End-of-life care in Singapore – higher Medisave withdrawal limits for palliative care

20140707-01SINGAPORE | Channel AsiaNews – 28 June 12014 – Patients who need palliative care will soon pay less out of their pockets as they will be able to draw more from their Medisave accounts to pay for such services. The Ministry of Health will raise the withdrawal limits from 1 January 2015. Patients can withdraw up to S$200 per day for inpatient hospice services – S$40 more than the current S$160. The lifetime withdrawal limit will be raised to S$2,500 from the current S$1,500, and no cap is set for those with terminal illnesses such as cancer or end-stage organ failure. The infrastructure will also be improved, with more beds to be set aside in community hospitals for patients on palliative care. No target is given but the health ministry is working with several community hospitals. Currently, there is one community hospital that caters to patients on palliative care…read more

An article from Media Watch, compiled and annotated by Barry R. Ashpole (Ontario, Canada). More reports can be found at IPCRC.NET

Published on: 7 July, 2014 | Last modified: 7 July, 2014