MOH announces initiatives to make healthcare more affordable
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SINGAPORE: The Health Ministry (MOH) said it will almost double the qualifying income criteria for the Primary Care Partnership Scheme to S$1,500. The scheme allows needy patients to receive subsidised treatment at General Practitioners (GPs) and dental clinics near their homes.
At the same time, the age eligibility criteria will be lowered to 40 from 65, benefiting some 710,000 more Singaporeans.
It is part of a series of initiatives to be rolled out in the first quarter of next year to make healthcare more affordable for Singaporeans.
To help Singaporeans better manage chronic diseases, MOH will raise the Medisave withdrawal limit for outpatient treatments to S$400 (from S$300) per Medisave account per year. The scheme will be renamed Medisave400.
The government will also further enhance Medifund to include non-residential intermediate long term care services such as day rehabilitation, home medical and home nursing. This is expected to benefit about 1,000 more Singaporeans, a 10 to 20 per cent increase in the number of Medifund recipients in this sector.
Subsidies for drugs required for chronic disease management will be raised to 75 per cent, from the current 50 per cent.
In addition, MOH will enhance the subsidy under the Medication Assistance Fund (MAF), also to 75 per cent. The fund helps needy Singaporean patients pay for expensive drugs used to treat specific medical conditions.
-CNA/ac -
You mean all this while it wasn't affordable?
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The word "more" connotes the meaning already being, but to a larger extent.
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tot needs only $8 for a heart operation
wad he talkin?