Eye surgeon and MP Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) said the crucial question asked of applicants for Medifund, which helps the needy pay for medical expenses, was whether their family can support them financially.

This meant producing documents to prove family members have little or no money in their Medisave and bank accounts.

Currently, people who apply for subsidised HDB rental flats do not need to give such details.

They need to only show their household income is not more than $1,500 and that they had not sold their property within 30 months of applying for a rental flat, noted Dr Lim.

Five other MPs who spoke to The Straits Times also gave suggestions on how to deal with the problem.

These include educating applicants on alternatives to rental flats and giving concessionary loans to those who want to downgrade to a smaller flat.

The MPs were responding to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's worry over the tripling of people seeking HDB rental flats and his call for those who were not really in need to look for alternatives, such as moving in with their children or renting a room in the open market.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.