Overview
An introduction to the healthcare system in Singapore. Find out more ...
Medisave, Medishield and Medifund
Medisave
Medisave, introduced in April 1984, is a national medical savings scheme which helps individuals put aside part of their income into their Medisave Accounts to meet their future personal or immediate family's hospitalization, day surgery and certain outpatient expenses.
Medishield
MediShield, introduced in 1990, is a low cost catastrophic illness insurance scheme. It is designed to help members meet the medical expenses from major or prolonged illnesses from which their Medisave balance would not be sufficient to cover. MediShield operates on a co-payment and deductible system to avoid the problems associated with first-dollar, comprehensive insurance. The premiums for MediShield is payable by Medisave.
Find out more about MediShield
Medifund
Medifund is an endowment fund set up by the Government in April 1993 to help needy Singaporeans who are unable to pay for their medical expenses. This fund acts as a safety net for those who cannot afford the subsidised bill charges despite Medisave and MediShield coverage. Medifund was established with an initial capital of S$200 million and capital injections will be made when budget surpluses are available. The capital sum currently stands at S$1.7 billion. The interest income from this capital sum are being utilised to finance the needy.
Other Subsidy Schemes
Eldershield
ElderShield, introduced in June 2002, is an affordable severe disability insurance scheme designed to help Singaporeans meet with expenses incurred in the event of severe disability. The premiums of ElderShield can also be paid with the funds from the individual's Medisave accounts.
Find out more about ElderShield
Interim Disability Assistance Programm for the Elderly (IDAPE)
The Interim Disability Assistance Program for the Elderly (IDAPE) scheme provides financial help to those who become disabled. IDAPE caters to Singapore citizens who are not eligible for ElderShield.
Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS)
The Community Health Assist Scheme engages private general practitioners (GPs) to provide common outpatient medical services to needy elderly at polyclinic charges.
Drug Subsidies
Patients receive drug subsidies based on their paying status and the scheme under which the drug is covered (e.g. Standard Drug List, Medication Assistance Fund, inpatient drug subsidy, etc). Some drugs are subsidised only for specific clinical indications.
