Her three-month waiver of medical fees had expired last September. The counter staff member insisted that Ivy had to pay first for the visit. I said that she is a disabled person with no income but she stood firm on payment. I told the staff that if she insisted, she could collect the money directly from Ivy - a physically and mentally disabled woman in a wheelchair. The staff relented and waived payment.

On Jan 18, a staff member from the Diabetes and Endocrine Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital called me to say that Ivy needed a series of injections as her blood count was very low. I was given a list of medicines to order from the pharmacy.

After collecting the medicines, I was told to pay. I informed the pharmacist that Ivy was scheduled for a waiver review on Feb 19. He promptly took the medicines back from me and insisted that payment be made first.

After I protested that the hospital should not deprive the poor of medicine, he referred the matter to his superior and later gave the medicines back to me.

For the waiver review, I had to make separate appointments with Toa Payoh Polyclinic and Tan Tock Seng Specialist Centre, narrating the history of Ivy twice.

If Ivy could be given a short-term waiver after each review, could she not be given a long-term waiver?

Her congenital and financial conditions are obviously not going to get better.

Hong Geok Hua