No one be turned away for medical treatment

$20k deposit is required for a major ops inspite of medical insurance. This was what NUH expected from Rebecca Lim Ching Ling as she recounted her shocking experience in the ST forum. She was told by the staff bluntly that 'many people will tell me the same thing, and if they cannot pay, we make a loss.' The staff is right. NUH is not a charity but a business concern and they cannot make losing money decision. After making many frantic calls, Rebecca managed to get her deposit reduced to a smaller amount. How many people, ordinary beans, can afford to cough out $20k cash as deposit? How many people are resourceful enough and educated enough to make all the necessary phone calls to get the deposit reduced? It pays to be cash rich or educated. If not, just too bad. And you cannot blame the hospital or system. You want quality service, you pay the price. No one will be denied medical treatment. No conditions attached.

notable quotes from NKF Eunice Tay

'We cannot afford to let these people squander public money and rob the poor of their rightful subsidies.' NKF CEO Eunice Tay NKF is facing the problem of $1.8 million of unpaid fees by its 393 patients. One owes as much as $29k. Now this is serious and the New NKF is taking this very seriously. They have sought all ways to get the defaulters pay their debt and 'if they still refuse to pay, they will have to seek dialysis elsewhere.' Now this is the kind of tough business decision the NKF has to take. Owe money pay money. NKF is not a charity or is it, that can give free treatment and the patients refused to pay. They pay or go elsewhere for treatment. Tough decision for a tough problem. Shall this be a business decision or a human decision? Shall this be a political decision or a charitable decision? The patients do not go to NKF for a glass of wine or fine dining. It is a matter of life and death. Those who could pay will have to pay. Those who can't cannot go elsewhere as they still have to pay or they die. Period. No man shall be deprived of medical treatment because he cannot afford to pay. This must be in the manifesto of any political party.

Political party manifesto 4

I used to think that the people that form the lowest strata of our society and struggling to live a decent life may be just about 10%. With the shrinking dollar and a higher cost of living, this group could be much bigger. Any family of 4, with two school going children and has a household income of less than $3k a month is tough. And any family with 4 or 5 kids will need at least a $4k income to get by. For living decently in this island, we shouldn't be talking about subsistence level living or we might as well use the poverty stricken Africans as our yardstick, a $3k to $4k family income is barely enough. And if prices are going up, as they are expected here, surely, every year, the income will get smaller and smaller. Another way to look at it, for some individuals, is to say, forget about these people. They buck up and work harder or they live as they are. But political parties have to adopt a different stand from private individual views. They are to work for the people, all the people, at least that must be their declared objective. This must be clearly defined in their manifesto and supported by their actions. If they can't make it materialised, at least they must be seen to be pushing for it. There are at least 50 to 60% of the voters that will buy such an idea.

The unabashedly pro govt press.

P N Balji, Editorial Director of mediacorp, confirmed the unabashedly pro govt media stance and does not apologise about it. And the main reasons, other than a string of others that he gave, is money. Money is everything. And he quoted LKY saying, 'Once you have growth, all the problems can be managed.' Quite true. All money related problems can be solved with money, especially greed. The problem is whether money is used to solve the problems or whether the problems can be solved by money. What is scary is that money can buy everything, even the way media reports and its contents, especially the unabashedly pro govt one. What happens if money runs out? In the longer run, when all Singaporeans are driven by money, this drive for money will turn them against the interest of Singaporeans. That is for sure when all they think of is money for themselves and nothing else. Does it make any difference where the money comes from? Could foreign agencies provide the money for news that are favourable to them and get the msm to print it? Good luck Singapore. The other part of Balji's comment is the drying up of ideas in the msm to captivate the interest of its readers. With a press that is so predictable, focussing on reporting pro govt news, which may not necessarily be bad, what else is there to interest the readers. Where are the alternative views to generate discussions and thinking? Have no fear. The role of the msm is now confined to one of reporting facts and events. The role of providing commentary, interesting commentaries, opposing views, alternative views, lays squarely on the lap of cyberspace. The blogs and internet forums are the new sources of views on events and issues. Thank you msm for relinquishing your role and concentrate on what you now do best, factual reporting without views or commentaries.

The right to die

Visited a nursing home or a hospice? I assure you that it is not a pretty sight. My respect for all the care givers in the homes, paid or volunteered. Many of the inmates are no longer able to look after themselves. Can't see, can't hear, can't move, can't talk and can't think. And everything must be done for them. Is it a good thing to keep them living in those conditions? Are they living and enjoying life, or are they serving penance for a life not worth living? Many kind hearted souls will swear and fight tooth and nail to keep them alive and going. Life is precious. Anyone with a different view? We are not meant to live forever in this physical form. We come and we go. Different religions and races have their theories and teachings on what come next. Some may believe that this is their one and only existence. Some believe that there is life after death. Some believe that one's spirit lives on forever. The question is whether people should be preserved to live with such indignity, in such a pathetic condition, and celebrated as living. Living life must be living life, not suffering life, immobilised in bed. A lot of education needs to be done to prepare people to live and die gracefully and respectfully. People must not be imprisoned in their dysfunctional bodies in this world one day longer that they have to be. They must be set free to roam the universe, to carry on living as a free spirit. We have the right to live and also the right to die, in dignity. A lot of work must be done in this neglected area that has been left to chance and the opportunitists. We need some of our best talents to be trained in this field and to enlighten the ignorant masses on what life and living is all about and remove the fear of dying. Dying is the last act of grace. A beautiful moment to a new life. Dying is to live again. PS. Exclude the violent and unnatural deaths for they are not meant to die through natural wear and tear.