SINGAPORE: The Health Ministry (MOH) said it will
almost double the qualifying income criteria for the Primary Care
Partnership Scheme to S$1,500. The scheme allows needy patients to
receive subsidised treatment at General Practitioners (GPs) and
dental clinics near their homes.
At the same time, the age eligibility criteria will
be lowered to 40 from 65, benefiting some 710,000 more
Singaporeans.
It is part of a series of initiatives to be rolled
out in the first quarter of next year to make healthcare more
affordable for Singaporeans.
To help Singaporeans better manage chronic diseases, MOH will raise
the Medisave withdrawal limit for outpatient treatments to S$400
(from S$300) per Medisave account per year. The scheme will be
renamed Medisave400.
The government will also further enhance Medifund to include
non-residential intermediate long term care services such as day
rehabilitation, home medical and home nursing. This is expected to
benefit about 1,000 more Singaporeans, a 10 to 20 per cent increase
in the number of Medifund recipients in this sector.
Subsidies for drugs required for chronic disease management will be
raised to 75 per cent, from the current 50 per cent.
In addition, MOH will enhance the subsidy under the Medication
Assistance Fund (MAF), also to 75 per cent. The fund helps needy
Singaporean patients pay for expensive drugs used to treat specific
medical conditions.
-CNA/ac
