WARD AND HOSPITAL CHARGES

Parliament of Singapore · 16 May 2005

Official Report, 16 May 2005, Vol 80, Issue 5 · Open in the reader (summaries, search, filters)

24.

Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the percentage of patients, whose income is more than $6,000, who have opted to stay in Class A wards in the last three years; (b) what is the average hospital bill, excluding ward charges, of these patients; and (c) how many of these patients are suffering from chronic illnesses.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Our hospitals do not routinely ask our patients for data on their income. I am therefore unable to supply the information as requested by Assoc. Prof. Ong.

However, a study in 2002 found that, out of those patients who earned above $6,400 per month and hence belonged to the top 10th-percentile income group, 62% opted for Class A wards. Their hospital bills averaged about $4,000, including ward charges. The 2002 study did not collect information on the medical conditions of these patients.

Column: 709

Source: Singapore Parliament Official Report (Hansard) for 16 May 2005. Republished on SGParliament.