Co-funding of infertility treatment in line with healthcare subsidy approach

24 Sep 2008, The Straits Times

Question

Name of the Person: Tan Bee Hong (Ms)

Going private for infertility treatment

I REFER to last Tuesday's report on Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan's response in Parliament on the infertility treatment subsidy ('Infertility treatment query'). Mr Khaw said the subsidy will not be extended to private hospitals 'because comparable services are available in public hospitals' and '(IVF) success rates were comparable'.

Many factors are considered when a woman chooses her gynaecologist. These include the doctor's expertise, bedside manner, accessibility, waiting time, consultation time, as well as service level of nurses.

It is a fact that, when it comes to obstetrics and gynaecology, most couples choose specialists in the private sector. A check with the Ministry of Health (MOH) website, for example, showed that there were 13,500 normal deliveries in the private hospitals between July last year and June this year, compared to 7,600 in public hospitals during the same period.

There are good reasons why this is so, based on my personal experience. As a patient at KK Women's and Children's Hospital previously, I had to wait about two hours each time, only to see the doctor for no more than 10 minutes. In contrast, I have never had to wait more than half an hour when I visit my current specialist in private practice, who spends more time and effort when performing ultrasound scans, explaining my condition and exploring my options.

These factors aside, let us look at the purpose of co-funding. The initiative is intended to help women with difficulty conceive. It was never meant to be financial assistance for needy patients. That being so, why limit it to public hospitals? Surely this will only direct more patients to these hospitals and exacerbate the problem of long waiting time which has been a constant subject of complaints?

Moreover, MOH has capped co-funding at $3,000 per treatment cycle, instead of pegging it at a percentage of total treatment cost. This means it will not cost the Government any more to subsidise a couple seeking treatment in a private hospital.

In trying to boost the birth rate, surely every baby counts. So why discriminate against couples consulting private specialists who are equally desperate to have children?

Reply

Reply from MOH 

In "Going private for infertility treatment", Ms Tan Bee Hong suggested that the Government extends its co-funding of infertility treatment such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) to private hospitals.  She observed that most couples choose specialists in the private sector when it comes to obstetrics and gynaecology.

For infertility treatment, public hospitals accounted for more than half of the market share last year. The success rates of treatment are comparable, with public hospitals averaging 27% success rate and private hospitals, 24% success rate.  The cost of treatment is, however, generally lower in the public hospitals.

Our approach to subsidising infertility treatments is part of our broader policy on healthcare subsidy. Patients are not subsidised for treatment in private hospitals, as comparable services are available in public hospitals, generally at lower cost. There are varying subsidies for different ward classes in our public hospitals. They help make healthcare affordable to all Singaporeans.

Co-funding for infertility treatment will focus help on couples who find it difficult to afford treatment in private clinics.