Ensuring patients get 'bang for their buck'

Ensuring patients get 'bang for their buck'

SINGAPORE has to start planning now for the changes the country's health-care system will need beyond 2020, in order to keep costs affordable as the population ages, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

And for it to remain sustainable in the long term, "deeper transformative changes (are needed for) both the way care is organised as well as the way it is delivered".

Mr Gan said enhancing subsidies, introducing MediShield Life and putting more money into Medisave are all steps in the right direction. "But such measures are insufficient on their own.

We must also ensure that our health-care bill grows at an affordable pace so that we - as individuals and as a society - can continue to afford it," he said.

One way is making the best use of available health-care resources. He said patients rely on health-care providers to advise them on appropriate treatments. These providers must "play their part in delivering cost-effective services".

To help them, the Health Ministry will place more emphasis on assessing new health technologies, including both devices and drugs, to ensure they are useful and cost effective.

"This will ensure that patients get the most bang for their buck for the treatment and medications they receive," Mr Gan said.

In the long term, the plan is to fully integrate the various aspects of health-care provision - from general practitioner clinics to hospitals to nursing homes, and among the private, public and volunteer sectors.

The aim is to have one integrated national health-care system, he said. Hence, by the end of this year, all community hospitals will have their computer systems linked to public hospitals and polyclinics, so patient information can be shared and is complete.

This should improve patient care, Mr Gan said.

Casting his eye over the changes in recent years, he said a lot of progress has been made under the Healthcare 2020 masterplan, including ramping up infrastructure.

The rate at which more hospital beds are being added "is more than double that in the last decade". Rehabilitation facilities will also more than double by 2020.

While work on increasing facilities will continue, Mr Gan said "we must also look ahead to the future".

"We have started our planning processes to prepare for the future. We must continue on this journey to innovate and transform our health-care system to ensure a quality, sustainable one beyond 2020 to keep Singaporeans healthy."

SALMA KHALIK