MEDIFUND SCHEME (Progress)

Dr S. Vasoo asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the progress of the Medifund scheme and the profiles of the people who have been assisted under the scheme.

The Minister for Health (BG George Yong-Boon Yeo): Sir, in the first year of operation, 18,536 applications for assistaance from Medifund were received. 99.6% or 18,454 of the applications were approved. 5,371 of the approved applications were from subsidised inpatients. This made up about 3.3% of all Class B2/C inpatients. The remaining 13,000-plus of the approved applications were from subsidised outpatients. This constitutes about 1.2% of all subsidised attendances.

The total amount of Medifund approved was $4.8 million. $3.92 million or 82% of the total Medifund approved was used to help subsidised inpatients. The remaining $0.84 million was for subsidised outpatients. The average amount of Medifund help per application was $730 for a subsidised inpatient and $65 for a subsidised outpatient.

Of those who were assisted by Medifund, 83% were patients with low income and who have been regular contributors to Medisave and were covered by MediShield. 14.5% were patients who were born in or before 1940 for whom Medisave was introduced too late.

Dr S. Vasoo (Tanjong Pagar GRC): Sir, is there a review of those who have been turned down to see whether they are really in a pressing need and whether their cases have been considered?

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Sir, as I mentioned earlier, only 0.4% of applications were turned down. The numbers are very few and if these are deserving cases, we will surely review them.

Dr Vasoo: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether there is a good system in place to identify and assist people who are in need of support in the restructured hospitals.

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Every restructured hospital has its own Medifund committee. We have decentralised it so that the processing of applications is done at a level which is very close to those who are in need of such funds. I am satisfied that we have got good working systems and sufficient safeguards.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin (Nominated Member): Sir, would the Minister give the rationale for Medifund giving less preference to a housewife whose husband contributes irregularly to Medisave compared to another housewife whose husband is a regular contributor to Medisave? This was said by the former Minister for Health in Parliament in May 1993.

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Sir, I am not familiar with this particular detail of Medifund. The broad guidelines have already been given to the public as to the constraints within which hospital Medifund committees should operate. If the Nominated Member of Parliament were to submit a Question on this particular case, I would be very happy to answer.

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang): Sir, would the Minister publish the detailed guidelines or criteria for Medifund eligibility? What are the bases for allocations and approval of applications?

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Sir, early last year, the Health Ministry issued a press statement on the guidelines for Medifund eligibility. We have deliberately given the powers to approve specific cases down to the hospitals so that at their level they can make judgments as to whether particular individuals are deserving. I think it is better to do it at that level than to have detailed conditions prescribed at the level of the Health Ministry. It has worked well. Most applications are approved. I do not see a reason for a review of the present system of approval.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, does the Minister agree that by publishing the details, at least the public can assess an application which was rejected, whether the judgment of the specific case was really fair and based on a set of guidelines, rather than based on the judgment of the committee?

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Speaker, Sir, we ought not to be too theoretical about this. As I mentioned earlier, only 0.4% of cases get turned down. If any Member of Parliament or any member of the public were to write to me about why those very few cases which were rejected ought to be reconsidered, I will certainly reconsider them at the Health Ministry level.