From Public Patient to Private


Singaporeans in my days were brought up in a structured manner. From young, we learnt how the system worked and to us the world operated that way. That could be a reason why many Singaporeans are poor travelers and tend to look for a city in Western Australia or an LRT in Malaysia. I find it largely odd that we tend to look out for good traits that we have in Singapore such as a clean, well maintained street when we tour. As a result, we feel miserable if we don't find the country as good as home. But the good thing is that, many of us will hug and lick whatever they see first when they touch down at Changi Airport. We were taught to believe that Singapore is the best place on earth and other countries are shit, or next to shit.


Perhaps the leaders are a bit too proud with their work and tend to go, "Look at X country, they're shit. We have Y, they have shit." and we grow up chanting the same mantra. Inception at its best. It could be better for our country as a whole if the mantra changes to, "Go out, find the good and bring back practices to make our home the best." Not only it contributes to cultivate a better thinking culture and reduce the snobbishness trait we refused to acknowledge, at least one day when things began to go ugly, the people would not point their fingers straight at the government and demand. The government should shut up and be more modest to save their sorry asses in future. It is good for everyone in the long run.


This is a perspective that Ah Fun unintentionally made me realise when I found myself asking her, "What is good here over Singapore?" to which her answers were something as obvious as no road tolls and a lot less bad traffic. The Singaporean in me tends to steer back into the DNA of looking things that dont't exist in the first place and dim out the brilliant stuff dished before our eyes.


The above is one of the things that doesn't happen in Singapore so I didn't know how to react to it. In my realm, it is an impossibility and I have to remind myself the world doesn't rotates the way it did for Singapore. I received this letter asking me to make a decision to agree or disagree to be converted into a private patient from a public patient. The catch is that I have to change my future follow ups to another hospital. It is one of their projects to reduce the queues in public hospitals so that poor fucks like me can see the doctor before we die.


The first question, being Singaporean, was of course if it will cost me anything. Fortunately it was clearly stated in the letter that the patient will not incur any out of pocket expenses so I shall be able to receive treatment for my condition without a further financial worry. That will ease the burden in the mind, if anything.


The second question is how this initiative works and why can't Singapore implement something like that for the people?

13 comments:


  1. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/budget/publishing.nsf/Content/budget2013-hmedia01.htm

    "In all, the Government is investing $79.2 billion in health and aged care services in 2013-14."

    http://www.singaporebudget.gov.sg/budget_2013/expenditure_overview/moh.html

    "A total of $5.7 billion has been allocated to MOH in FY2013."

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  2. I just paid $56 for my son's medical bill for flu and related cough!

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  3. To add to CK's comment:

    Australia's population = 23,066,108
    Australia's per capita Health Care budget
    = 79,200,000,000 / 23,066,108 = A$3,434

    Singapore's population = 5,312,400
    Singapore's per capita Health Care budget
    = 5,700,000,000 / 5,312,400 = S$1,073

    Each year, Australia invests around 3x more on healthcare for each of its resident, compared to Singapore.

    [Source of population figures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population]

    I'm just stating the numbers as it is. I know the pro-PAP brigade will at this point whip out their usual refrain, often along the following lines:
    a. Singapore has no resources, cannot afford to be welfare country
    b. Singapore must not become a "welfare state" or its citizens will become demotivated and try scam the government for more welfare money
    c. Australians pay high taxes. Do you want to pay for the "useless bums" who do not earn their own keep?
    etc.

    For the blog readers, which is better for your individual/family situation? You decide.

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  4. /// It is one of their projects to reduce the queues in public hospitals so that poor fucks like me can see the doctor before we die. ///

    Sorry, I don't quite follow how this works. You are being transferred from your GP (private) to the hospital (public) - how does getting more patients to public hospitals reduce the queues in public hospitals?

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  5. Suggest you give it a while before you take any IELTS exams...

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  6. If it is virtually any comfort to your account, he or she Fulano is not actually amusing as well as innovative (that they feels)to a lot of folks, just very substantially sitting down sick in the brain. He is a genuine disadvantage to not being the midst of interest and may do just about anything to achieve the idea. This is simply not the actual parody even so a fresh deranged and terrible strike that will helps guide you hosed upwards they the truth is can be.

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  7. Nix, aren't you glad you made the decision to migrate? I think you made the right choice, buddy!

    Jo

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  8. Hello Nix,


    How this initiative works:

    What's happening here is that the public health system is so useless and overcrowded, that Medicare has essentially given up and dumped you into the private system.

    I assume your condition is quite serious, or else normally they will just hentak kaki you on the waiting list.


    Why can't Singapore implement something like this:

    a. It is expensive. Very expensive. The private specialist undoubtedly earns more than a government doctor, and he is giving up a paying private patient to treat you. Imagine if everyone were to use this service.

    b. The more obvious answer: Singapore's health system is not as pathetic as Australia's, that it requires such wasteful band-aids.

    As one of your previous commenters noted, Singaporeans can get the same job done for 1/3 the cost.

    So perhaps this is not a program that Singapore would want to emulate.

    There are many great things about Australia, but efficiency is not one of them.

    Enjoy your stay and good luck for your operation.

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  9. In short: you are very lucky.

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  10. Winking doll,
    Well said. Totally agee with you.

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  11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

    Australia spends $22.9b or 1.9% of its GDP on the military.

    Singapore spends $8.3b or 3.7% of its GDP on the military.

    In other words, Australia spends $995 per pax to defend that person, while Singapore spends $1562 per pax to defend the FT.

    And despite spending all that $ a terrorist managed to escape!

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  12. @Melbourne, Nix is not lucky. He made his own luck. He could have chosen the easy way out and stayed in Singapore.

    Like every migrant, he has had his own pull factors (dog, aging parents, job, etc) that would have made it easy for him to choose to stay.

    But he knew what he wanted. And he's willing to trade everything he knows and has for the unknown/uncertainty in order to get what he wants.

    He made a choice.

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  13. I was referring to his treatment... but okay.

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