7/13/2014

Medical tourism can be a very good idea




Medical tourism is a big thing here. With our high quality medical professionals and facilities, and a very comfortable living environment for the rich foreigners to feel at ease and at home, we have many good things going to make the city state a successful medical hub. The private sector medical services are doing roaring businesses. There have been complaints that the govt private hospitals are also jumping into the bandwagon and forgetting that they have a mission to serve the needs of the citizens. This is unfortunate.

Medical tourism can be a good thing if probably structured with a bit of govt intervention to capitalize on the profits from rich foreigners with deep pockets to pay for quality services and sharing this with the citizens. Govt privatized hospitals can tap into this source of revenue but without going bonkers and neglect the citizens. By allocating resources and medical professionals to this rich sector of the market the profits generated could be shared between the specialists, to allow them to earn more and to stay in the govt hospitals, and the hospitals to lower costs for the citizens. How are these apportioned can be worked out without allowing greed to blind the lucrative process.

The private sector specialists could be encouraged to do some national service by offering a little of their time and expertise to govt private hospitals and the revenue be used to subsidise and lower the cost of patients in govt hospitals. With their comfortable income in their private practices, some could be persuaded to offer a couple of days in govt private hospitals as their contribution to community services, to share their good fortunes with the people.

An initiative from the govt with this line of thinking would make medical tourism a very attractive business and with a lot of goodwill when the benefits could reach down to the citizens in govt privatized hospitals. The govt could promote and institutionalize this as a public service system, benefitting the professionals and the citizens and make all parties happy with the system. It calls for a bit of sacrifice on the part of the private practitioners who are doing very well to do a bit of charity at the same time. It also allows those in govt privatized hospitals an avenue to raise their income level while still in govt service. And the cost in govt private hospitals can be lowered, subsidized by medical tourism. 

Oh, don’t forget to provide for additional beds and staff for the tourists that came along and add demands on the system.

Kopi Level - Yellow

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Medical tourism can be a good thing if probably structured with a bit of govt intervention to capitalize on the profits from rich foreigners with deep pockets to pay for quality services and sharing this with the citizens."
RB

Medical tourism is a good thing, and even without govt intervention to capitalize on the profits from rich foreigners with deep pockets to pay for quality services and sharing this with the citizens.

Provided 60% support such a thing. And they did! And I have no doubt they will do it again.



Anonymous said...

Replacing Sinkies with foreigners is also a good thing.

Provided these foreigners become citizens and vote PAP.

Anonymous said...

And also don't forget to donate blood to the blood bank when more patients are coming in.

Anonymous said...

"...sharing this with the citizens"

Tan Koo Koo

Anonymous said...

If Sinkieland want economic growth at all costs, medical tourism is a must. Casinos is a must, and already happened.

And a must, even if Sinkies suffered as a result.

The only caveat for PAP is that the opposition is not ready to be govt.

Anonymous said...

If I donate my Singaporean blood.
Is my Singaporean blood going to be given to an alien who came here on medical tourism?
So who is making the profits from my free Singaporean blood?

Singaporean blood for Singaporeans only.

b said...

>>617pm

- You bet. Perhaps thats why they need so many people - to donate blood to feed the next growth industry. Maybe they will even cultivate kidneys, hearts, brains or whatever necessary to deed this industry. A gov that pays themselves multi-millions while many of the people has no proper roof only talks money. Unfortunately, many still blind blind and dumb dumb voted for this kind of gov and let that power grows so deep.

Anonymous said...

How else did Sinkies earned the Daft Accolade?