The Workers' Party

[sengkang]

"Can MOH explore alternatives to the current fee-for-service payment approach? Fee-for-service payment tends to give providers a perverse incentive to boost revenue by increasing patient throughput, rather than keeping patients healthy and out of hospital." - NCMP Gerald Giam


COS 2014 Debate: MOH: Properly incentivising providers (NCMP Gerald Giam)
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By Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Madam, Traditionally, we contain healthcare...

 

[sengkang]

"Medisave should be allowed for all medically necessary treatment that is of proven value and is cost effective. MOH should greatly expand the list of approved outpatient treatments under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP). While 15 chronic diseases are now in the list, there are many others which are not, but which require long-term medication and frequent consultations, which can be very costly.

The expanded Medisave withdrawal list should be updated regularly by an independent panel consisting of doctors and healthcare researchers.

In addition, patients above age 75 should be allowed to use their Medisave without being subject to annual limits. This will ensure that they are not deterred from seeking treatment because of high cash payments." - NCMP Gerald Giam



COS 2014 Debate: MOH: Use of Medisave (NCMP Gerald Giam)
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By Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Madam, The restrictions on Medisave...

 

[sengkang]

"First, I would like reiterate my call for premium subsidies to be extended to all vulnerable groups of Singaporeans, including elderly persons with low savings and not only members of the Pioneer Generation; people with disabilities; those who have exhausted their Medisave; and those who already qualify for government financial assistance schemes like Medifund, Public Assistance, ComCare and CHAS (Community Health Assist Scheme).

Second, can the $70,000 annual claim limit be removed for MediShield Life? For the affected policyholders, it would be financially crippling if their insurance cover were removed when they reach the claim limit, since they would already have spent a lot of their savings on the co-payments. Fewer than 0.1% of policyholders reach the policy year limits each year. Continuing to cover them should not result in significantly higher claims or premium burdens, but would provide tremendous peace of mind for them.

Third, MOH should ensure that MediShield Life does not follow the practice of some private insurers, which sometimes reduce coverage after policyholders are diagnosed with the an illness, to prevent them from claiming again if they suffer a relapse. This should also apply to the Integrated Shield Plans that ride on MediShield Life.

Fourth, can we have better coordination of MediShield Life with private and company health insurance to ensure that they do not overlap? This will avoid unnecessary premium payments, which benefit no one but the insurers." - NCMP Gerald Giam



COS 2014 Debate: MOH: MediShield Life (NCMP Gerald Giam)
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By Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Madam, I would like to make a few proposals...

 

[sengkang]

"In the case of the recent hijab issue, to the best of my understanding, the dialogue that was conducted with representatives of the Malay community was more of a platform for the government to convey its stand, rather than a dialogue.

This is because the government has already came to the decision of not allowing hijab to be worn prior to the dialogue session instead of making decision at or after the session.

I am of the view that the government should enhance not only the manner in which it communicates but also its attitude when performing the communicating. At the same time, consultation with one community alone is inadequate as it may lead to hasty conclusions and unnecessary assumptions. A more constructive approach would be public consultations conducted with different stakeholders, and the different ethnic communities.

The Singaporeans I meet from the different ethnic communities understand that the final policy outcomes may not go according to their preferences. Nonetheless, they hope that the government should also understand that the process is equally important to them." - MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap



COS 2014 Debate: MCCY – Multiculturalism (MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Since 2011 the government had

 

[sengkang]

"Some senior doctors in public service are concerned that many Singaporean doctors are leaving for the private sector due to push factors like having twice as many cases compared with the private sector, having to spend much time on non-clinical work, and coping with stressful organizational and training changes such as the residency programme.

Nurses and other allied healthcare professionals too find conditions in the private sector better, with private employers spending more to attract locals due to foreign work pass quotas.

While the Ministry in 2012 announced pay increases for public sector employees, many feel that this may not help much, especially in the long-term.

Failure to stem the tide of attrition means Singaporean patients at public health institutions are dealing more often with foreign staff, and experience some language barriers. Is Ministry concerned and are there any further reviews to look at how to better retain Singaporeans in public sector?" - MP Sylvia Lim



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – Attrition of Singaporeans in public-sector healthcare (MP Sylvia Lim)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Sylvia Lim [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Some

 

[sengkang]

"Could we consider setting up a Senior Development Account for Singaporeans, similar to our current schemes for young Singaporeans such as the Child Development Account or Edusave Account.

Funds in the account may be used to pay for approved products and services associated with active aging and learning, or simply growing old, based on the choices of the seniors among goods and services that will help keep them healthy and active, offered by the public, private or people sectors.

Perhaps these may include courses to encourage lifelong learning, exercise programmes, health screening packages, alternative medical treatments to maintain well-being, and cover daily expenses such as mobility aids, reading glasses and adult diapers." - MP Chen Show Mao



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – Elderly Development (MP Chen Show Mao)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Chen Show Mao [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] As our society ages, in addition to the...

 

[sengkang]

"Perhaps it is time to consider an overarching framework of acknowledgement and support for informal caregivers.

Whether informal caregivers are looking after the very young, very old or the disabled, there are certain common characteristics that they share, such as the need for emotional support and, if they work, more flexible working conditions.

Some examples of a much-needed acknowledgement and support for caregivers could include the leave for caregivers that several in this House have called for. Or we could also consider the possibility of a right for caregivers to ask for flexible working arrangements, regardless of the category of dependants they are caring for. Better education and outreach to employers to help them understand the needs of their employees who are also caregivers can also benefit both parties, with a view to redesigning jobs creatively to accommodate the specific needs of the caregiver employee.

Also, we could consider CPF and Medisave top-ups for informal caregivers who are full-time carers, not because we want to monetise the act of caring for their loved ones, but to help ease some of the financial strains that may arise from their taking on such informal caregiving arrangements." - MP Chen Show Mao



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – Informal Caregivers (MP Chen Show Mao)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Chen Show Mao [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] In 2010, it was estimated that...

 

[sengkang]

"In Singapore, we have the Integrated Screening Program (ISP), which invites Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents in the target age groups for health screening. However, participation rates in the programme remain low despite attempts to encourage more to take part.

Research has found that one of the key factors preventing Singaporeans from taking part in regular health screening programmes is the cost of screening.

Could the government provide more incentives to individuals to overcome this barrier so we may achieve a collective good?" - MP Chen Show Mao



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – Health Screening (MP Chen Show Mao)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Chen Show Mao [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Participation in regular health screening for common chronic illne

 

[sengkang]

"To encourage greater adoption of health screening, I propose that all Singaporeans who reach age 40 be provided with one set of free health screening tests for common chronic conditions and cancers under HPB’s Integrated Screening Programme. This should include the cost of the doctor’s consultation.

Subsequent health screenings should be provided at subsidised rates, and patients should be allowed to use their Medisave to pay for the remaining cost.

Having more Singaporeans in high risk age groups undergo regular health screenings could reduce overall health expenditure, as diseases are detected earlier, hence requiring less costly interventions." - NCMP Gerald Giam



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – Health Screening (NCMP Gerald Giam)
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By Non-Constituency MP, Gerald Giam [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Age-appropriate preventive health screenings have been recognised as

 

[sengkang]

"I am puzzled that after review, KiFAS can only be used on kindergartens operated by MOE and Anchor Operators. Those that qualify for KiFAS form less than half of the some 500 kindergartens here. More than 95% of qualifying centres belongs to just PCF. Other than PCF and MOE centres, are there actually any other existing centres that are KiFAS approved today?" - NCMP Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)


COS 2014 Debate: MSF – Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (NCMP Yee Jenn Jong)
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By Non-Constituency MP, Yee Jenn Jong [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Sir, I refer the Minister to the KiFAS portion

 

[sengkang]

"Sir, we have seen a huge rise in the demand for child care. Of late, the government has put a lot of resources in this area.

However, I do not see the same being done for student care. The same young working parents that use childcare services will need student care for their children, at least for the first few years of school." - NCMP Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)


COS 2014 Debate: MSF – Student Care Centres (NCMP Yee Jenn Jong)
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By Non-Constituency MP, Yee Jenn Jong [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Sir, we have seen a huge rise in the

 

[sengkang]

"Minister for Health has noted that the conversion from non-subsidized beds to subsidized beds will entail changes in “infrastructure design”. But these changes in “infrastructure design” will take less time to achieve compared to the construction of a new hospital; and the manpower needs that arise will be less than the manpower needed to run a new hospital.

A WP member told me that her 97 year-old grandmother waited for 23 hours for a bed. A former NMP also witnessed the bed crunch when her husband had to wait over eight hours before being given a hospital bed. She observed that “when it happens so frequently, then it’s no longer a glitch, it’s the new norm.

The question is what has happened to the master plans for hospital beds 5 to 10 years ago? Furthermore, if we are currently playing catch-up, then the question is “are Singapore public hospitals on track to meet future healthcare needs” given that our population is still expanding and still ageing?" - MP Low Thia Khiang



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – The Bed Crunch (MP Low Thia Khiang)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Low Thia Khiang [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] MOH-The Bed Crunch (3 mins) Mdm Chair, “Hospitals facing

 

[sengkang]

"There is a genearal perception that specialists in private practice enjoy sky-high earnings compared to those in the government hospitals. I am not sure how true is this but I think greater transparency in doctors’ charges is needed.

Currently, “hospital bill sizes” displayed on MOH and some private hospitals website has only the “total bill size” without revealing how much is the doctor’s charges. If the actual income between doctors in private and government hospitals is more comparable and transparent, fewer specialists may be tempted to move from government to private hospitals.

Making known the ethical and moral limit of professional fees for doctors in private practice in the form of a fee guideline will help to contain healthcare cost. Specialists in private practice require time to build their client base, those who are new to private practice may find that their initial income does not match their last-drawn pay in the government hospitals. Some may increase their consultation and surgical charges to compensate for a smaller volume of patients so as to maintain their income. A fee guideline will discourage this practice and keep a lid on the healthcare cost." - MP Low Thia Khiang



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – Escalating healthcare cost (MP Low Thia Khiang)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Low Thia Khiang [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Mdm Chair, Advances in medical science

 

[sengkang]

"I believe that home based care is acceptable and welcomed by the elderly. It saves edlerly patient the trouble to travel to the clinic. Home is also an environment that patients are familiar with and conducive for their health and recovery.

However, home based medical care is a departure from the normal setting in which most medical doctors provide care, hence a change of mind-set will be needed for the acceptance of such medical care. A new remuneration scheme for medical personnel that takes into account medical services provided in the home setting should also be effected.

For home based care to become fully integrated into the healthcare delivery chain, greater awareness is needed. Greater publicity and outreach via the media and at hospitals, clinics, care centres and social service offices etc are necessary." - MP Low Thia Khiang



COS 2014 Debate: MOH – Home based care (MP Low Thia Khiang)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Low Thia Khiang [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 12 March 2014] Mdm Chair, Like other developed

 

[sengkang]

"Under the present arrangement, Singaporeans who are based overseas would not be able to enjoy the Basic Infant Care and Childcare subsidies that their citizenship has rightfully entitled them to enjoy. The privileges of citizenship should not be contingent on geography and certainly should not be restricted to the physical boundaries of the Singapore state. To overseas Singaporean parents, this is unfair as the present arrangement penalises them for riding the waves of globalisation, which Singaporeans have all this while been encouraged to do so by the government.

I would like to ask the Minister whether his Ministry would consider administering the Basic Infant Care and Childcare subsidies to overseas Singaporeans via a registration and reimbursement facility where the cost of childcare expenditure incurred in a non-Singaporean jurisdiction can be subsequently claimed back." - MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap



COS 2014 Debate: MSF – Childcare/Infant Care subsidy (MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap [Delivered in Committee of...

 

[sengkang]

"While I am heartened to note that the Ministry is diligently making efforts to ensure that the homeless in our society obtain the necessary assistance, I am of the view that the Ministry can take a more proactive rather than a reactive approach to the entire issue. Instead of allowing the problem to manifest, more preventive measures should be in place as forms of early intervention. In view that many previous flat owners were forced by their respective circumstances to sell off their accommodation, I would like to propose that the Ministry initiate joint collaboration efforts with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and in particular the credit operations department to identify high–risk families and render the necessary and appropriate financial assistance to these families before they lose their flats. Early intervention would certainly go a long way in alleviating a complex problem of homelessness in our society." - MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap



COS 2014 Debate: MSF – The Homeless (MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap)
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap [Delivered in Committee of Supply on 13 March 2014] In January this year, I...

 

[sengkang]

"I am wary of any attempts, either legislative or non-legislative, to tinker with online commentary for the principal reason that it remains one of the most important nation-building platforms for a free ranging debate by members of the public without censorship, be it anonymously or otherwise. This is especially in view of the significant power of the mainstream media in determining the contours and content of public discourse, and the out-of-bound markers it has to operate within.

[...]

After this Bill was tabled on 3 March 2014 and scrutinised, I am considerably less disturbed by the prospect of the Bill serving as an impediment to legitimate criticism and as a backdoor mechanism to curtail freedom of expression online for three reasons.

Firstly, Section 15 of the Bill on false statement of facts which is of immediate interest to netizens, serves to remind Singaporeans that whether anonymously or otherwise, a basic level of responsibility must be exercised when comments about any person are made, be it online or offline. This is a legitimate expectation of the law.

Secondly, the courts are granted with the powers to assess whether it is just and equitable for any party to make offending statements of fact on a balance of probabilities. In tandem, the powers of the court are drafted to order the cessation or correct the publication of such false statements of facts.

Finally, the Bill does not operate to prohibit anonymous postings, even if the individuals behind such posts are subject to the Bill, and rightfully so." - MP Pritam Singh



Protection from Harassment Bill – MP Pritam Singh
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By MP for Aljunied GRC, Pritam Singh [Delivered in Parliament on 13 March 2014] Madam Speaker, In the middle of 2013, the Government introduced a new lic

 

[sengkang]

[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

Hammer outreach at East Coast GRC this morning, thank you for your support (and thank goodness for the rain)!

[/URL]

 

[sengkang]

Daniel PS Goh


Was at my favourite town, Bedok, yesterday with colleagues for Hammer outreach. This time I joined the team walking through the hawker centres, wet market and coffee shops. Was very happy, because:

- residents eating their breakfast gave us hearty smiles even if they didn't want a copy
- many were reading the Hammer together with the mainstream newspapers
- many stall owners bought a copy and shook our hands though they were busy keeping up with customers' demands
- some jokingly thanked us for the downpour to make for laughters all round
- most called out to Mr Low, Sylvia, Jenn Jong, Gerald, which I was glad because I am quite shy
- except for a man who got a copy from me, flipped it open and saw the article about the three new CEC members with a picture of the three of us, and called out to me to encourage me to "keep it up", to which I blushed and thanked him repeatedly and shyly with a slight bow in front of his smiling family (I need to learn to be more engaging!)



Hammer outreach at East Coast GRC this morning, thank you for your support (and thank goodness for the rain)!

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]Pritam Singh[/h]With Eunos residents at the Malay Heritage Centre @ Kampong Glam.