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robertteh SG

How efficient is Singnet/Singtel?

On or about 10.3.2007, telephoned Singtel customer service no. to transfer my existing telephone and broadband internet service to new address.

She replied that it would be attended to.

On or about 15.5.2007, received a letter from Singnet informing me that as I have prematurely terminated the broadband service, there would be a early termination charge of S$300.00 which will be reflected in my next bill.

I called back Singtel and informed the customer service officer that in my case I have not terminated the broadband but had merely transfered it to my new residence as explained to the earlier customer service officer who attended to me in opening account for my telephone for the new residence.

Up to now, despite a letter written to Singnet on such uncalled for early termination charge, there is no reply.

robertteh SG

An update to my post dated 3.39 pm, 21.5.2007.

Just received a phone call from Singtel that there was a mistake in billing me for early broadband termination charge of S$300.00 and I should give them time to reflect the cancellation of this charge in my next bill.

robertteh SG

An update to my post dated 21.5.2007, 11.27 am.

Received approval to house no. application on 22.5.2007.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Just a note though, although Singtel is one huge corporation, Singnet is another division of Singtel. Calling the wrong customer service might have disastrous results, like what you experienced.

Most huge companies work this way, so don't even be surprised if you have to go to so many channels, wait so long just to get something done because of the number of HODs to go through.

robertteh SG

Important point to note here is there will be duplication of service if Singnet and Singtel cannot coordinate at such activities at the point of opening of new accounts for the new address.

This is especially so if Singtel customer service officer has assured that broadband account will be transferred and if so it should be followed through.

It will be bad for service if there are too many excuses that can be given instead of being proactive in solving people's problems.

oxford mushroom SG

The problem is the distribution of doctors. There are GPs in HDB estates that are competing fiercely for patients and there many surgeons in private practice with too much free time on their hands. In contrast, polyclinic doctors are overworked and public hospitals' surgical lists are always full. Why? Because we are not charging enough in the public sector.

$4 for the elderly and $8 consultation for the rest at polyclinics is a joke. With such low rates it is not a surprise that everyone flocks to public hospitals and polyclinics. The minister must raise public healthcare charges to re-distribute patients to the private sector.

You have two choices. if you want cheap healthcare you have to wait. If you want quick service you can go to the private sector. But no, Singaporeans behave like the mafia...they want cheap service and they want it now. The only solution in that case is to let in more doctors without the stringent qualifications we require, bring in cheap doctors from Bangladesh and China for the polyclinics and public hospitals. Let those who want cheap service and short waiting times take the risk of having doctors without equivalent local qualifications. More local doctors will move to the private sector to serve those who are willing to pay more for their service.

You cannot have your cake and eat it as well.

oxford mushroom SG

If MOH does not control the distribution of doctors into different specialties all the junior doctors will flock to surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, paediatrics...the popular disciplines. There will be a shortage of junior doctors in unpopular disciplines such as neonatology, psychiatry and cardiothoracic surgery. That is not good for the hospital nor the patients.

The government is right to look at the bigger picture.

oxford mushroom SG

That is not true. There have always been plenty of applications for medicine and law, although the former was more popular. Both these faculties had to turn away high calibre students so that oher disciplines like engineering will not lack talent if all the top students end up lawyers and doctors.

The shortage of doctors in the public sector today is primarily due to the move of doctors (especially senior doctors) into the private sector. The pay differential is far too big between private and public hospitals. The government has foreseen the need for medical care in an aging population but a new situation has arisen. Healthcare is becoming a valuable commodity that can generate good revenue. After 9/11, the wealthy patients from the middle east now find it difficult to seek treatment in the west due to visa difficulties and the terrrorist concerns. They are looking to Singapore and other nations with well-developed medical systems for treatment. We must tap into this new stream of revenue.

With our senior local doctors treating these wealthy patients, we will need more doctors to cater to the local patients. Since the public do not want to pay more for doctors, we have to bring in cheaper doctors from India, bangladesh and China.

Open more places for local medical students is being done but that will not solve the problem of these local doctors leaving for the private sector the moment they have been trained. The private sector will be fine but there will always be a shortage in the public sector.

The government is right to bring in foreign doctors for the public sector. Since the expectations of Singaporeans cannot be moderated (they still want shorter waiting times despite paying $4 or $8 consultation at polyclinics), that's one solution.

Since there is a distribution problem, another solution is to force local doctors into the private sector by means testing. If you can afford it, you should go to private doctors. If you insist on seeing a doctor in the public hospital or polyclinic, you must be made to pay as much as what the private doctor is charging. If patients leave for the private sector, we will resolve this unequal distribution of doctors and the mismatch of demand.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Yeah... I agree...

But that's how they work. From a customer's point of view, who isn't annoyed by it? I too, am annoyed by it. This isn't the first time. It happens to most big companies. Say for example a warranty. Warranty card puts one telephone number, only to know that it's for another department, and they re-direct you here and there.

Watched the Jack Neo's movie about Just Follow Law? How they shift one department's responsibility to another? That's how they work.

From their view, I don't know. They love complicating matters. Rolling Eyes

Edit: typo error.

robertteh SG

My point is that our ministers have made big mistakes many times in the past resulting in distortions of supply of lawyers and doctors who are good to have to support the service industries but we need more strategic manpower plans to fuel further growths of our economy.

We need to encouragea new technology and practical knowledge applications in every field for new technology start-ups to take advantage of our strengths in petro-chemicals and bio-medical researches etc if we want to restructure or upgrade our economy to value-adding technology-driven model.

We are generally weak in manufacturing being over-dependent on external conditions without being up new value-adding technology applications.

It is precisely because our ministers are generally qualified in laws and general commerce and business administration and not savvy or informed of technology applications in many fields that we might have lost out to Korea and Finland in this regard.

We need technolgists of the calibre of Stanley Shih among our ministers in order to encourage and motivate people and industries to grow such value-adding products and services needed by the world.

So do not become too complacent as it is too early to say that our manpower plans are good or our ministers are world class as they lack the intricate knowledge in these wider areas and do not understand enough about technologies and technology applications.

Ultimately service industries are easier for many countries to go into and there will be too little meat in them. It is ultimately knowledge and technology applications which will produce value-adding services to enable us to compete in the globalized world.

So do not just keep harping on how successful is our planning for doctors or lawyers but think more strategically to produce larger number of engineers in different disciplines to drive the engines of growth.

Do we have ministers who are exposed to such wider disciplines or have the sharpness or shrewdness to understand our manpower needs in such diverse fields.

oxford mushroom SG

So you have deviated from healthcare to the economy, when you yourself started the thread about the polyclinics.

It will be easy for our competitors to provide low level services like call centres. It is much harder for them to perform open-heart surgery, hip replacements and chemotherapy. That is why the government is bringing in more doctors to tap into the growing stream of medical tourists, who spend far more than the ordinary family at Sentosa.

Manufacturing can be easily picked up by the Chinese and the Indians. No, we should be the R&D centre here and outsource the manufacturing to China.

robertteh SG

How fickle can one get who overruled decision to have IR and then when his economic plans fell into disarrays, said IR is the real solution to problems and who overruled decision to have F1 and now F! is the in-thing.

The key to a successful economic restructuring should be consistent implementation based on a good strategic master plan but citizens do not see such a master plan at work for years now despite all the recessions which showed up our many weaknesses in manpower and overall strategic planning and implementation to take advantage of our internal highly educated unemployed and other resources.

How fickle can one be when despite all the internal talents among the highly educated unemployed, we are lamenting lack of talents and do not bother with these available internal resources.

Please bring back a Dr. Goh Keng Swee or a Dr. Winsemius as we are now truly lacking in strategic practical implementation talent.

As a Chinese saying goes, "there is no lack of vision among men but the true lacking is often in areas of practical implementation abilities"

robertteh SG

47WYL18RW wrote:
so...

Perhaps you should have added : "So...what can you all do ? Why don't you stand for election and challenge us as with GRC there is nothing you all can do if we want to do as we like. Our ministers without voting by parliament will be paying themselves more salaries and even double pays for retiring while working and we will spend away all the people's surpluses on more Shin Corp so what as ...we have 66.6% mandate of the people you know.. and all our so-called inclusive society and kindness week is actually damage control and pr exercise only "

crazy monkey SG

after millions spent on building nice nice clinic buildings no $$ left to hire doctors Laughing

robertteh SG

Laughing

robertteh SG

freethinker wrote:
one main thing our ministers/leaders can forecast - is their own rise and expected rise in their salaries and how to go about benchmarking them.

If we have bill gates who produce micro-soft programs to run computers resulting in GDP next year going up 10%, our ministers can claim that because GDP increase by 10% they deserve 6-8 months bonus and their pays should go up 30% more or their pays should match that of Bill Gates or at least his co-partner CEO Ballmar.

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