THEME: Medical Care and Costs

There is an old saying by Singaporeans that derides the medical costs in Singapore. It says that in Singapore, you cannot afford to fall sick and it is better to die. The underlying sentiment is that the costs of medical care and treatment is beyond affordability.

Medical costs have been constantly rising like the earth's surface temperature and in the last five years, there has been a sharp rise in private healthcare costs (Read HERE). The fastest rising component appears to be doctors' bills. According to a report, the costs of doctors in private practice have jumped very significantly and even a simple lumbar disc surgery by a junior doctor has shot up 5 times from S$5,000 to S$ 25,000. The other components that have risen rapidly are clinic costs and overheads.

When private medical costs shoot up, there will be a flow of private patients into the public healthcare system. Medication and lab tests fee have risen across the board. Over at the 18 neighbourhood polyclinics, even the costs of consultation have risen. Singaporean adults pay up to S$11.90 and children and non-pioneer generation patients pay a maximum of S$6.80 for basic consultation. Up from S$11.00 to S$11.30 and S$6.10 and S$6.40 in October 2014. The reason given was that operating costs such as utilities, infrastructure, equipment and inflation, have gone up.

There does not appear to be a ceiling to the medical costs that patients have to pay and the sky is the limit. The recent case of a Singapore surgeon charging a foreign patient S$ 24.8 million has sent shock waves throughout the land. Doctoring is seen as the most lucrative professions to be in and many doctors prefer to practice plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine which are considered the most profitable. With high medical costs, "pay as charged" medical insurance became popular but these policies began to see medical costs rising even higher as they encourage doctors to charge higher fees with insurers footing the bill. Medical tourism brought in well-heeled patients who are willing to pay high charges for health screenings and various surgical procedures, leading to a vicious cycle of higher and higher medical costs.

How can we address the concerns of ever-rising medical costs in a fast expanding population where the number of aged people is growing rapidly and further ensure that all those who need medical care will not be left out? I will share some of my thoughts in my next blog.