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.

Going forward in 2009

As we move forward into 2009, the accepted wisdom must be caveat emptor. This catch phrase shall be the guiding principle for how we live and engage in all transactions and human interactions. Caveat emptor is the fairest principle to live by. Anyone got cheated is his own fault. He is expected to know what he is doing. We have the best educated population and we can't expect them to be stupid and be cheated so easily. There is no longer a need for institutions that check or audit corporations. There is no need for regulators. There is no need for rules and laws. We can save a lot of unnecessary business cost and time. Every transaction shall go by the buyers beware code, check yourselves before getting into a transaction. Oh, no need for the legal professions too. Contractual laws can be thrown into the dustbins. It will be the survival of the smartests. We shall call ourselves Caveat Emptor country. And we can laugh at all the silly people who got cheated or got rip off. It is simply their own faults. Life will be much simpler.

2008 A year of Rip Off

The most memorable part of 2008 is the Rip Off of people's money around the world with America taking lead. America was the shining example of how the financial system was hijacked by a bunch of crooks and ripping off practically every American and people across the globe of huge sums of money. Many of the victims were driven to the point of bankruptcy. Fortunes were wiped out over night like a nightmare. But this rip off is not only confined to the people ripping off people, but to the govt ripping off the people as well. The American govt was involved in the biggest hoax of history and using it to invade countries and wars. Lives were lost and billions of the tax payers money were wasted. We were not spared by this Rip Off. Many of our innocent people were ripped off of the little money they had. Some lost their retirement fund or coffin money. The Rip off was not confined to just corporations. We see with our eyes wide opened, how the people were rip off, and the funny thing is that Singaporeans think that all the rip off is fair. Some rip offs were even proclaimed as the fairest thing to do. Singaporeans deserved to be ripped off.

You don't have to agree!

Make 2009 a different year. For a start, tell yourself that you don't have to agree with everything other people say, especially politicians. When the politicians say it is good for you, double check, triple check, to see if it really is. If the politicians say it is fair, do the same, many times over. And if they say this is the best solution or policy, don't simply take their words for it. And don't just disagree, say it out, make it loud and clear. And if the politicians is talking cock, make sure he is reminded of it. Let him or her knows. This is what all the world class education that you are getting should mean. It should make every educated one a thinking person with a mind of his own. Not sheeples without a brain. Make a difference in 2009!

Rescue Pack 2009

Come 20 Jan 2009 a rescue package is expected to be unveiled by the govt to help the people from the financial crisis. There are high hopes of new year angpows to tie in with the Chinese New Year a week later. This is going to be a tough CNY if no windfall is coming from somewhere. The govt is not expected to fail the people and will deliver like it did many times in the past. There will be handouts. But through past experiences the handouts must be squeezed out from somewhere. There is no free handouts and the people should also know better. This time it is going to be a bit tricky for the govt as the economy is also in technical recession and trade is contracting. Then the investment vehicles are not expected to do well. The known high profile investments in western banks are bleeding profusedly. What the people have yet to be told is the bigger picture of all the other investments by Temasek and GICs. They too can't be doing well when all the best fund managers in the world are going broke. If it is going to proclaim another profitable year, you can expect people to think of Madoff. But the govt is going to find the money to help the people. Where will this money come from?