Drug Prices At Public Hospitals Can Vary Because Of Different Clinical Set-Ups, Contracts: MOH

MOH's Reply

Drug prices at public hospitals can vary because of different clinical set-ups, contracts: MOH

We thank Ms Liu I-Chun for her letter, “Why is there a 34% difference in prices of eye medication at two public hospitals?” (Jan 15).

Our public healthcare institutions operate on a non-profit basis, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) monitors the overall bill sizes at public healthcare institutions to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans.

The prices of medication at public healthcare institutions can vary, as they take into account the institutions’ respective cost structures and clinical set-ups, which can vary from institution to institution.

Price differences across public healthcare institutions can also occur when medicines are supplied under different tender contracts, as different tenders carry varying procurement costs.

The price of medication also includes a component to cover the manpower, operational, maintenance and overhead costs associated with providing the drugs. These are expected to remain within reasonable ranges.

We agree that there should not be unwarranted variation in charges. MOH will work with public healthcare institutions to review their pricing for medication.

Ms Teh Shi-Hua
Director, Subvention
Ministry of Health

Forum Letter

TODAY VOICES, 16 January 2019

I refer to Mr Rashid Osman’s Jan 13 letter asking why polyclinics charge more than a hospital for flu jabs. I, on the other hand, wonder why different restructured hospitals here sell the same medicine at drastically different prices.

My mother, who has glaucoma, recently found out that she has been paying S$45.80 for a 3ml bottle of Lumigan (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.01 per cent) eye drops at National University Hospital (NUH) for some years, while her friend pays only S$34.24 for the same thing at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

Both are private patients from the pioneer generation who buy non-subsidised medication at the two public hospitals.

While I understand that the two hospitals belong to different clusters, with NUH under the National University Health System and TTSH under the National Healthcare Group, it baffles me why there exists such a huge price disparity of S$11.56 or 34 per cent for Lumigan eye drops. 

I hope that by highlighting this disconcerting discovery, it would lead to NUH adjusting its price downwards and not TTSH increasing its price.

The Ministry of Health ought to look into the pricing policies of restructured hospitals in Singapore to ensure that healthcare costs remain affordable and hospitals keep any profit motive in check.

Liu I-Chun