POLYCLINICS (Costs of operation)

Mr J. B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Health by how much have the costs of operating polyclinics gone up in 1997 over 1996.

The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Aline K. Wong) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, Sir, the operating cost of the polyclinics is estimated to increase by 9%, from $59.9 million in FY96 to $65.3 million in FY97. This is comparable to the average rate of increase of 8.7% over the previous three years.

The increase in operating cost is mainly due to manpower cost increases as well as higher prices paid for drugs and vaccines, x-ray and laboratory tests and maintenance of equipment and polyclinic premises.

Mr Jeyaretnam: May I ask the Minister of State: was it not possible to find savings from the other Ministries to meet this increased cost, rather than pass the increase on to users of these polyclinics?

Dr Aline Wong: If it had been possible, we would have done it. But our policy is to implement small but regular revisions in our fees in order to catch up with the rise in cost. Costs have risen across the board. So this is to catch up with the rise in costs as well as to reach closer to our cost recovery targets.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Is the Minister aware that in the Supplementary Estimates that are to be debated this afternoon, the Government was able to find something like $400 million from other Ministries to meet the shortfall in defence?

Dr Aline Wong: Within the Ministry, each programme has to be considered for its own funding and for primary health care, we have been giving it the kind of resources that we require.