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Singapore has a combination of several private hospitals and public hospitals. In many countries, public hospitals essentially offer free medical treatment to citizens, with funding derived from government subsidies. In Singapore, however, the public hospitals charge patients according to the ward class that they choose to reside in.
There are essentially five ward classes; A, B1, B2+, B2 and C, with class A being the most expensive and C, the cheapest. The reason for the difference in charges is due to the differing amenities available to the patient and also the amount of government subsidy.
In all instances, there is no difference in medical care of the patient. The difference is in the comfort factor while hospitalized. For example, an A class patient resides in a single room with an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning and television available. The C class patient, on the other hand, shares a room with 7 other patients. The toilet facilities and television are also shared among all.
The government subsidizes up to 80% of the charges for the C class patient whereas the A class patient receives no subsidy and has to pay the cost of hospitalization himself. In both cases, the patient can draw out funds from his MediSave account to help with the payment of medical expenses up to a daily limit.
For most A class patients, they will have to meet the remaining medical expenses with their personal funds. The amount of government subsidy (or medical subvention) is summarized in the table below.
This subsidy is a percentage of the total inpatient hospital charges, including ward charges, costs of medical treatments and procedures, drugs and attendance by physicians.
| Class of Ward | No. to a room | Government Subsidy | Air-Conditioning | | A | 1 | 0% | Yes | | B1 | 4 | 20% | Yes | | B2+ | 5 | 50% | Yes | | B2 | 6 | up to 60%* | No | | C | 8 | up to 80%* | No |
* With means testing starting Jan 09, this subsidy may vary according to individual circumstance
Another main difference is the ability to choose your doctor. Patients who choose to be admitted to class A or B1 are considered to be “private” patients and can have their choice of doctors. Patients admitted to the other classes would have their doctors assigned to them.
In an effort to ensure that maximum subsidies are directed to patients who need them the most, the government has introduced means testing as a measure of a patient’s financial status. If a patient wants to be admitted as a C class patient, then he will have to be subjected to means testing to see if he qualifies for maximum subsidy by the government.
If he has the financial means to support his hospitalization costs, he will be directed to a higher class of ward commiserate with this financial status. This is to ensure that government funds are directed to those who need them the most.
With the 3 pillars of MediSave, MediShield and Medifund, as well as choosing the appropriate class of ward, all patients will be able to enjoy quality healthcare without worry that medical services will be denied on financial grounds. |
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