DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POLYCLINICS AND PRIVATE FAMILY DOCTORS' CHARGES FOR OUTPATIENT CONSULTATIONS AND MEDICATIONS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1405 
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 5 OCTOBER 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song
MP for Aljunied GRC

Question No. 3567

To ask the Minister for Health whether patients’ costs for (i) outpatient consultations and (ii) drugs at their enrolled family doctor under Healthier SG will be the same as that charged at polyclinics, without any deliberate increases in polyclinic charges to achieve parity.

Written Answer

As explained in the White Paper on Healthier SG, MOH will make drug prices for a whitelist of common chronic drugs at participating general practitioner (GP) clinics more comparable to those at polyclinics, through a combination of enhanced drug subsidies and drug price limits. 

However, we will not be able to equalise patients’ costs across GPs and polyclinics down to the last dollar for all components of care, such as consultations and investigations. This is due to differences in costs and operating considerations between polyclinics and GP clinics. 

The member’s last question is somewhat puzzling. We are giving additional subsidies to remove the differences in patients’ costs between polyclinics and GPs. The reason for any polyclinic fee adjustments has been to reflect changes in underlying costs, such as the salary costs of our healthcare workers.