SINGAPORE GENERAL HOSPITAL (Privatization)

Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Acting Minister for Health whether there is any immediate plan to privatise the Singapore General Hospital and whether this move will restrict poorer Singaporeans using its services.

The Acting Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Sir, last year, during the debate in the Committee of Supply on my Ministry's Budget, I had explained at length the reasons for restructuring the management of our hospitals. I had explained that each restructured hospital would operate as an autonomous unit, free from the constraints of Civil Service regulations. It would be better able to meet the changing demands from the general public, have greater flexibility in deploying and motivating its staff and achieve greater efficiency through the introduction of modern management and operational systems. The end-result would be better personalized services to our patients, while capping the rapid cost increases that we have experienced in the last 10-15 years.

Sir, my Ministry has been monitoring closely the experience of the National University Hospital, which was commissioned as a restructured hospital some 2(r) years ago. The experience and performance of NUH has shown that the concept of an autonomously managed hospital is correct.

My Ministry is now in the process of planning the restructuring of SGH into an autonomous hospital. We expect to complete the restructuring programme for SGH around the middle of 1989.

Sir, SGH today has 1,621 beds. Of these, 1,160 are in the heavily subsidized wards where patients pay only a small fraction of the total cost. SGH, after its restructuring, will continue to offer subsidized care to the lower income group who cannot afford to pay the full cost of hospital care. Those patients who are genuinely indigent and who cannot afford even the subsidized rates are also eligible to apply for a waiver of fees. I would like to assure Members that no Singaporean will be denied medical care because of financial difficulty.