Tag Archives: Public Hospitals

Public Hospitals – Surgical Specialties (Jan 2015 – Dec 2015) – Class C (Open Ward) – Total Bill at 95th Percentile at the National Heart Centre was $24,465. 5% pay more than $24,465? So, does this mean that five per cent of patients had a bill size of more than $24,465?

This letter to ST truly reflect the frustrations of users of the public health care system. It's not the private health care sector doctors are always better trained, skilled, even though quite often that's so, but it is the extremely long wait to see a specialist doctor in the public health care sector that is most frustrating and irritating.

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.

I refer to the article “Ng Teng Fong hospital opening ahead of schedule” (Sunday Times, Oct 11). It states that “The hospital, which took in its first patient on June 30, started operating with 365 beds. Today, 500 of its 700 beds are in use … and the adjoining 400-bed Jurong Community Hospital”.

Recently, PAP MP Seah Kian Peng, who is also the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and CEO of NTUC Fairprice Co-op, was admitted to a hospital for an emergency operation to remove his gall bladder as it was swollen and on the verge of bursting. If I am not mistaken, looking at the furnishing and uniform of the staff, he went for the operation at a private hospital. I wonder if an average Singaporean is able to afford what Mr Seah did when faced with a similar situation? How much does it costs? And, as a public servant, is Mr Seah saying he is also not confident of public health care in such an emergency?