Coronavirus: Singapore

Efforts ongoing to make mental healthcare more affordable

Process of insurance coverage for this area also being further optimised, says Janil Puthucheary

Mental health has made headlines amid the pandemic, with the cost of getting help among concerns raised.

Yesterday, Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary told Parliament that there are ongoing efforts to make treatment more affordable for Singaporeans and "further optimise" the process of insurance coverage.

He was responding to Ms Nadia Samdin (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who asked if the Government could work with private insurers to provide affordable and comprehensive mental health coverage.

She pointed out that people had also raised concerns over the confidentiality of their mental health records at public healthcare institutions. "And so they postpone seeking help, because private help remains out of reach," she said.

Dr Janil replied that all health records are held in confidence by medical practitioners, regardless of whether they are in the public or private sector. There is a "fair amount" of regulation and legislation in place to protect such information, he added.

Workers' Party MP Raeesah Khan (Sengkang GRC) said MediSave withdrawal limits for inpatient mental health treatment are lower than those for other types of inpatient care. She asked if the Health Ministry would review these limits with a view to equalising them.

People can use up to $550 a day from their MediSave accounts for acute hospital care but only up to $150 a day for inpatient psychiatric episodes.

"The principle is not so much to make sure that there is a completely flat equivalence for all conditions and all circumstances, but what is the outcome in terms of access and affordability - both bill size, out-of-pocket (payments), and the number of incidents of care-seeking behaviour within a period of time for an individual," Dr Janil replied.

Ms Raeesah then asked if the Government plans to build another tertiary psychiatric institution - in addition to the Institute of Mental Health - given how the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues here.

The Covid-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce, as well as a new inter-agency task force on mental health, is looking at the provision of infrastructure and services to deal with Singapore's needs, Dr Janil said. "As to whether an extra tertiary hospital is necessary, it's one of the possibilities... It's not going to be the only issue we are studying," he added.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 03, 2021, with the headline Efforts ongoing to make mental healthcare more affordable. Subscribe