Give the average S'porean access to new treatments

12 Jul 2006, The Straits Times

Question

Name of the Person: Tan Qui Boon (Ms)

Give the average S'porean access to new treatments

AS POINTED out by Ms Chua Mui Hoong in her commentary, 'S'pore health system 80% fine but fix the 20%' (ST, July 7), our healthcare system is probably one of the best around and, as a Singaporean, I am proud that we are on par with many large, developed nations in terms of life expectancy and infant mortality. 

The fact that this has been achieved despite our low health-care spending of about 3 per cent of GDP must be a feat that is admired by many countries. Like Ms Chua, I agree that there are some aspects of the system that can be improved further. One of the things that I worry about constantly is having the money to afford the newer, advanced treatments that are available in Singapore should I or any family member be unfortunate enough to fall sick. Take cancer as an example. I recall that Ms Chua herself shared in a column some time back about how fortunate she was to have access to the latest breast-cancer therapy when she was diagnosed with the condition in the United States. The average breast-cancer patient in Singapore would not be as fortunate. Do not be mistaken, these new treatments are available in Singapore, thanks in no small part to our medical-tourism initiative - in order to attract foreign patients here, Singapore makes available the latest therapies within a reasonably short period after their approval in the US or Europe. The irony is that, while these treatments are available here, they are out of reach of the average Singaporean patient as the Government does not subsidise them. As a result, only rich patients, foreigners and locals alike, will be able to afford them. This problem will become more glaring in the near future as a result of the growing income gap. 

The challenge to the Government is thus how to strike a balance between keeping health-care costs down and, at the same time, moving beyond providing just 'basic' health care so that the average Singaporean also has access to the high quality of care that is available. An article on the cover page of The Straits Times on July 8 reported that a Singapore firm has developed a promising new cancer drug. The CEO of the company says the drug could potentially reap 'hundreds of millions of dollars in sales every year'. I cannot help but wonder where the sales will come from - not from the Singapore market, if the Government continues to cap the use of new therapies in hospitals.

Reply

Reply from MOH 

New treatments and drugs need careful evaluation 

We thank Mrs Tan Qui Boon ("Give the average S'porean access to new treatments"; ST, July 12) for her letter in which she commented that new treatments made available in Singapore may be "out of reach of the average Singaporean patient". 

New treatments must be introduced with a balance of enthusiasm and caution. The long term benefits of many novel therapies and drugs have not been shown nor their safety evaluated, especially for the local population. 

To make new treatments, technologies and drugs available to Singaporeans, the Ministry of Health (MOH) supports various pilot projects under the Health Service Development Programme (HSDP). $20m is provided each year in the Ministry's budget for this programme. Examples include mechanical heart devices for patients with heart failure and cartilage transplantation for patients with knee problems. Drugs supported under the HSDP include some for treatment of cancers, hepatitis, osteoporosis and asthma. Patients are able to receive these treatments at subsidized prices. After the pilot period, the results of the projects will be evaluated and MOH will include the suitable ones in our mainstream subsidized service. 

MOH also reviews the list of subsidized drugs and regularly includes new drugs in the list. This ensures that all Singaporeans continue to receive new drugs at affordable prices.