POSSIBILITY OF DIFFERENTIATED SUBSIDIES FOR HEALTHCARE FOR EXPECTING FOREIGN SPOUSES OF SINGAPORE CITIZENS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1158

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

FOR THE NEXT AVAILABLE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Tin Pei Ling

MP for MacPherson

Question No. 1837

To ask the Minister for Health whether differentiated subsidies can be provided to expecting foreign spouses of Singapore citizens seeking gynaecological care for their pregnancy in Singapore.

Answer

Today, healthcare subsidies are generally extended to the patients based on their own citizenship status, and not that of their spouses.

To support Singaporeans with dependents who have not obtained permanent residence or Singapore citizenship, the Government had extended healthcare subsidies at the same level as PRs since 2012 for inpatient services to Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus (LTVP+) holders. This includes Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) services. SCs and PRs can also tap on their MediSave to pay for the pre-delivery and delivery expenses of their foreign spouses, up to the prevailing withdrawal limits.

Patients who are facing financial difficulties may approach the medical social workers for assistance. Our public healthcare institutions may provide some assistance using their own hospital charity funds, or offer instalment plans for payment where required, based on their medical social workers’ assessment.