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SINGAPORE – The health care subsidy system is being revamped to ensure that those most in need of financial assistance get it the most.
This comes with increased consumption of healthcare services as the population ages and Singapore seeks to strengthen its healthcare system.
The government’s share of health spending has increased, from 40% in 2013 to 46% in 2018. And it will continue to increase.
To ensure that people with the lowest income levels receive the help they need to improve their health outcomes, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) will channel more money to them.
To accomplish this, it will make a major revamp of the public sector subsidy structure in the middle of next year that will affect inpatient and outpatient subsidies. There will be changes in subsidies in acute and community hospitals, specialized outpatient consultations and for outpatient surgery.
Speaking in the debate on his ministry’s spending, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said: “We have to be prudent in the way we allocate limited resources to ensure that the support we provide is more targeted to benefit those who need it most. “
There will be only one subsidy range for the two classes of subsidized districts, B2 and C, which will go from 50% to 80%.
The change will mean higher subsidies for lower-income patients who opt for class B2 and lower subsidies for higher-income patients in class C.
Outpatient surgery grants will follow the same format.
The lowest quintile already receives the most subsidies: $ 1.6 billion, or 37 percent, in 2018.
Changes to the subsidy system will tilt financial aid even more in your favor.
Hospital subsidies will move from being based on a person’s income to per capita family income to reflect the number of people who depend on that person’s income.
The Second Minister of Health, Masagos Zulkifli, described how health care will transform “to become a proactive and inclusive care system” by addressing health needs throughout a person’s life.
To help young people “get off to a good start and reach their full potential,” the ministry will develop a maternal and child health and wellness strategy that will span preconception through 18 years of age.
At the other end of the spectrum, $ 180 million has been set aside to implement more than 200 senior care centers that will feature active aging, friendship and care services programs.
In addition to the infrastructure that is being implemented, the focus has also been on health professionals.
The Minister of State for Health, Koh Poh Koon, said that health professionals “are key to improving patient care and outcomes.”
They have played an important role in the fight against Covid-19, and many have suspended their annual leave due to high demand for labor, he said.
“We are aware that salaries play a key role in attracting and retaining staff,” said Dr. Koh, announcing that public sector nurses will see a salary increase of 5 to 14 percent in the next two years.
After more than a year fighting Covid-19, Singapore will also improve its preparedness for future health crises.
Explaining this, Dr. Janil Puthucheary, Chief Minister of State for Health, said: “We will enhance our surveillance and response capabilities by leveraging new technologies to enable us to consolidate, analyze, and generate insights from large amounts of data more effectively. “.
In addition to clinical teams, he said other experts are also needed, such as epidemiologists, data scientists and statisticians.
Research and development capacities will be strengthened to “prevent, prepare for and respond to future public health crises,” he added.
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