Singapore PRs flocking to Malaysia to
give birth using Medisave
Temasek Review July 4 2010
It appears that Singaporeans are flocking to give birth in
Malaysia after the PAP allowed Medisave to be used for overseas
hospitals, judging from a Sunday Times report today.
According to figures obtained by the paper from Health
Management International and Parkway Holdings, many of their
patients sought obstetrics treatment specifically in Malaysia.
In reality, Singapore PRs from Malaysia have been delivering
their babies in Malaysia hospitals for a long time due to the
lower cost.
Singaporeans are less inclined to deliver in Malaysia as they
have no relatives or friends there and therefore the new scheme
actually benefits (Malaysian) PRs more than Singapore citizens.
This is another example of how PRs can enjoy the “best of both
worlds” by earning Singapore dollars in Singapore and spending them
in Malaysia where the cost of living is so much lower.
PRs are also allowed to purchase resale HDB flats in Singapore
which they later sell at a hefty profit upon returning to their
homelands. Some like YPAP leader Sinha Shekhar rent their
HDB flats out for income while they stay in private
properties.
Singapore’s Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who was born in
Penang, has been encouraging Singaporeans who cannot afford
healthcare in Singapore to consider going to Malaysia
hospitals.
He sparked a massive outcry two years ago by suggesting that
Singaporeans who cannot afford chronic nursing care here should
send their aged parents to nursing homes in Malaysia. He later
retracted his statement, claiming that he was “misquoted” by the
media.
