Rilek1Corner

Tag: healthcare

  • MOM Too Lax In Allowing Foreigners Wth Infectious Disease To Work Here?

    MOM Too Lax In Allowing Foreigners Wth Infectious Disease To Work Here?

    A NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) nurse from the Philippines who is a
    chronic Hepatitis B virus (Hepatitis B reactive, but HBeAg Non-Reactive)
    carrier is dreaming of having greener pastures abroad so as to increase her
    earning potential.

    She is currently applying to work overseas, but realises that the Kingdom of
    Saudi Arabia (KSA) is very strict in granting work visa to foreigners with
    her medical condition to serve as nurses in the Kingdom, so she decides to
    target Singapore and is seeking advice from her Kababayans here (See URLs
    below).
    http://www.pinoysg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=86246
    http://www.pinoysg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=86245&sid=0337ff244d14…

    Hepatitis refers to the inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis can be caused by
    viral infections, chemicals, drug abuse, some medications and immune
    disorders. There are various forms of Viral Hepatitis including Hepatitis A,
    B and C, which are caused by Hepatitis A, B, and C viruses, respectively.

    Hepatitis B Infection is the most common infection of the liver. The majority
    of infected individuals recover from Acute Hepatitis B infections and become
    immune to it.

    However some people can develop a long-term Hepatitis B infection, which may
    lead to serious complications including chronic hepatitis, liver failure,
    liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.

    Hepatitis B virus is mainly found in the blood, and it can also be found in
    semen and vaginal secretions.

    Hepatitis B can be acquired through:
    • Infected expecting mothers transmitting the infection to their newborn
    during childbirth (Perinatal)
    • Contact with an infected person (Horizontal)
    • Sharing contaminated injections among users
    • Unsafe sexual contact with an infected person
    • Blood-to-blood exposure to blood or other infected fluids (Parenteral)

    Subject to the outcome of their medical examinations, all foreigners seeking
    works in Singapore are screened for only 4 types of infectious disease
    (tuberculosis, HIV, syphilis and malaria) before they are certified fit to
    work here. However, no medical examination is needed for foreigners on Work
    Holiday Pass, Malaysian confinement nannies, Training Work Permit,
    Miscellaneous Work Pass).

    Anecdotal evidence suggest that foreigners with Hepatitis B Infection have no
    problems getting various work passes from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) (See
    URL below).
    http://www.pinoysg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=40757&start=0

    The World Health Organization has a list of groups of people who are at risk
    of contracting Hepatitis B including health care workers, patients and employees in
    haemodialysis centres, people sharing unsterile medical or dental equipment
    etc.

    Migrant workers in other countries are subject to Hepatitis testing before
    the governments will grant them work passes.

    For instance, Malaysia has a more stringent medical screening process
    compared to Singapore (See URL below).
    http://www.fomema.com.my/index.php/medical-screening-process
    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/more-foreign-workers…

    In Qatar, pre-arrival Hepatitis testing are compulsory for all foreign
    workers (See URL below).
    http://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/media-center/news/individualnews/pre…

    However, according to our Ministry Of Health, there is no need to ban
    foreigners working in Singapore who are hepatitis B carriers (See URL below).
    https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/home/pressRoom/Media_Forums/2010/…

    Foreigners who wish to work in Singapore may get a medical examination done
    through an established clinic/hospital here. Most clinics in Singapore
    provide medical examination and report within a day. Completed medical
    examination forms or health declaration forms (For Employment Pass, Training
    Employment Pass, EntrePass, Dependent’s Pass, Long Term Visit Pass only)
    will be attached with the candidates’ in-principle approval letters to the
    Ministry of Manpower for their work pass issuance.

    Should Singaporeans be concerned with the current medical examination
    procedures with physical examination like blood pressure, chest and abdominal
    examination, blood test, etc. as routine tests and screening for only 4 types
    of infectious diseases. i.e. Tuberculosis, HIV, Syphilis and Malaria
    (Hepatitis excluded) before work passes are approved?

    What do you think?

     

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

  • Lady Rushed To A&E At KKH But Is Shocked To See Gross Overcharges In Bill

    Lady Rushed To A&E At KKH But Is Shocked To See Gross Overcharges In Bill

    I just discovered yesterday on 9 Oct 2015, when i went to KK hospital in an apparent emergency gynae issue as recommended by my GP, only to realise that their practice of emergency charges is not consistent with A&E depts of other public funded hospitals. When queried, staff said that theirs is called an “O&G 24 hr clinic” and not called the A&E. Hence, walk-in patients in emergency cases are charged private rates. This info wasnt made known upfront to me until i saw my bill.

    That’s not all.

    For the private rates, the level of medical care and service are substandard compared to a subsidised public hospital. It’s appalling that a country claiming first class trustworthy, affordable healthcare has not put any priority for women in critical need. It is not surprising then that KKH, I found out is run by a man. Staff said this isnt the first time they received such feedback from patients and they have informed Management.

    No matter what its called restructured, semi government etc, this hospital is a member of SingHealth and logically should follow the same consistent practices like its other members. By the name, it gives even my GP, the impression that its a hospital that specialises in women care and is accessible to members of public similar to other emergency departments of other public hospitals.

    Appears to me that my tax money is used to pay these public healthcare workers, yet in an emergency I’m automatically charged as a private patient. Their defense was that i should go polyclinic to get referral and come in as a subsidised patient.

    In an emergency especially if after office hours, who detours to the polyclinic and queue? This is definitely a systemic issue which needs to be addressed. Women’s emergency issues are not limited to birth delivery or complications during pregnancies and a proper top notch public infrastructure should be accorded for women in general which comes along with a proper designated emergency facility with well equipped medical staff.

    Matsushima Nanako
    A.S.S. Reader

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

  • Yishun Polyclinic Staff Threatened Me And My Husband, Try To Cover Up Unprofessional Conduct

    Yishun Polyclinic Staff Threatened Me And My Husband, Try To Cover Up Unprofessional Conduct

    Dear all readers of ASS

    As a patient, as a customer, how would you feel if people from healthcare, threatened you that if you raised up a bit of your volume they will chase you out, chase money after you like loan shark, when you brought up the issue to the management, the management will protect the staff and put words into your mouth?

    Recently my husband and I met this kind of situation. I always thought that people who work under healthcare will provide us their professional services, however, in Yishun Polyclinic, it seems like whatever you done or raised up to the management, management will threaten you and they will stand up for the person even though the person is at fault.

    Recently, my husband had serious body infection on his body, therefore he approached Yishun Polyclinic for help and see if they polyclinic is able to refer him to any specialist. However, we had 2 outstanding bills, which is $12 plus to settle and we intended to settle one shot once we settle everything. So he went to this polyclinic and he got the doctor’s referral to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, but when he approached the counter staff, this lady name, Nur Iaili Salim, served him. She threatened my husband that he has 2 outstanding amount to settle and if he don’t settle it, she will not help him to book the appointment at any of the hospitals.

    So after this incident, the follow-up check up, again, we met this staff, this time round she saw my husband, she did not even ask for any other details like what others did, immediately she just asked for the payment in a rude and threatening ways. Just the same way as how the loan shark asked the money.

    Therefore, after these incidents, we brought this matter up to the supervisor in charge name Ailin (if I spelled her name correctly), she did took down all the information, and promised to call me to get back or update me the investigations. However, this unprofessional supervisor did not call me and in fact she went up to my husband to tell him that she had done the investigation. And she just covered her staff up and said that this staff does not remember what happened, and closed a case, without asking the staff to apologize to the patient or get her out to explained the whole situations.

    After I emailed the feedback in and of course this email revert back to this unprofessional supervisor and of course this suprervisor did her follow-up with me and again gave an excuse that she thought she had already spoken to my husband therefore, she do not need to do her follow-up as promise. So next again, she protected her staff who create this problem by telling me that the staff forgot what she said
    and what she did. Of course for this kind of excuse, we as patient, as customer, we are not able to accept it. Therefore, the supervisior would like me to suggest the solution to settle this problem.

    Well fine enough, I suggested that the since my husband need to do a follow-up with at the polyclinic on 25 September 2015, which is today, I would like to meet the staff and her together. The reason why I suggested this is because, I believe Polyclinic is all well-trained staff, including the supervisior and the manager. Therefore have a meet-up face to face, is to clarify things better and not go through third-party and if the staff or any party make any mistake, just apologise and move on.

    Humans will tend to make mistakes, and once we made any mistake we apologise, and move on. We won’t want to remain at this spot for long. I am referring to the person who made mistake and not the third party to help to apologise. However, this supervisior insisted that she won’t ask her staff to do that as she insist that she is the supervisor and she needs to protect the staff, however i felt that the way she handed this trival matter is very inmature, as this is adult matter and she treat it as children matter. As an adult, once did something wrong, common sense that need to apologise and move on, but instead of doing this, she just protect her staff and show and very obvious the way she protected this staff, is protecting someone special or protecting and friend.

    What we want is the person who cause this to step out with her supervisor and clarify this matter and we move on. That simple. however, in disappointment. this supervisor who did not do this part and instead she protected the staff who did something wrong and also threaten that she will chase me out of the polyclinic.

    I am very disappointed with this supervisor as well the manager who actually followed the supervisor along during our last meeting, however this manager name Jeff Che, did not do anything including self introduce. He just allowed the supervisor to threaten the patient or customer in this way.

    (P.S: I am threatened by this supervisor that she will chase me out if I speak loudly to the counter, my voice is that loud so what am I supposed to do? She did not give me my personally rights.)

    Readers of ASS, please bear this in mind that, you are not able to talk in your normal volume or do other things and don’t even think of owing them a single, if not they will chase after you like loan shark or even chased you out of the clinic.

    (P.S: They also threaten that if I dare to publish this out to the media, I will need to prepare to get lawyer letter from them)

    Thank you

    Kelli Chong
    A.S.S. Contributor

     

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

  • Housing, Jobs And Healthcare Concerns Weigh Heavily On Singaporean Minds

    Housing, Jobs And Healthcare Concerns Weigh Heavily On Singaporean Minds

    Are Singaporeans happy with life as a whole now – and do they feel confident about the next 10 years?

    According to a survey commissioned by MediaCorp’s Current Affairs Unit, 66 per cent of residents said they are happy while 14 per cent said they are not. Asked whether life is close to ideal, five in 10 said yes.

    Many expressed concerns over issues ranging from transport to housing and security. But even more people said they expected to be more worried about these issues 10 years down the road, reflecting a sense of uncertainty about the future.

    Overall, six in 10 residents think economic conditions here will allow them to reach their personal goals.

    CONCERNS OVER NEXT 10 YEARS

    With the buzz of a General Election in the air, what weighs heaviest on the minds of Singaporeans?

    The affordability of healthcare, availability of affordable housing, and the loss of potential jobs to foreigners were the top three concerns of respondents. All three were hot-button issues in the last General Election in 2011.

    Concerns about elderly needs and the availability of integrated healthcare came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

    The survey involved 2,000 citizens and permanent residents from the ages of 18 to 65, across all races and income groups. Half were surveyed via email while the rest were interviewed face to face.

    HEALTHCARE

    Despite more state funds being pumped into healthcare and subsidies such as the Pioneer Generation Scheme, as well as Medishield Life starting on Nov 1, healthcare affordability topped the list of respondents’ concerns, with 83 per cent saying they were worried about increasing healthcare costs.

    Low-to-middle income workers (earning S$3,000 to S$5,000) were more worried about rising healthcare costs than low-income earners, who are on the receiving end of heavier subsidies and aid.

    One respondent said: “Healthcare costs have increased exponentially over the years, notwithstanding the increase in subsidies.”

    Associate Professor Paulin Straughan of the National University of Singapore’s sociology department said these are real concerns as life expectancy increases. “This quote sums it all. When you ask an individual to project their anxieties to the next 10 years, the only thing they can think of is the trend,” she said.

    “This is one area we’ve been worried about because of the rise in costs. We are living much longer now, and we anticipate that we will be spending a significant portion of our life living with disabilities.

    “And there’s nothing more worrisome than being ill when you don’t have an income any more.”

    HOUSING

    Despite HDB resale and private housing prices falling since early 2014, 78 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about the affordability of housing, with 47 per cent “extremely concerned”. The concern was greater among those aged 18 to 24.

    78% of residents surveyed are concerned about the affordability of housing.“I think it would take at least 2 general elections before people actually change their attitude towards housing,” says cultural critic Nazry Bahrawi. Also hear from sociologist Paulin Straughan and social changemaker Rebekah Lin.Watch the full episode at http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/talking-point/ep24/338939.

    Posted by Talking Point on Friday, August 7, 2015

    Mr James Chia, a financial educator from Innervative Learning, said: “Ultimately you expect the trend to go up, especially with population increasing. It’s demand and supply, so the concern will always be there.”

    Respondents, especially the younger generation, expressed worries about the difficulties of buying their own home.

    Miss Rebekah Lin, co-founder of 50 For 50, a social enterprise, said: “The prices of property have risen much faster than an increase in salary. It is increasingly harder for young couples and singles to afford.”

    Mr Chia said: “Housing is the biggest ticket item you’re going to buy in your life, so there will always be a concern.”

    LOSS OF POTENTIAL JOBS TO FOREIGNERS 

    Since the 2011 General Election, the Government has scaled back foreign worker numbers and employment passes. It has also introduced initiatives such as the Jobs Bank, closer scrutiny of companies’ hiring practices, and even a wage subsidy if companies hire unemployed Singaporean professionals, managers and executives aged 40 and above for mid-level jobs.

    But respondents said they are still worried that they will lose out on potential jobs to foreigners over the next five to 10 years.

    Said Assoc Prof Straughan: “I’m not denying the fact that there are tension spots, but certainly we shouldn’t accept these as broad strokes to describe the implications of having immigration.

    “Because truth of the matter is we don’t have enough of ourselves with a sustained low-fertility rate, (and) we’re not able to maintain the kind of buzz in our labour market.”

    Mr Chia noted: “I think the concern runs deeper than the issue of foreigners.”

    He said foreigners may be an easy target in terms of loss of jobs, but innovation, too, has the potential to displace jobs as Singapore gears towards being a smart nation.

    Agreeing, Assoc Prof Straughan said that this boils down to being “future ready”.

    She said: “You need to be able to future-proof your skill set so that you will always remain relevant no matter who is with you in the competitive arena.”

    “The real issue (concerning foreigners) is really about a disparity that people perceive,” said Dr Nazry Bahrawi, humanities lecturer at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

    “I guess the PMETs are probably the ones that feel these most. And some find a bogeyman that is easy to seek,” Dr Nazry added.

    “What we should do then is to look at how we can develop the groups that are caught up in this disparity rather than shape the discourse towards blaming a certain group that may not be the real concern here.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Polyclinic Fees Up: Government Healthcare Operating Expenditure % Lower Than 1970?

    Polyclinic Fees Up: Government Healthcare Operating Expenditure % Lower Than 1970?

    TOC’s article, “Polyclinics up consultation fees from 1 July” (Jul 2) notes that “The consultation fees at the 18 polyclinics around Singapore have been increased from 1 July.”

    The article further went on to state, “The two groups which oversee the clinics, Singhealth and National Healthcare Group (NHG), have updated  their websites with the new charges … for Singaporean adults at NHG polyclinics are up $0.60, from $11.30 to $11.90″.

    70% increase last 18 years?

    As polyclinic fees were $7 in 1997 – it has increased by up to 70 per cent ($11.90 divided by $7) with the periodic increases in the last 18 years.

    Inflation – 35% increase last 18 years?

    Against this increase – inflation was about 35 per cent during the same period.

    So, why increase polyclinic fees which cater to the poorest Singaporeans by double (70%) the rate of inflation (35%)?

    Polyclinics are for the poorest?

    While I can understand and appreciate the need to raise fees, I would like to suggest that fees for polyclinics be kept unchanged, because the needy should be spared the brunt of rising costs of so many increases in the cost of living.

    1970 – govt healthcare operating expenditure 9.5% 

    According to the Department of Statistics’ (DOS) Singapore, 1965-1995 Statistical Highlights: A Review of 30 Years’ Development – government operating expenditure on health as a percentage of total government operating expenditure was 9.5 per cent in 1970.

    2005 – govt healthcare operating expenditure 8.1% 

    According to the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) reply to the Straits Times Forum on 29 March 2007 –  government operating expenditure on health as a percentage of total government operating expenditure was 8.1 per cent in 2005.

    2013 – govt healthcare operating expenditure 9.2% 

    Using data from the MOH web site, I calculated the government operating expenditure on health as a percentage of total government operating expenditureto be 8.0, 9.2 and 9.8 per cent in FY2012, FY2013 and FY2014 respectively.

    Any country spent less compared to 43 years ago?

    Are there any developed countries in the world whose government operating expenditure on health as a percentage of total government operating expenditure, was lower in 2013 (9.2%), 2012 (8.0%), 2005 (8.1%) compared to 1970 (9.5%)?

    Very low public healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP?

    Health expenditure, public (% of GDP)

    Data from World Bank

    The increase in polyclinic fees now underscores the fact that our public healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP, at 1.9 per cent in FY2014, is one of the lowest in the world.

    WB

     

    Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com