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15 Jan 2010
From 1 February 2010, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will extend Medifund assistance to needy Singaporeans who require HIV treatment, including medications. MOH will inject $8.5 mil of Medifund to the hospitals to support this extension.
This decision is in response to feedback from some VWOs and doctors treating HIV patients, that some of these patients would require additional financial assistance to cover their treatment.
The Medifund assistance will be subject to means-testing and proven financial needs. It will complement existing avenues of assistance from VWOs and patient support groups.
Despite the injection, the funds available to the Medifund Committee will always be limited and the Committee will need to balance between the needs of the HIV and non-HIV patients, assess each case based on its own merit, and decide on the appropriate level of help.
HIV patients who face difficulty affording their medical bills can approach the Medical Social Workers of the Medifund-approved restructured hospitals and institutions for assistance in accessing the most appropriate avenue of help.