament in the next general election to deny the PAP its traditional two thirds majority.
Only then can we be assured that such disastrous mistakes as admitted tacitly by the PAP in its recent policy reversals, will not be committed again in the future.
DON'T EVER THINK THE PAP IS SOMETHING RIGHT HERE................how treacherous these PAP bastardscan be...........
why ? by reducing benefits for PRs.................they're gonna be applying to be citizens..........!!!
the situation is gonna be worse for us natives...............
this BULLSHEET is like the 50% income tax in UK.............the rich will leave UK while their businesses remain in UK..............who will suffer more? the non-rich will end up paying the bulk of income tax............
Originally posted by AH TRUTH:
this type of thing happened before election only
If the despots win, after election they will increase every bill.
Guess we will have to play our part to educate people to know the dirt despots are up to to wake them up to vote wisely.
Originally posted by Fantagf:Election is coming so doing this small action to pacify Singaporeans. Health subsidy cut for PRs help them save $ so why not.
But no benefits for Singaporeans Citizens. LOL... A 10% straight off discount for Singapore Citizens consulting doctors is much better. =)
Originally posted by Junyang700:
But no benefits for Singaporeans Citizens. LOL... A 10% straight off discount for Singapore Citizens consulting doctors is much better. =)
? ?
Originally posted by Fantagf:
? ?
The health subisdy cut for PRs... Singapore citizens dun benefit at all. A 10% discount on ward charges and consultation charges for Singapore citizens consulting doctors would be better.
Originally posted by NobodyNothingOriginally posted by Nobody 2Nothing 2
Originally posted by As romanista2001:DON'T EVER THINK THE PAP IS SOMETHING RIGHT HERE................how treacherous these PAP bastardscan be...........
why ? by reducing benefits for PRs.................they're gonna be applying to be citizens..........!!!
the situation is gonna be worse for us natives...............
this BULLSHEET is like the 50% income tax in UK.............the rich will leave UK while their businesses remain in UK..............who will suffer more? the non-rich will end up paying the bulk of income tax............
Yes, it just means that 20,000 pr turning citizen pr yr will increase substantially, especially at this time where election is around the corner.
More pr will be switching to citizens and get to vote in the coming election and out of gratitude, we all know who these pr-turning-citizens will vote for...
Originally posted by Junyang700:The health subisdy cut for PRs... Singapore citizens dun benefit at all. A 10% discount on ward charges and consultation charges for Singapore citizens consulting doctors would be better.
citizens here don't get much benefits, moreover we are made to pay and pay.