http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20090828-164174.html
Thu, Sep 03, 2009
AsiaOne
Clinic charges $5 for MC
He lost his medical certificate (MC) and asked the clinic for another copy, but was asked to pay $5.
The 24-year-old bank employee, Mr Wu, had visited the clinic a week earlier because he had the flu, reported Shin Min Daily News.
He first consulted a doctor in an unnamed clinic, but decided to visit another one in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 because his condition had not improved.
Mr Wu's mother, 50, told the Chinese Daily that the second doctor had given him an MC for two days.
Her son soon got better. However, when he wanted to return to work, he could not find his MC.
"My son then went back to the clinic to ask a second copy of the MC. We didn't see the doctor. Everything was handled by the clinic assistant, who asked for $5 when she gave the MC to us," said Mr Wu's mother.
At that time, Mr Wu's mother said the assistant claimed the $5 fee was part of the clinic's regulations.
"We had no choice but to pay the clinic," she said.
Disgruntled by the incident, Mrs Wu said she called six other clinics to find out if they had similar policies.
She said that only one charged $1 for re-issuing an MC, but the other five did not charge for doing so.
When she called the Ministry of Health, she said that she was told that government hospitals did not have such a policy too.
"It must be a rule set by the clinic itself," she said. "Charging $1 is reasonable, but $5 is simply too much."
Thu, Sep 03, 2009
AsiaOne
Clinic charges $5 for MC
He lost his medical certificate (MC) and asked the clinic for another copy, but was asked to pay $5.
The 24-year-old bank employee, Mr Wu, had visited the clinic a week earlier because he had the flu, reported Shin Min Daily News.
He first consulted a doctor in an unnamed clinic, but decided to visit another one in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 because his condition had not improved.
Mr Wu's mother, 50, told the Chinese Daily that the second doctor had given him an MC for two days.
Her son soon got better. However, when he wanted to return to work, he could not find his MC.
"My son then went back to the clinic to ask a second copy of the MC. We didn't see the doctor. Everything was handled by the clinic assistant, who asked for $5 when she gave the MC to us," said Mr Wu's mother.
At that time, Mr Wu's mother said the assistant claimed the $5 fee was part of the clinic's regulations.
"We had no choice but to pay the clinic," she said.
Disgruntled by the incident, Mrs Wu said she called six other clinics to find out if they had similar policies.
She said that only one charged $1 for re-issuing an MC, but the other five did not charge for doing so.
When she called the Ministry of Health, she said that she was told that government hospitals did not have such a policy too.
"It must be a rule set by the clinic itself," she said. "Charging $1 is reasonable, but $5 is simply too much."
