THE nation's health budget will be raised significantly this year by 'a few hundred million dollars', which will go towards more medical subsidies during the recession, and possibly speed up building projects, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed yesterday.
'We know that this is a difficult time and we want to help the lower-income patients cope with the downturn,' he said to reporters after a tour of the new Ren Ci Community Hospital in Irrawaddy Road, next to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
Last year, the Health Ministry was allocated $2.6 billion, a 19 per cent increase over the previous year's. This year's Budget will be unveiled tomorrow.
The ministry had announced earlier that the budget for Medifund, a safety net which helps the needy pay for their medical expenses, would be expanded by almost 50 per cent to $74 million this year.
More funds have also been set aside to subsidise needy Singaporeans aged 65 and over who get treatment for chronic diseases at general practitioner clinics.
Last week, Mr Khaw said that the ministry would consider relaxing Medisave rules even more to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses.
Yesterday, Dr Lam Pin Min, the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health's deputy chairman, called for greater investment in mental health, as more people could seek treatment for depression, anxiety and stress during the recession.
He also said that more facilities for the elderly, such as nursing homes and rehabilitation centres, needed to be built.
One example is the Ren Ci community hospital, which began operating in December.
Built over two years at $42.4 million, the 15-storey community hospital houses 277 beds, of which 123 have been set aside for recuperating patients transferred from general hospitals, like TTSH.
The Health Ministry funded $30.3 million of the cost, while the rest was borne by Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre.
Yesterday, Ren Ci and TTSH inked an agreement to cooperate on patient care and staff training.
Both hospitals will follow similar guidelines so that patients can have continuity of care after being moved to the community hospital, said Ren Ci's interim chief executive, Dr Wong Yue Sie.
Ren Ci will be able to access medical records, to avoid duplicating tests and treatment given at TTSH.
A 125m linkway will also be built between the two hospitals, Dr Wong said.
With these steps in place, patients would encounter fewer administrative delays, be transferred faster, and would also save from cheaper fees at the community hospital, said Associate Professor Chin Jing Jih, chairman of TTSH's Integrative and Community Care division.
The other 154 beds in the community hospital have been filled by chronically sick patients from Ren Ci's nursing home in Moulmein.
