Singapore is well-known for its low expenditure on healthcare, but a former nominated Member of Parliament has called on the government to spend more so that, in turn, low-income elderly can pay less.
Currently, Singapore's healthcare spending is at 4 per cent of its GDP, a quarter that of the United States' spending. Most OECD countries spend more than 10 per cent of their GDP on healthcare.
In a passionate speech in early March, DrKanwaljit Soin, an orthopedic surgeon, argued that needy elderly people, in particular women, as they outnumber men after the age of 85, end up skipping medical treatments because they worry about paying the bills.
She cited a 1995 National Survey of Senior Citizens that found 88 per cent of people over 55 had not made financial provisions for their old age and health needs.
At least a portion of these senior citizens are still alive today and, possibly, are among those worrying about medical bills.
As evidence, perhaps, of the problem of under-consumption of healthcare in Singapore, men and women here lose a higher percentage of life-expectancy to ill-health as compared to other developed countries, said Dr Soin.
A 2001 study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that men here lose 11.4 per cent of life expectancy to ill-health or disability, while women lose 14.1 per cent. In contrast, men and women in New Zealand and Australia lose between 8.5 to 11 per cent.
And in arguing that out-of-pocket expenses are too high, Dr Soin pointed out, even the "much vaunted 3M system" -- Medisave, Medishield and Medifund -- only represents 10 per cent of the patient's total healthcare expenditure.
This means, for those without employer benefits and private insurance, the bulk of hospital bills are settled through out-of-pocket expenses.
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