11/15/2012

Mean Testing is history? Boh liao!

Can anyone confirm that mean testing for hospital admission has been scrapped? This outrageous policy was so unsound and ethically unacceptable that it was a grievance from the start. It could have continued as a tough policy and nothing can be done about it for as long as someone tried the tough act and refused to budge. Now, has anyone really budged and got it removed? And if so, shouldn’t it be announced so that the people can be at ease during admission and have a freer choice as to how much money they are willing to pay? It is unacceptable that such a high profile policy that was implemented with so much fanfare but evicted without notice. My bet is that it is still in force, at least until an official statement is made on this. The grapevine and gossips that it is no longer in practice are not reliable. And getting this monster out of the way is not enough. With hospital bills that can bankrupt any average Sinkie, more must be done to bring down hospitalization cost, provide more C ward beds, more generic medicine that do not cost a bomb. The rich can continue to opt for their special branded or high end medicine and pay for it. Would someone in the ministry or hospital care to clarify that this mean thing has left us for good?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I for one would love to stay in a Class C ward paying subsidised medical. I would expect world class medicine and world class service no less, and sue the hospital until it go bankrupt if ever found that cheaper medicine were given to me.

Anonymous said...

Scholars only know how to play with figures but unfortunately in life not all things can just add up. Look at our people who are at the bottom rung, how can they afford to stay in hospital? They may as well die in void decks or in a park.

Anonymous said...

[ST Forum: Bogged down by health aid scheme's red tape]

"...I was also told that the whole procedure, from the means test to approval being granted, could take four months or longer.

With our ageing population, we need to cut the red tape to ensure that assistance can be rendered as soon as possible.

Lee Chin Kiang"

http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/bogged-down-health-aid-schemes-red-tape-20121115

Anonymous said...

Let's vote in more Opposition MPs into Parliament to ask this question in GE 2016.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Anon 9:43, thanks. Someone just pointed this out to me too. So mean testing is still alive and kicking.

Anonymous said...

Vote in more Opposition MPs so that they will abolish means testing.

Test for what ? You and me are all humans, we should be entitle to all equally. I may be able to afford class A or even private hospital and drive a Ferrari sports car, but I have a right to stay in class C ward with same subsidies as all Singaporeans. This is equality. I think all Singaporeans should be entitled to because all of us did NS.

Anonymous said...

Holy Khaw, is that a fact?

Anonymous said...

No joy even if it, means testing, is removed.
It could be replace by 'meanerer'(more horrible) measure.

Who knows?

Anonymous said...

You mean - mean, meaner and finally meanest - a hallmark of the PAP system.

No doubt Singaporeans can guess what comes next when the PAP comes out with something - like the CPF minimum sum and medisave. The ceiling goes up without ending - forever and ever.

Anonymous said...

Can someone or relevant authority comment on this? Is mean testing still in practice in the admission ward in the event that I may be warded in Hospital?

My humble opinion - It is very wrong to implement this testing just because the queue for hospital beds gets longer overnight. I am sure we all know that this is a result of an increase in the population overnight and not what was reported that the better off-Singaporean not giving up beds for the needy ones. Let the patient decides if he prefers to be warded in class c, b, e or whatever alphaets/classes as long as he choses - respect individual's choice. It does not mean that a better off person cannot eat at hawker center because he may occupy a seat which is meant for a less well to do person and he should only eats in a restaurant.

The relevant authority must take the entire mean testing policy back to the drawing board to review if such policy is morally correct for Singapore that claims to be a World Class or Develop Nation.

A humble Singaporean