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1/01/2009
Market practice in govt privatised hospitals
Means testing starts today
Those in B2 and C class wards will be asked to consent to checks on their income
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent
Patients are free to refuse income checks. But this will mean they automatically get the smallest subsidy: 50 per cent for treatment in a B2 ward and 65 per cent in a C-class ward. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
PATIENTS warded in B2 and C class wards in public hospitals from today will be means-tested to determine the level of subsidy they will get.
They will be asked upon admission to give their signed consent to grant hospitals permission to check their income.
I would like to suggest that the hospitals introduce market practices with respect to demand and supply, cost and charges like what HDB is doing. That is the fairest thing to do. Then there will be no need to mean test anyone.
Anyone going to the hospital shall pay accordingly, at market prices. Cannot afford don't go. The hospitals are privatised hospitals and need to operate for profit and be answerable to the shareholders. We no longer have govt hospitals whose main mission is to provide affordable medical care for its citizens. There is no need for hypocrisy.
Privatised govt hospitals shall run and operate like a private hospital. Otherwise it will defeat its purposes of being privatised and be unfair to its shareholders.
Sure, some day the govt privatised hospitals will go the way of the HDB. This is only the first step. Do they care about whether you can or cannot afford? Well, do they care whether foreign workers are taking away jobs from Singaporeans? Same answer.
ReplyDeletethat is the fairest thing. you want good medical facilities you pay market price. there is no free meal. singaporeans better get use to this reality, quick.
ReplyDeletewe are living in a market driven economy. everything is determined by the market, from the top to the bottom.
A govt privatised hospital is not a truly privatised entity. It is still govt and 'privatised' in name only.
ReplyDeleteA favourite govt trick is to change the name of something to alleviate the gullible publics' mind into fooling the people in thinking that they are rich and free.
Market practices cannot work in govt-run entities. Failure is the eventual consequence, although it is difficult to predict exactly WHEN that failure will occur.
when the cost is so high, they must continue to collect more and higher fees to sustain the system. there is no other way unless the cost is brought down.
ReplyDeletebut it will be difficult once it is being pushed up, just like property prices and salaries. bring them down will cause the whole system to collapse.
we are in for a big spin and a hard ride.
Allow me to add just a little to Matilahs', quote: "although it is difficult to predict WHEN failure will occur", unquote.
ReplyDeleteBut it will SURELY happen.
Privatisations of Public Services and Organizations SERVE THE GREATEST PURPOSES OF MAKING THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENCES WITHOUT INVOLVING THE GOVERNMENT. That is to say, mistake if any lies with the 'privatised entity' and GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GOVERNMENT!
What a great ploy by shirkers!
patriot
Privatised or not, the government still controls everything. The purpose of privatisation is to fool the public into thinking that whenever they need to increase fees or prices, the government cannot and will not do anything to interfere with private enterprise.
ReplyDelete