Feedback on CHAS

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Liang Eng Hwa

MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Question No. 390

To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) cardholders are there currently; (b) what is the breakdown of this figure according to the number of CHAS Blue and CHAS Orange cardholders respectively; (c) what are the common kinds of feedback received on the Scheme; and (d) whether the Ministry has plans to further improve and streamline the Scheme.

Oral Reply

1        There are 1.4 million Singaporeans on the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) currently.  This includes about 400,000 Pioneers who receive special subsidies under CHAS.  Excluding Pioneers, there are 600,000 and 400,000 Blue and Orange cardholders respectively.  

2        Usual feedback on CHAS include eligibility assessment, level and coverage of subsidies, application and renewal process, as well as charges at CHAS clinics.

3        The Ministry values the feedback provided.  We take them into consideration in our periodic reviews of the design and implementation of the scheme, as well as guidelines and advice given to CHAS clinics.  For example, in 2014, we removed the age criterion for CHAS, which allowed all Singaporeans of eligible households, regardless of age, to benefit from the scheme.  We streamlined the application process as well as claims submission process.  The Ministry will review CHAS regularly to ensure that the scheme continues to meet the objective of providing Singaporeans with access to affordable and quality primary care in the community.