He is 55 this year & can't withdraw a cent due to insufficient Medisave according to him.
It's very unlikely he couldn't withdraw a single cent due to insufficient Medisave.
There are a few magic figures in the computation of CPF withdrawal after 55.
You start off with the Minimum Sum for Medisave in mind, which is $34.500. This is the MMS, which is different from MRA
aka Minimum Required Amount pegged at $22,500.
So remember MMS = $34,500
MRA = $22,500
The MRA comes into play
only if you've more than $123,000 in your Retirement Account (RA).
Before you think of the amount of CPF you can withdrawal after 55, you must compute your RA first.
Your RA is the sum of your Ordinary Account (OA) and Special Account (SA) plus whatever
in excess of the MMS. So if you've $35,000 in your Medisave Account, the amount in excess of your MMS is $500.
So remember RA = OA +SA + $>MMS
Now there are a few magic figures that will determine the amount you can withdraw based on the computed balance in your RA:
(1) If your RA is less than or equal $5,000 you can withdraw your entire RA.
(2) If your RA is more than $5,000 but less than or equal $16,667, you can withdraw up to $5,000.
(3) If your RA is more than $16,667 but less than or equal $175,715, you can withdraw 30% of your RA.
(4) If your RA is more than $175,715, the MRA comes into play.
As mentioned, the MRA is pegged at $22,500. If there is no shortfall in your MRA, then you can withdraw the amount in excess of $175,715. If there is a shortfall in your MRA, you must top up your MRA first.
The last part I'm not very clear as I have no idea why the figure $175,715 is chosen. It should have been $123,000 according to the definition of MRA.