SINGAPORE: The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Mar 3 that all Singapore residents will receive S$20 worth of health points if they enrol in the voluntary Healthier SG programme and complete their first health consultation.
Healthier SG benefits such as free health screenings and vaccinations will commence in July, with enrolment starting for residents aged 60 and above.
Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said on Mar 3 that Singapore will build a strong population health system through Healthier SG. The concept of population health - health for everyone in a defined population - is relatively new to Singapore and Southeast Asia. How does the concept translate to action and benefits for our citizens? CNA
Free health screenings and vaccinations in an island state that does not believe in free lunch except maybe the occasional free chicken wings must be music to the ears of the seniors. When medical services and medicine are so expensive, just like everything, getting free health screenings and free vaccinations must be most welcoming news. Just wondering what vaccines are they going to give for free? Pfizer mRNA vaccines?
And to top up the good news, got $20 worth of health points some more. How can the seniors not become healthier with such goodies? Would there be long queues for the Healthier SG programmes? It reminds me of a personal experience when I was with the Lions Club. We organised free health screenings also, but no $20 health points. No seniors came for the free screening. If only we could provide $20 health points it might make a difference.
We had to approach the seniors to cajole them to come for the free screenings. They looked at us blankly with a slight scorn in their faces. Subsequently we found out why. They said screening was free, but after screening they would end up with a list of illnesses that needed to be treated, needed medicine. And they had no money for the medicine. So they rather opt to stay away from the free screening.
With $20 health points, wondering what this is all about, perhaps it could cover the cost of buying some medicine should they be found to be ill and needed treatment. For many seniors, likely to be retired and have little or no income except a dwindling savings kept in the CPF, they have to make a big decision, to pay for food or for medicine. The little money they have is fixed and limited and paying for one means not having the other.
What do you think? Food or medicine? Heard someone said, in Singapore can die but cannot afford to be sick.
8 comments:
The pap buggers deserve to be praised to heaven for making this island a paradise for everyone.
It is true you can afford to die but cannot afford to be sick, which is a good thing... this motivates seniors to be healthy or pretend to be healthy. Either way, seniors save money on medical.
It is true. After screening, you will be asked to go for further checks on this and that. In between they asked patients to eat less of this and that. K. F. Seetoh of Makansutra once commented that to stay healthy, people should just take an empty plate and lick it.
After that routine, an endless round of visits for quarterly, bi-annual or annual testing regimen and medication, and sometimes you literally fall sick out of worry when they throw you the word 'cancer' if your condition deterioriates. The next visit invariably confirm it was just a concern, nothing to worry. That was what I went through a few times. Yep, nothing to worry for them, but for the patient it is a different thing.
Sit in at the pharmacy inside the polyclinics and you see oldies clutching big plastic bags of medication for six or 12 months, which I labelled goody bags of tibits after a visit to a supermarket. Taking all that stuff is never good, but die die also must take. Take you die, don't take also die.
By the way, healthpoints can be exchanged for unhealthy chips, soft drinks, crackers etc at NTUC. Great Idea!
Yes every 6 months I go poly for my high blood and cholesterol medicine in one small plastic bag but I often see other senior with very large bag containing thousands of tablets. If the illness does not kill them the thousands of tablets will. So don't take u die a quick death, take u also die of a prolong slow death
Singaporeans should eat more healthy foods. I like hawker centre food but the tasty ones are not very good in terms of cholesterol and sugar.
$20 isn't going to help any of the Ah Laus and Ah Kongs. They are already a burden to Singapore, and cannot contribute anything more. I think government should give that entitlement to the younger Singaporeans. Would be more beneficial to them.
Wow Anon 4.45
With this type of Genocide thinking, must as well line up all those above 60s,70s and 80s and above to the Changi Coastline and installed a GPMG machine gun with her tripod firmly on the ground and start machine gunned wow 7.62 big bullets to make sure all DEAD and won't be a burden to the young.
Ah Kongs and Ah Laus said if we know that nowadays your younger strawberries and heartless generations had this type of thinking then better as babies squeezed you all to DEATH or feed to the Crocs.
Hope you don't grow old.
Best of Luck.
*They are already a burden to Singapore, and cannot contribute anything more.*
- your teachers and parents taught you so well they must be so proud of you and those in your cohort. Seniors can depart in peace knowing this little island has a great future with clever people like you.
Btw, the $20 can be used for their last meal.
What goes around comes around. Everyone must grow old some day.
Free screening is a ploy to get new patients, new money.
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