Letter of the week #3: Make it easier to apply for aid for medical bills

Many forms of financial aid are available in Singapore.

However, the process of applying for some of them can be complicated and time-consuming.

I have been the caregiver of my sick parents since I was 13 years old. I still struggle with their increasing medical and daily expenses.

In recent years, their health has deteriorated, which means that I have to either stop working and become a full-time caregiver at home, or engage a domestic helper to share my caregiving load so that I can continue with my job, earn money to pay for current expenses and save for my retirement.

But hiring a domestic helper will further add to my existing financial hardship.

Both of my parents are covered by Medifund. But they have to utilise my Medisave account first before Medifund assistance can kick in to help us with the medical bills.

As their health conditions require us to consult specialists in different hospitals, I have had to sacrifice my limited annual leave to approach medical social workers at all of these hospitals to help me with the application processes for financial aid.

Policymakers should look into how to better coordinate and ease the processes of applying for financial aid.

They should also look into how to make the caregiving journey sustainable for caregivers, without compromising the caregiver's own nest egg.

Otherwise, caregivers will themselves end up impoverished, and it will remain a vicious circle.