MEDISAVE

MEDISAVE

**

(Use for palliative care): **

3.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Health given the recent move to increase subsidies and allow Medisave to be used for palliative care (a) how much money does the Ministry foresee being used for this in the future and how does Singapore compare with the rest of the world in our use of palliative care; and (b) what is the increase in health care spending as a percentage of GDP that the Ministry foresees as population ages.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The recent announcement pertains to the use of Medisave for home palliative care from next year. Medisave can already be used for inpatient hospice care.

Last year, about 5,100 patients received hospice and palliative care services, of which about 4,000 were cared for at home. The services are funded largely through Government subsidy and Medisave withdrawals. For the low income patients, my Ministry subsidises up to 75% of the cost.

Last year, Government subsidy exceeded $5 million while Medisave withdrawals were about $1.5 million. With greater awareness of palliative care and its promotion by my Ministry, we can expect these figures to rise in tandem with the rise in demand as the population ages further.

More than 90% of our current palliative care patients are cancer patients. Among the cancer patients, about 70% receive palliative care. This utilisation rate is comparable to that in the UK and Australia. However, our utilisation of palliative care among the patients with non-cancer terminal illnesses, such as end-stage organ failure, remains low. There is scope to develop this sector further.

Currently, health spending amounted to about 4% of our GDP. All over the world, health spending has been growing faster than GDP. Singapore is no exception. One contributing factor is the ageing of the population. There are various projections on the

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future rate of growth, based on different assumptions. However, simply putting in more money will not solve the healthcare challenges. More money does not automatically translate into a better health outcome. While we will continue to invest in healthcare and spend more than now, we must also press on with efficiency and productivity drive on the supply side, and on the demand side, to get Singaporeans to embrace a healthy lifestyle from young.

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