Tag: Singaporeans

The 3 M’s Of Healthcare In Singapore

Many of us know we are covered by some health insurance under our CPF scheme, but do we know enough to make use of it?

Do you understand the difference between Medishield, Medisave and Medifund? How can these help Singaporeans with our hospitalisation and medical bills?

MediShield

MediShield is a basic medical insurance plan that helps cover large hospital bills and selected outpatient treatments. MediShield premiums can be paid using Medisave, and it will be changed to become MediShield Life by end of 2015.

Medisave

Medisave is a national healthcare savings scheme where a portion of your CPF savings goes into the account to help you build up your savings for healthcare purposes.

You can use your Medisave to pay for your own and your immediate family members’ hospitalisation payments. You can also use your Medisave savings to pay the premiums of MediShield and Medisave-approved Integrated Shield Plans.

Coverage includes hospitalisation, day surgery and certain outpatient treatments, including health screening and vaccinations for selected groups.

Medisave can be used at public hospitals, Medisave-accredited private hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Medifund

Medifund is an endowment fund that works like a financial safety net to help needy Singaporeans who cannot afford hospital expenses despite Medisave and MediShield.

The CPF Board administers the Medisave and MediShield schemes while there are other medisave-approved integrated shield plans that work with private insurers to provide a more comprehensive coverage.

More than 80 percent of Singaporeans use Medisave to pay for their hospitalisation expenses and about 75 percent of Singaporeans are covered under MediShield and other approved insurance plans.

Unlike some other countries where healthcare benefits enjoy a large government subsidy, the Singapore government emphasises on individual responsibility with some government support.

As we all know how huge hospitalisation bills can be in Singapore, how then can we ensure we have a better coverage?

Changes in Medishield starting from December 2007 ensure all new-born Singaporeans are automatically covered by the programme, helping policyholders to pay for large hospitalisation bills at Class B2/C level.

Medishield has deductible and co-insurance features, which means you need to pay an initial amount once in a policy year before you can make a claim.

Having said this, you may notice that medical bills are still not cheap and not comprehensively covered even under the Medishield.

That’s where the Medisave-approved Shield plans come in.

These policies ensure that you enjoy the benefits of coverage both from your private insurers as well as MediShield. Annual premiums average about $300 for the age band of 31 to 40.

These Private Integrated Shield Plans are offered by 5 insurers:

Great Eastern Life

NTUC Income

Aviva

Prudential Assurance

American International Assurance

Given the fact that Medisave-approved Shield plans are largely popular, you can guess that the basic coverage of Medisave for our healthcare is definitely not enough for most Singaporeans.

Be prudent and do consider buying a private insurance plan to top it up because the last thing you want to worry about when you are sick or hospitalised is borrowing money to pay for the hefty bills!

Source: https://sg.finance.yahoo.com

June 29, 2015
Singapore-Australia Strengthens Ties Over BBQ

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Sunday (Jun 28) began his two-day official visit in Singapore, which came as Singapore celebrates its Golden Jubilee and 50 years of bilateral relations with Australia this year.

On Sunday evening, Mr Abbott and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong presided over a special barbecue at Bishan Park.

The barbecue event was part of the 50 Bridges programme – an arts and community engagement programme meant to celebrate Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, as well as 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic and Australia.

Fifty Aussie barbecues involving 10,000 beef and lamb steaks were set up across 22 locations in Singapore. About 1,000 people turned up at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

“I think it’s a great way that the Australians and Singaporeans mix together and we have barbecue beef from Australia, it’s great,” said Mr Francis Tan, a Bishan resident.

Ms Cherly Anne, a fellow Bishan resident, added: “It’s fantastic, it’s a really a good way for Singaporeans and Australians to bond and also a good way to celebrate SG50.”

Mr Lee and Mr Abbott also joined in the festivities. They had earlier gone on a walk in the park where they met some residents.

Mr Abbott then planted a tree – the “Melaleuca cajuputi” – a tree which is native to Singapore and can be found in Australia too. The two prime ministers then made their way to the barbecue area where they also barbecued some steaks.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (centre R) and Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott (centre L) grill meat over a barbecue during a visit to Bishan Park in Singapore on Jun 28, 2015. (Photo: AFP/Mohd Fyrol)

Mr Abbott is on his first official visit at the invitation of Mr Lee. Australia was one of the first countries to recognise Singapore’s independence in 1965. Since then, relations between the two nations have grown in areas such as security as well as arts and culture.

Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry says the visit underscores the deep and longstanding ties between the two countries.

The highlight of the visit will be signing of the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by the two prime ministers. It will see the two countries cooperating more closely across sectors such as economic, foreign affairs, defence and security and people-to-people ties.

An official welcome ceremony will be held for Mr Abbott in Monday. He will also visit the Singapore Botanical Gardens, where an orchid hybrid will be named in honour of the relationship between both countries.

Mr Abbott will also deliver the 35th Singapore Lecture which addresses the issue of strengthening security in the region.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (R) and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (L) don balloon hats as they visit Bishan Park in Singapore, Jun 28, 2015. (Photo: AP/Joseph Nair)

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 29, 2015
Risking Life And Limb In Search of Durians In Singapore

A heavy thud broke through the thick forest at Mandai Road.

It caught the attention of carpenter Lee Tian Xing, 65, who immediately darted in the direction of the sound on Monday.

He reached the spot, brushed some leaves away and smiled gleefully.

He got what he was after: A durian.

“It will not be as good as D24 (a better grade of the fruit),” he said, “but it should taste good enough.”

Mr Lee said he picked up about 10 durians that day from his four-hour stakeout.

He said: “Some of the durians were too small and had little flesh.

“I would try them first before throwing them away.”

By the time he left the area, he had taken home six durians to share with his family. He was accompanied by two friends, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim and Mr Soo.

But it is not all sweet for the group.

Their pursuit, while mostly fruitful, is illegal.

Source: www.tnp.sg

June 28, 2015
First Batch Of SAF Volunteer Corp Completes Basic Training

For two weeks, Ms Siti Khairunessa Abdul Kadir did not tell her mother that she was picking up basic soldiering skills in Maju Camp.

Instead, the 30-year-old nurse lied that she was overseas on a volunteer mission.

It was only yesterday that Ms Siti, in her green fatigues, revealed what she was really up to – leaving her surprised mother in tears but filled with pride.

She was among the first 226 military volunteers who successfully completed their two-week basic training and became newly minted “soldiers” of the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC).

They comprised women, first-generation permanent residents and new citizens, all of whom are aged between 18 and 45 and not liable for national service.

At a parade held at Maju Camp yesterday, the volunteers stood up straight with hands clasping their rifles in the blistering heat, while loved ones and friends took photographs and cheered them on.

Among those in uniform was Dr Janil Puthucheary, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. The 43-year-old Malaysia-born doctor, who became a Singapore citizen in 2008 before entering politics three years later, signed up to be a security trooper.

The volunteers received their berets from the SAFVC commander, Colonel Mike Tan, witnessed by Minister of State for Defence Mohamad Maliki Osman. Also present were army chief Perry Lim and senior SAF officers.

The trainees will have to spend one or two more weeks familiarising themselves with duties required for one of the 17 vocations they have been assigned to. These include roles such as defence psychologists, medical trainers and security troopers who are armed with rifles and patrol key installations like Changi Airport.

After training, the volunteers will be required to serve up to seven days a year.

Ms Siti, who signed up as a medical trainer, said she kept her parents in the dark because she did not think she would make it through the course.

“I didn’t want them to get too excited,” said Ms Siti, the second of five children, who added that joining the volunteer corps fit in with her habit of volunteering.

Also wanting to pitch in for the nation’s defence was Switzerland- born Singapore permanent resident Philip Von Meyenburg.

The entrepreneur, who has been here since 2007, said he signed up as a security trooper because “you don’t get security handed over to you on a plate”.

Dr Maliki said he was heartened by the volunteers’ “high spirits”, adding: “From what I see on their faces and, they said, ‘We experienced far more than we expected… It was tough, it had to be tough, we want it to be tough’ – that is the kind of thing they were asking for.”

The volunteer corps was one of 30 recommendations made by the Committee to Strengthen National Service.

Ms Siti’s mother, Madam Rosimah Salam, 55, said: “This girl is always full of surprises… But I’m so proud to see her in uniform and holding a rifle and doing something great for Singapore.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 28, 2015
Singapore Ranks 97th Overall In Global Well-Being Survey

The Republic has been ranked 97th out of 145 countries in a Global Well-Being Index survey by analytics firm Gallup and well-being solutions provider Healthways announced on Wednesday (Jun 24).

The index was based on interviews with more than 146,000 people aged 15 and older, in 145 countries, territories and areas in 2014. The annual survey measured five indicators: Financial well-being, community well-being, purpose well-being, social well-being and physical well-being.

Survey respondents were asked ten questions and asked to rate their responses on a five-point scale. Responses were categorised by Gallup analysts as “thriving”, “struggling” or “suffering”. Countries are then ranked on the percentage of the population that is “thriving” in three or more elements of well-being.

For financial well-being, which Gallup defined as “managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security”, Singapore was ranked ninth worldwide.

Singapore was ranked 72nd worldwide for community well-being, defined as “liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community”.

It scored 111th in purpose well-being – “Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals”; 127 in social well-being – “having supportive relationships and love in your life”; and 137th in physical well-being – “having good health and enough energy to get things done daily”.

The index aggregates the scores in the five categories to arrive at Singapore’s overall 97th ranking.

Among South-east Asian nations, the Republic ranked behind Myanmar (20), Malaysia (41), Philippines (43), Thailand (50), Indonesia (73), Vietnam (93). Cambodia came in slightly below Singapore at 99.

Globally, Panama came in first for the second consecutive year topping the list for physical and purpose well-being, and second place for social and community.

Afghanistan ranked last overall, also coming in last in purpose, social and financial well-being.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 27, 2015