Patients at Singapore Buddhist Free Clinic cannot afford $1 consultation fee
October 26th, 2009 |
Author:
Your Correspondent
From our Correspondent
The Singapore Buddhist Free Clinic has seen a rise in the number of patients seeking treatment in the last few months with some unable to pay for the token $1 consultation fee!
Venerable Sian Tong, who has worked at the clinic for more than 30 years, noted that the clinic has seen many contract workers made jobless by the downturn.
“We see a lot more people now who ask us if we can waive the $1 fee. It’s $1! Life must be hard,” he said.
The venerable’s assesssment is in stark contrast to the rosy picture painted by the state media.
Over the last few days, the spin doctors at SPH have been busy trying to convince Singaporeans that the good times are back again with news of employers hiring more workers and the prices of HDB flats hitting a record high.
Singapore’s income gap between the poor and the rich is the second highest in the developed world after Hong Kong, whose figures are skewed by the higher numbers of billionaires.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew caused a furore lately when he commented during the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum that the widening income gap is of “little importance” as long the government continues to create jobs for Singaporeans.
Though the unemployment rate remains low by international standards, there are concerns if the wages earned by the lower income group are sufficient to support a decent standard of living in Singapore where the cost of living has increased in recent years.
At the same time, the relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore has continued to exert a downward pressure on the wages of Singapore workers and contributed to the rampant inflation as well.
The Singapore Buddhist Free Clinic is a charitable organisation set up by local Buddhists. Based on the Buddhist teachings of loving kindness and compassion, its objective is to provide free medical services to the sick and needy, so as to relieve their suffering on illness and to help them leading a healthier and happier life.
Venerable Guang Sheng, who chairs the Free Clinic and is the abbot of the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery off Sin Ming Avenue, expects the number of elderly patients to grow. His sights are now trained on keeping the clinic’s budget healthy, so the clinic can help more patients.
The Free Clinic, a registered charity under the Health Ministry, now spends $3.2 million every year to run its six branches.
Venerable Guang Sheng, who took over the reins last year from former Ren Ci Hospital chief executive Ming Yi, will perform in a charity concert next month to raise money for the clinics.
More information on the one-night Chinese orchestral concert, called Voices of Harmony, can be found on the Free Clinic’s website at
www.sbfc.org.sg
