TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL (Free admission to medical wards)

Mr Ng Yeow Chong asked the Minister for Health why persons who are well able to afford paying for hospitalisation have been, and are being, admitted to the Medical Wards in Tan Tock Seng Hospital admission to which is free.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, Tan Tock Seng Hospital is a free hospital. There are no paying class wards in it. Hence any patient admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, whether to the Tuberculosis Chest or Thoracic, Surgical or Medical Wards is admitted free.

Admissions to the Medical Wards at Tan Tock Seng Hospital are taken from the Admission Room of the Outram Road General Hospital on a roster basis. The sole criterion for admission is whether or not the patient requires admission to the hospital, and no account is taken whether or not the patient may be able to afford admission to a paying class ward, as the hospital, as mentioned previously, does not have paying class wards. But if the patients request admission to paying class wards, they are then returned for admission to the paying class wards in the Outram Road General Hospital.

Development estimate proposals have been made to convert two wards in the hospital to accommodate paying class patients. The estimate for making the conversions has been given by the Public Works Department as costing $75,000. The cost for furniture and equipment will bring this up to about $112,000.

Approval for conversion of these paying class wards has been just given and is included in next year's estimates, and it is the intention to effect the conversion in the very near future. These two paying class wards will be used for general medical as well as tuberculosis patients.

There are at present four free class medical wards. When the revised ward charges are implemented, patients admitted to these medical wards will pay similar rates chargeable to those admitted to 'C' class wards in other hospitals.