Forum: Review Medisave use for HPV vaccines

A poster on cervical cancer. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER

Last year, the Government offered free human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines to all girls studying in secondary schools (Free cervical cancer vaccine for Sec 1 girls, March 7, 2019).

There are three HPV vaccines available in Singapore and the one offered to the students is Cervarix, which protects against only two strains of the virus. The vaccine that protects against the most number of strains is Gardasil 9, which protects against nine strains of the virus.

However, Gardasil 9 is not eligible for Medisave claims while the other two vaccines, Cervarix, and Gardasil, are eligible for up to $500 in Medisave claims.

Last year, the Ministry of Health stated that Gardasil 9 was a relatively new vaccine in Singapore, and that it was evaluating it. Cost-effectiveness was cited as one factor for consideration.

I hope that the authorities will reconsider extending Medisave use to include Gardasil 9 as this would enhance protection against one of the most common cancers for women in Singapore.

Lin Hui Jing (Ms)

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 01, 2020, with the headline Forum: Review Medisave use for HPV vaccines. Subscribe