Oh, for the joys of motherhood!

1 Feb 2004, Streats

Question

Name of the Person: Tan Li Li

Oh, for the joys of motherhood!

After two years of marriage, we have a one-year-old boy who was born premature.

We take him to the doctor once every two weeks as he wheezes all the time.

Despite all the night feedings and frequent sleepless nights attending to my baby, I am glad to say I can still cope with office work during the day, although it is very tiring.

Our boy's poor health is a financial and physical stress to us.andnbsp; However, we are planning to have a second child next year.

Why?andnbsp; Because the burden is worth the smiles we get from our boy, his kisses and the best words we have ever heard: "papa" and "mama".andnbsp; And his cherished presence in our lives.

I strongly believe a marriage or a family can only be complete with children.

To those married couples who do not plan to have children, think again.

Remember, if you have children, your sacrifice is not forever.

Think about the joy of having a little one and there is always so much to share.andnbsp; With some planning, things can be worked out.

I applaud the Government for improving the baby bonus.

But also give parents longer maternity and paternity leave and grant longer annual leave to young parents who need to take their newborns often for medical check-ups, immunization and so on.andnbsp; And give subsidies to couples who need medical assistance to conceive.

There are months when my boy's medical bills hit $400 which is too high even for a dual-income family.

Is there any way we can use Medisave for this?

Reply

Name of the Person: Karen Tan (Ms)

Director, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Health

On use of medisave to pay son's bill

In response to Ms Tan Li Li's letter, "Oh for the joy of motherhood," (Streats 11 Feb), we appreciate the financial issues faced by some couples who need medical assistance to start a family. Hence, the Ministry allows the use of Medisave for Assisted Conception Procedures (ACP), at $4,000 per treatment cycle, up to a maximum of 3 cycles.

We would also like to inform Ms Tan that Medisave can be used for a wide range of hospitalisation needs, as well as some expensive outpatient treatments. We welcome Ms Tan to get in touch with the Ministry directly (tel: 1800 2254 122) if she requires further clarification.

We thank her for the feedback.