Strengths Of Singapore Healthcare

http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/dam/moh_web/Publications/Educational%20Resources/2006/TDY_MOH_Advertorial_1_25_Jan.pdf

Summary
Madam Annie Wong was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. She was able to get part of her medical bills subsidised by the government and paid the remaining using Medisave, which was set up to ensure each person was prepared for their future medical expenses. This co-payment system allows Singapore to minimise the pitfalls of “free” medical services, keeping hospitalisation costs as low as possible. Medishield was also introduced to cover large sum of medical bills. For people who were unable to pay for their medical bills despite of government subsidies, Medisave and Medishield, there was Medifund which helped them pay their hospitalisation bills. Heart Patient Mister Lim Yew Kee, unlike Madam Wong, had his entire hospital bill covered by Medisave and Medishield and did not need to fork out any cash.

Commentary
People in Singapore are able to benefit from the healthcare in Singapore because of the Healthcare Financing system which consists of government subsidies, Medisave, Medishield and Medifund. These schemes allow Singaporeans to enjoy basic healthcare treatments without straining their finances. It also allows those who are not able to afford healthcare to have basic healthcare. For example, hospitalisation costs are kept as low as possible under government subsidies so that people are able to afford it. Medisave helps Singaporeans to better cope with their healthcare costs. Medishield on the other hand, can be used to pay for huge medical expenses due to a major illness which required long stays in the hospital. Medifund was also set up in 1993 to provide help to those who were not able to pay for healthcare despite of government subsidies, Medisave and Medishield.
With these schemes, healthcare in Singapore is kept affordable for the people and they will not have to worry about the hefty medical expenses. Those who are not able to afford healthcare before are now able to as the government helps to alleviate the financial burden of healthcare for those who once found healthcare unaffordable. Healthcare in Singapore has allowed people in the country to access to healthcare without having to worry about the costly medical expenses and hence, many people have benefitted from schemes started by the government aiming to reduce the cost of healthcare in Singapore. People are encouraged to be self-reliant and manage their healthcare costs. However, the government also provides help for the bulk of citizens who cannot afford to pay the full price of healthcare. Hence, in a way, the government is lending a helping hand to those who are truly unable to pay for their healthcare, whereas the better off who are able to afford healthcare are given less subsidies and this allows both rich and poor to afford healthcare in Singapore. Hence, it can be said that healthcare in Singapore is generally kept affordable for all citizens in Singapore.