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So executive summary for this smart nation becomes stupid nation.
This kind of important matter not discussed with the doctors before they make new major announcement.Forum: MOH to study how to help GPs access cheaper drugs
June 15, 2022
We thank Mr Chan Chong Leong, Dr Desmond Wai and Mr Lim Kok Keong for their letters, "Non-standard drugs should not cost so much" (May 23), "Can Govt help family physicians procure drugs for cheaper price?" (May 23), and "Steps can be taken to help family physicians with medication costs" (May 25).
A range of strategies helps to keep medicines affordable for patients. For example, we have established a centralised public healthcare drug procurement agency called ALPS to achieve economies of scale and negotiating leverage.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) shares the concerns on higher drug prices at general practitioner (GP) clinics compared with polyclinics.
As part of Healthier SG's move to anchor care with family physicians, we will study the suggestions made to help GP clinics access cheaper sources of commonly used drugs.
To help keep medications affordable for subsidised patients, MOH provides substantial subsidies for a list of drugs that are endorsed by the Drug Advisory Committee to be clinically- and cost-effective.
These include both generic and non-generic drugs, which are used to manage various conditions, including metabolic disorders and skin conditions.
Many generic drugs are as effective as branded ones, and patients are encouraged to use generic drugs where they are suitable.
MOH reviews this list regularly to ensure it stays relevant to changes in local population needs, medical practice and evidence on clinical- and cost-effectiveness.
We will continue to review our policies to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans.
Teh Shi-Hua
Director (Subsidy and Subvention)
Healthcare Finance Division
Ministry of Health
Apologies are so cheap nowsdays.Wrong deductions made from 20,000 ez-link cards
EZ-Link said there was a technical issue with a payment network and 99 per cent of affected commuters had been refunded. PHOTO: ST FILE
Nellie Toh
JUN 17, 2022
SINGAPORE - A total of 20,000 commuters were affected during a glitch earlier this month which led to wrong deductions from their ez-link cards, said EZ-Link on Friday (June 17).
In response to queries from The Straits Times, EZ-Link said there was a technical issue with a payment network it uses on June 7 and that 99 per cent of affected commuters had been refunded by June 9.
It added that there have been delays to refunds for the remaining commuters due to issues with their ez-link cards. It did not give the amount of money the deductions involved.
Some of the 20,000 affected commuters, which form about 1 per cent of EZ-Link's customers, had complained about the wrong deductions on its Facebook page.
The company apologised for the erroneous deductions in a Facebook post on June 9 and said those affected would be refunded by June 10.
Ms Xie Yanting is among those who have yet to receive a refund.
The 35-year-old accounts assistant said she has contacted EZ-Link's customer service team but has yet to receive a reply.
She said $20 had been deducted from her bank account using EZ-Link's SimplyGo automatic top-up function, but the money has not been credited to her ez-link keychain charm. An ez-link charm comes in the form of a trinket and is used for contactless payments and commutes.
Another commuter, Facebook user Matthew Seah, said EZ-Link's customer service team took three working days to respond to his complaint about his delayed refund.
The SimplyGo system, which was launched in 2019, allows its users to commute using contactless payments which are directly charged to their bank accounts and credit or debit cards, removing the need for upfront top-ups.
From January 2021, EZ-Link updated the system to allow commuters to update or purchase ez-link cards and charms on board the SimplyGo system as well.
Following the incident, some users said they would switch to topping up their ez-link cards manually.
Mrs Nararat Nura Saisood, 37, an art enrichment instructor, received her refund of $22.04 but said she ended up taking a private-hire car ride when her ez-link card could not be used.
She added: "The incident caused me a lot of inconvenience, and I'm afraid to use any online top-up system now."
Ms Xie said: "A full review and upgrade of the system is needed. For now, I would rather queue to use the manual top-up machines at the MRT stations."
EZ-Link said it is working to tighten the SimplyGo processing system to prevent future recurrences.