TEMASEK REVIEW
PAP ministers have been indulging in plenty of self-praise
lately perhaps to justify their impending hefty pay hike with the
strong “rebound” of Singapore’s economy.
Coming right after PAP minister without portfolio Lim Swee
Say who is currently sharing his famous “upturn the downturn”
slogan at an international meeting, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan
had lavished generous praises on Singapore’s healthcare system.
Khaw was hospitalized lately for a heart bypass which convinced
him that “Singapore’s health system is of a high standard.”
He claimed that this was the feedback he received from patients
of all classes during his frequent visits to the hospital to attend
his cardiac rehabilitation programme and it made him “proud” both
as a Singaporean and a Health Minister.
With due respect to Mr Khaw, he is likely to receive VIP
treatment from the hospital staff which is quite different from the
reality on the ground.
Had he suffered a minor heart attack and sent to a particularly
busy public hospital in Singapore, he might have to wait for a few
hours before being attended by a doctor.
Should he require angioplasty in the middle of the night, he
might be told that there were no trained doctors available to
perform the procedure and he needed to be transferred to another
hospital.
And if he was admitted to a subsidized ward, he may not see
his cardiologist even once throughout his entire hospital
stay.
While Singapore arguably has one of the best healthcare systems
at least in the region, the acute shortage of doctors and nurses in
public hospitals may compromise the quality of care of in
subsidized wards which are often overcrowded with patients.
Do you agree with Mr Khaw that Singapore’s health system is of a
high standard?