Drug and Treatment Differences between Subsidised and Private Patients

20 January 2015

Question No. 388

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr K Karthikeyan
Nominated MP

Question:

To ask the Minister for Health whether hospitals administer different drugs and treatment for the same medical conditions based on private or subsidised wards and, if so, whether the Ministry conducts checks on hospitals for such practices.

Answer:

1.                 In our public hospitals, care is provided based on the patients’ clinical condition, rather than their subsidy status.  Doctors and the health care team administer drugs and treatments appropriate to each patient’s clinical needs.  Where clinically appropriate to do so, generic drugs are used for both subsidised and private patients.  However, as each patient has his own risk factors, clinical presentations and associated diseases, there may be differences in the treatment and drugs used for different patients, even for the same condition.

2.                 Some of the drugs or treatments thus prescribed could be non-subsidised as there are more cost effective alternatives available.  Nonetheless, where non-subsidised drugs or treatments are assessed to be clinically required and cannot be replaced by subsidised alternatives, patients from lower-income households are provided assistance to help them access these drugs or treatments.

3.                 Public hospitals have various governance frameworks in place to ensure that patients receive care appropriate to their clinical needs.  This includes accreditation committees to ensure appropriate use of new technologies and procedures, and that procedures are performed by properly trained doctors.  The Pharmacy and Therapeutic (P&T) and Medical Device (MDC) committees ensure clinically appropriate use of drugs and medical devices and implants respectively.  There are also pre-operations conferences for peer review of elective surgeries to ensure that they are appropriate, safe and not unnecessary.