PUBLIC HOSPITALS
Parliament of Singapore · 21 January 2008
Official Report, 21 January 2008, Vol 84, Issue 1 · Open in the reader (summaries, search, filters)
PUBLIC HOSPITALS
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(Settlement of bills): **
5.
Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Health (a) how many persons are currently in arrears of bills from public hospitals, segmented by the size of the bills in arrears, in $3,000 intervals; and (b) for those paying bills by instalments, what is the maximum period for the instalment plans allowed to date.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Most patients settle their bills promptly, with the vast majority within two months of discharge.
Less than 4% of patient cases were in arrears after two months of discharge. The arrears averaged $409 per bill. Arrears exceeding $3,000 were uncommon.
Generally, hospitals would allow such patients an instalment plan of up to 24 months. On selected cases, the instalment plan can be further extended, to even a few years.
Column: 175
Source: Singapore Parliament Official Report (Hansard) for 21 January 2008. Republished on SGParliament.