Measures to ensure financial aid is given to those in need

Reply
The Straits Times, 11 May 2017

Measures to ensure financial aid is given to those in need

We agree with Mrs Ng Kim Yong (Plug loopholes in financial assistance schemes; May 4) that financial assistance offered at public healthcare institutions is meant to help the poor and needy, and that those who can afford medical care should not abuse the system by making misrepresentations of their financial circumstances. 

At our public healthcare institutions, patients who apply for financial assistance are interviewed by medical social workers. 

The medical social workers seek to make a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s needs and means, and recommend the most appropriate assistance.

Patients are asked to provide supporting documents and give consent for the gathering of information from relevant agencies, such as the Central Provident Fund Board and social service offices.

Periodic reviews are conducted to assess if the financial assistance should be adjusted due to patients’ changing circumstances.

Those found to have made misrepresentations of their financial circumstances will have their assistance denied or withdrawn, or further action taken against them.

Through these measures, we seek to ensure that financial assistance is given to those who really need support, without making the process onerous for genuine applicants.

Lim Bee Khim (Ms)
Director
Corporate Communications
Ministry of Health

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Forum Letter
The Straits Times, 4 May 2017

Plug loopholes in financial assistance schemes

I have been a volunteer escorting poor, needy, elderly and disabled patients to hospitals and polyclinics for years. I also take them to meet medical social workers to apply for financial assistance.

I have noticed many instances of patients abusing the system through lies and misrepresentations.

When applying for financial assistance, patients are required to produce their newly updated bank book.

However, some patients have more than one bank account, and they show the bank book with the lowest balance.

In many cases, these patients leave only up to $1,000 or $2,000 in that account to give the impression of poverty.

A social worker once discovered that an elderly patient had close to $30,000 in another account.

Another patient was found to have withdrawn his bank savings and about $150,000 from his Central Provident Fund account, and put the money in various unit trusts and fixed deposits. This was so he could apply for 100 per cent financial assistance and pay low rates at a nursing home.

On one occasion, I overheard a patient teaching another hopeful applicant tricks like these and telling him to lie to the social worker that he had no other savings.

Financial assistance offered at government medical institutions is meant to help the poor and needy. Patients who lie to get assistance are no different from thieves robbing taxpayers and the Government.

We need to plug the loopholes to ensure that the truly needy qualify for assistance and that those who can afford it do not get a free ride.

Ng Kim Yong (Mrs)