Subsidy for epilepsy treatment

16 September 2013

Question No. 1494

Name of Person:  Ms Foo Mee Har

Question

To ask the Minister for Health whether long-term treatment of epilepsy can be covered under the subsidy scheme provided under the enhanced Medisave and Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS).  

Answer

1.                 Patients with any of the ten conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) can tap on Medisave to pay for their treatments. In addition, those who qualify for CHAS can receive subsidised care at GP clinics.   

2.                 Five more conditions will be added to CDMP from 1 January 2014 and these are anxiety, osteoarthritis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), nephritis/nephrosis and Parkinson’s disease.

3.                 We will consider the possible inclusion of more chronic conditions, including conditions such as epilepsy, into CDMP as we continue to review the expansion of Medisave use. Meanwhile, patients who require treatment for epilepsy will continue to enjoy subsidies at the polyclinics.