The news that SingHealth was attacked by hackers must have come as a shock to Singaporeans (Info on 1.5m SingHealth patients stolen in worst cyber attack; July 21).

It is no small thing and should not be dismissed as "one of those things" in our journey towards building a smart nation.

In the latest Budget, did the Government factor in the amount of money needed to prevent such cyber attacks?

The money needed to implement security measures means extra costs, which would include other associated issues such as setting up a Committee of Inquiry and internal adjustments of operations across related bodies handling healthcare in Singapore.

This is not forgetting to take into account other cyber attacks that might follow.

Cyber defence is much like maintaining an armed forces and may seem unnecessary until we see the actual harm done to us.

So Singaporeans would do well to know that we must be prepared to pay for more in our Budget, for unforeseen incidents such as this latest breach.

This could translate into more taxes in the future. But we have to take it in our stride if we work towards becoming a Smart Nation.

If having to pay more taxes is a given, then other questions need considering: Is it worth it? Are Singaporeans prepared to pay for that? Must we go all out in this pursuit? Can healthcare, education and certain other areas be less "smart" so that it will not be so costly, both in monetary terms and the liability of having our personal data stolen yet again in the future, as no cyber-defence strategy is foolproof?

In vital areas like banking or trade there can be no compromise if Singapore wants to thrive in the global economy. But surely not in certain other arenas?

For sure, there is good reason to computerise our systems, but how far to go is a judgment call.

Phillip Tan Fong Lip