Outreach In Potong Pasir SMC

We knocked at every door. From floor to floor and block to block, we walked. From Toa Payoh Lorong 8 to Potong Pasir and back and forth, we walked. I can't remember how many times we did this and we met and spoke with so many people.

From stall to stall, coffeeshop to coffeeshop, table to table, shop to shop, street to street, we walked.  There were people who recognised me, called out my name, waved to me, embraced me, wiped my sweat and asked to take pictures with me.

The people in Potong Pasir SMC make me feel so much at home and I feel more and more connected to this ward with each visit. They invited me into their homes, talked to me about their experiences and encouraged me to come visit them more often. This ward has so much character and the residents are so approachable and direct that you can't help liking them. 

I enjoy doing my walkabouts in this ward and meeting the residents. It's such a joy each time I walk here. And my team feels it too.

Why I cannot join SPP to contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Some netizens have expressed their wish that I avoid a 3-corner fight with SPP and reconsider the suggestion by a cadre member of SPP to join them instead to contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

I am glad that there is an intense interest in the contest in Potong Pasir SMC which would otherwise have been just another one of those constituencies with only 2 choices for voters in the coming general elections.

Please allow me to explain why the suggestion is not workable. 

1. I have no wish to be a party-hopper and made this commitment to myself when I joined the National Solidarity Party ("NSP"). I repeated this commitment to myself when I left NSP. 

2. There are many former members from NSP who have joined SPP. If I join SPP, I will be seen as part of the NSP faction in SPP and this will not be in the best interests of SPP.

3. Every political party has its internal politics and I am totally unfamiliar with SPP's culture and internal workings. And I have no wish to be embroiled in any internal party politics at this time.

4. It would not be fair for me to displace anyone in the team that has already been formed to contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh for all the efforts that he/she may have put in.

5. It takes time for the members in SPP's team for the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC to know each other and they would have formed their synergy by now. It would not be right for me to disrupt their team spirit at this crucial time.

I thank all those netizens who support my decision to contest in Potong Pasir SMC and those who encourage me to remain firm in my decision. May the best candidate in Potong Pasir SMC win on his or her own merits.

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.