PRIVATE HOSPITALS (Levying charges for sundries and supplies)

Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for Health whether he is aware that some private hospitals are levying detailed charges for sundries and supplies without prior warning to their patients and if he intends to regulate such practices.

The Minister of State for Health (Dr Aline K. Wong)(for the Minister for Health): The Ministry is aware that some private hospitals are charging their patients for sundries and supplies that are provided.

Since this year, private hospitals have been encouraged to provide their patients an estimate of the hospital bill size before admission. From January 1993, it will become mandatory under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act for all private hospitals to provide such information to their patients so that the patients could make an informed choice.

My Ministry does not presently intend to control or regulate the practice of itemised charging by private hospitals. However, we will ask private hospitals to include in their schedule of daily ward charges an explanation on their charging practice and a price list of basic items of sundries and supplies. Patients will then know beforehand how much they will be charged for these items separately, and misunderstanding will be minimised.

We are aware that the public is concerned over the high level of charges by private hospitals. However, charges for sundries and supplies form only a small part of the total bill. The bigger components are charges for medical services by the hospital and the doctors.

My Ministry is currently looking into ways to contain healthcare costs not just in the public sector, but also in the private sector. Some countries, for example, Germany and Japan, control national healthcare costs by controlling private sector fees and charges. The United States has recently set limits on how much doctors and hospitals can charge patients on Medicare and Medicaid. We are studying their experiences.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, the Minister has said that the main fees chargeable go to the medical services of doctors. How are doctors' fees chargeable? Is it by time, or on what basis?

Dr Aline Wong: We are talking about hospital bills here. The hospital bills include charges by doctors for the visits to the inpatients on ward rounds, as well as surgical fees, if there is an operation involved.

Mr Chiam See Tong: I am just curious how the hospitals charge doctors' and surgeons' fees. Like other professions, there is time costing. They justify by saying so much time is spent on the work. How do hospitals charge surgeons' and doctors' fees? On what basis, please?

Dr Aline Wong: Mr Speaker, the question is about the charges for sundries and supplies, not about doctors' fees and charges. If the Member is interested in tabling that question another time, I would be pleased to answer.

Mr Chng Hee Kok (Tampines GRC): Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware of some of the kind of charges which are non-medical in nature? For example, I have documentary evidence of a bill in which a video tape of $8.40 has been charged for recording the surgical procedure. Will the regulations cover such items rather than give a broad category of items which will be charged medically?

Dr Aline Wong: Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have mentioned, the regulations will make it mandatory for private hospitals to state in advance the kind of charging practices they will carry out. That would presumably include that if they do have a video tape, they would have to inform the patient they are going to charge for it.