Please work in your pairs to discuss and answer in SEQ format the following question:
"The best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance." How far do you agree? Explain.
Format
Stand
Explain given factor
Explain other factor 1
Explain other factor 2
Weighing
NB: Define "best way"
Read page 62 to 79 to help you.
Deadline: This Wed 22nd September 9pm.
18 comments:
I agree to a large extent that self reliance is the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable. However, there are other factors such as the family support and the community support which also made the healthcare in Singapore affordable.
Self reliance is best way which made Singapore healthcare affordable. For example, self reliance meant depending on ourselves and being responsible for self. Being self reliance actually means to lead a healthy lifestyle by not smoking; eating in moderation and practice good habits such as exercising. This will definitely allow us to form healthy habits from young and practice these habits. Therefore, there will be less health problems in old age and we are less likely to fall ill when one is older. Thus, there will be better quality of life and we will enjoy life better. Moreover, we will certainly spend less on healthcare in old age and have more money for one’s other needs like going on holiday. There will be better quality for housing, food and clothing and able to enjoy golden years too. Hence, self reliance is the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Family support is one of the reasons to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable. For example, elderly will feel that they are cared for and respect by family members. This will give them a sense of security and safety. Therefore, the elderly will have better mental health and less like to become depressed. This will definitely lower the medical bills and have better quality of life. Financial support from the family members will also give the elderly a sense of security that they are financially stable. Thus, they will not suffer from poverty and basic needs are fulfilled. This will ensure their quality of life is good. Hence, family support is one of the reasons to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Community support is also one of the reasons to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable. For example, community support are grassroots organizations such as community centre and resident committees which provide healthy activities to keep elderly engaged and mentally and physically active. Therefore, the elderly will grow old gracefully and not suffer from illnesses like dementia easily. They will certainly spend less on healthcare and have better quality of life. Moreover, medical care is subsidized; this will ensure that all elderly Singaporeans, especially the poorer ones can get access to affordable medical services. Thus, they will get medical care even when they are poor and no elderly in Singapore will end up without medical treatment. Hence, community support is one of the reasons to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
In conclusion, the best way to ensure healthcare in Singapore remains affordable means that every Singaporeans are able to pay for their medical services and treatment with the least amount of money. Therefore, the best way is through self reliance as it is being responsible for self and leading a healthy lifestyle. This will certainly keep us fit and healthy and we will spend less on healthcare which made it more affordable as we will not fall sick easily. However, family and community support does not encourage us to keep healthy and fit. Family support will provide us with financial support but we still have to spend more money on healthcare. Moreover, community support also subsidizes medical care for the elderly, this does not mean to encourage the elderly to keep healthy and spend less on healthcare. Thus, when one keeps healthy, they will not fall sick easily and this ensure healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
XueQi (3) and YingEn (19)
I agree to an extent. As ensuring healthcare remains affordable in Singapore is due to Singaporenas being reliant enought to takecare of theirselfs to reduce the cost of health maintanance. Such as keeping healthcare affordable and also promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Firstly, being self reliant. This meant taking measures such as the saving scheme, medisave to encourage singaporeans to be responsible for their own health . This is supported by having certain amount of money from the CPF contributions every month bring chanelled in to the medisave accounts, and this amount can be used to pay for hospital bills and certain medical treatments when needed. Hence this shows that by encouraging Singaporeans to have money in their own medisave accounts they are better able to pay for healthcare.In this way people share the cost of health care with the government therefore lightening the laod of having to pay a large sum of money for their health maintainence so that when the healthcare becomes a shred responsility between the govt and the people. The govt need not depend on the taxes to pay for the raising healthcare costs
Secondly,keeping healthcare affordable. This means that individuals are encouraged to be self-relaint while the govt provides safety nets to ensure that healthcare remains affordable. This is supported by the government subsidies given to govt hospitals,polyclnics and some nursing homes for elderly to ensure that basic needs are met. Also having subsidies to diff classes of wards in hospitals such as 80% subsidy rate for the less incomes. Hence, by helping to at least lughten the load for Singaporeans to pay for their medical billls, it will give singaporeans less burden and concern for the total cost of their healthcare. Hance ensuring a affordable helthcare in Singapore.
Lastly,promoting healthy lifestyle. This means that adopting a healthy ufestyle to cope with rising costs of healthcare and that is by having good health. This is supported by schools and workplaces having programmes to emphasise the need to maintain a good health . Suc as having regular excercise and a well-balanced diet are encouraged. Hence by they themselves trying to keep fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle Singaporeans will have a stronger immunity and health and will not have to pay for medical treatment and they can save on medical expenses.
-PART ONE-
I agree to this statement to a small extent.
Although self reliance is one of the way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable, it is not the best way. Being self reliance is also known as individual responsibility, which is leading a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and having personal financial planning. It is to form healthy habits from young and practise these habits. With that, there would be less health problems in old age and it is less likely to fall ill when one is older. With slim chance that one will contract lifestyle-related illnesses like diabetes, one will spend less money on healthcare in old age and lead better quality of life, which means enjoy life better with less suffering. There will then be more money for one’s other needs like going on holdays in golden years. It will also have less strain on the working population and the government does not have to increase expenses on healthcare for the elderly. Thus, self reliance is one of the way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Furthermore, family support is also another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable. Elderly will feel that they are cared for and respected by family members. There will be a sense of comfort and safety. When this happens, they have better mental health and will less likely to become depressed which leads to lower medical bills and better quality of life. With financial support from family, the elderly will have a sense of security that they are financially stable and no need to suffer from poverty. Their basic needs are fulfilled and quality of life is good. If the elderly were to fall sick, they can also depend on their family for support and to pay for their medical bills. This helps the elderly to feel more secure and thus, family support is a way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
PART 2!
Ministry of Health published a document to enquire on public's view to get suggestion on long term medical care needs.Hence , the national health plan, which aims to build a healthy and physically fit population , encourage singaporeans to stay well and reward those who do , build up individual financial resourcesso that those who fall sick will be able to pay.Government would maintain policies to keep healthcare affordable.At the same time promotes healthy lifestyle.Yet , this will not be a burden to the government , as singapore encourages self reliance. Medisave , one of the measures to encourage self reliance which is a saving scheme which encourages singaporeans to be responsible for own health. a certain amout of money is contributed to the Central Provident Fund ( CPF) which will chanelled into their medisave accounts. These savings can be put to use for medical treatment bills when needed.
Hence, in conclusion , i feel that the most affordable way is individual healthcare managing.As it encourages self reliance and also by maintaining good health .
JIAYI(06)
JOSEPHINE(09)
3E2!
I agree to a large extent. Self-reliance is the best way to keep healthcare affordable. With self-reliance, Singaporeans will buy medical insurance. With this, Singaporeans pay a small premium to get insurance coverage of a major illness. With that, all Singaporeans will be able to afford as insurance covers the medical cost. This meant that no Singaporeans would be financially ruined by high medical bills. Moreover, Singaporeans would be able to save money through medisave. These ‘forced’ savings of our salary would be put into medisave. The money will be amounted while it is in medisave. Not only that, medisave can only be used for medical purposes. This shows that Singaporeans will have enough money to meet medical needs when in operations. Hence, with self-reliance, healthcare is affordable for all Singaporeans.
Furthermore, government support is another way to keep healthcare affordable. The government would pay for a portion of medical cost of all Singaporeans. While for ward C class, the government will pay up to 80% of the medical bills. This means that even the poor would be able to affordable, medical cost, do not need to pay using own cash. Thus more money for Singaporeans. Not only that, the government had restructuring hospitals to higher productivity and efficiency by leaving it to the experts. This shows that with increasing productivity, lesser resources would be used which in turn reduce the cost for the patient. Thus, enabling healthcare to be more affordable.
By: Tan Zheng Ying
Emillio
I agree to a large extent. Self-reliance is the best way to keep healthcare affordable. With self-reliance, Singaporeans will buy medical insurance. With this, Singaporeans pay a small premium to get insurance coverage of a major illness. With that, all Singaporeans will be able to afford as insurance covers the medical cost. This meant that no Singaporeans would be financially ruined by high medical bills. Moreover, Singaporeans would be able to save money through medisave. These ‘forced’ savings of our salary would be put into medisave. The money will be amounted while it is in medisave. Not only that, medisave can only be used for medical purposes. This shows that Singaporeans will have enough money to meet medical needs when in operations. Hence, with self-reliance, healthcare is affordable for all Singaporeans.
Furthermore, government support is another way to keep healthcare affordable. The government would pay for a portion of medical cost of all Singaporeans. While for ward C class, the government will pay up to 80% of the medical bills. This means that even the poor would be able to affordable, medical cost, do not need to pay using own cash. Thus more money for Singaporeans. Not only that, the government had restructuring hospitals to higher productivity and efficiency by leaving it to the experts. This shows that with increasing productivity, lesser resources would be used which in turn reduce the cost for the patient. Thus, enabling healthcare to be more affordable.
I agree that the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance up to a certain extent. There are other ways to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable like government support and community help.
One way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance. The promotion of self-reliance among citizens was important as the cost of healthcare has risen. The government realized that they could no longer afford to give very generous health subsidies to the public. If it continued, the people would have to be taxed more to fund the health care system. Singaporeans have to take responsibility for their own health and avoid over-reliance on the government. Thus they have to pay part of their medical expenses. Government gives out subsidies in the form of schemes like Medisave, which is a compulsory savings scheme and Medishield, which is an insurance scheme to help pay for serious or prolonged illnesses. Hence there would be an improvement in the standard of healthcare services as there would be less reliance on the government and it can improve giving quality care as there is no abuse of the services. Hence, one way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance.
Another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through government support. The government provides healthcare schemes for lower-income group who cannot afford to pay for the cost of medical care. These include the adequate provision of class C hospitals wards for poorer Singaporeans which are much lower in cost. The government also set up Medifund to help low-income workers whose funds from both the Medisave and Medishield may still be inadequate for their medical expenses. Interests from this Medifund is distributed to approved public hospitals for them to provide financial help to needy patients who apply for help. Hence standard of healthcare is improved as everyone is treated fairly regardless of their income level. Therefore, another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through government support.
Another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is by community help. By organising wellness programmes and social as well as recreational activities, people who live in the community, along with voluntary welfare services, can help the elderly stay physically and mentally active. This will make the old people feel involved and therefore enhance their well-being. It is much easier to do this within their own community where they will already have friends and know people. Therefore, another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is by community help.
i agree to a large extent that self-reliance is one of the way to ensure healthcare in singapore remains affordable. but, they are still other reasons like community organisation and government.
self-reliance is indeed one the ways to ensure that healthcare in singapore remains affordable. one of the ways to be self-relinat to have medical insurance which is the medushield govrenmnet scheme. singaporeans pay a small premium to get insurance coverage in the event of a major illness. with insurance coverage from medishield, no singaporeans will be financially runied by high medical bills since medishield pays for most of the medical cost. the person himself or herself need not pay the medical bills. this would mean that healthcare becomes affordable for all singaporeans if they have medishield insurance. hence, this is how medishield is a form of self-reliance that helps make healthcare more affordable for singaporeans. another way to be self-reliance is to save money through medisave. the money can be save from our own money from our salary and to be put in our medisave account. the money in our account accmulates monthly untill it becomes a lagre amount. not only that, there is a intrest of 4% and medisave can only be used for medical expenses. thus, singaporeans will have enough money to meet their medical needs for example, operation, treatment or even medication. Hence, self-reliance is indeed one of the way to ensure that heathcare in singapore is affordable.
another way to ensure that healthcare is affordable in singapore is throught government support. one of they way government offers support is through subsidy. the governemnt paying a portion of our medical cost. government pays for is as much as 80% for class "c" ward through subsidies. this will meant the individual pays for only a small portion of our medical bills. in addition, now even the poorer people can now afford medical care/treatment. thus, individuals would spent lesser money on medical bills. hence, government support is another way to ensure that healthcare is affordable in singapore.
Chan Rui Wen(1) Marcus Kerh(29)
I agree that self-reliance is the best way to ensure healthcare in Spore remains affordable . However , there’re also other ways such as the government support and the community organisation’s help to ensure healthcare in Spore remains affordable.
The self-reliance is one factor that helps ensure healthcare in Spore remains affordable. One way is to have a medical insurance, which includes the medisave and government insurance scheme. By having these insurances, Sporeans will pay only a small premium to get insurance coverage in the event of a major illness. By doing so , no Sporeans will be financially ruined by high medical bills since medishield pays for most of the medical cost and the person himself doesn’t need to pay for the medical bills. Healthcare becomes affordable for all Sporeans if they have medishield insurance. Hence , this is how medishield , a form of self-reliance helps make healthcare affordable.
Another factor would be the government support . The government had decided to restructure hospitals to help the public able to afford to pay the fees. Such examples would be the Singhealth and the National healthcare group (NHG), whose aim is to increase productivity and efficiency in managing hospitals. The government realized that they did not know exactly how to manage hospitals as efficiently as they should. They left the management of hospitals to experts from Singhealth or NHG. Productivity increases , and with less resources , hospitals could do more . This provides better healthcare , overall cost of providing healthcare falls . This would mean that patients will only require to pay lesser than the past and thus , helps make healthcare affordable.
Another factor would be working with community organizations. Such community organizations such as the AMK hospital , StAndrews community hospitals , provides healthcare support services to meet the needs of the people. This is because it is almost impossible for the government to run all the healthcare services. For example , patients who are discharged from government hospitals may need more medical help , voluntary welfare organizations and some private organizations are given grants to run community hospitals , nursing homes for this group of people . At the same time , support is given by the government to organizations that provide specific healthcare support services , which specialise in helping people with financial problems or with a particular illness. Therefore , this makes the healthcare more affordable to the public .
In conclusion , I feel that self-reliance is the best way to ensure healthcare is affordable in Spore. The self-reliance scheme is one such way that it helps you to cover for medical bills without much help from the government . What if one day community hospitals closes down , and are only left with expensive private hospitals ? Insurances you bought will help cover the hefty sum of medical bills if you suffer from a major illness. Therefore , self-reliance is a better way to ensure a affordable healthcare for Sporeans,
By Nicholas and Yu Xiang
Self reliance ensured healthcare is kept affordable in Singapore.An example of self reliance would be through medical insurance such as medishield which is a government insurance scheme.Medical insurance works by individuals paying a small premium in order to get insurance coverage in event of any major illnesses.All singaporeans will be able to afford their medical bills since the insurance would ensure most,if not all, of their medicals will be payed for.Healthcare becomes affordable for all singaporeans if they have medical insurance,hence paying for insurance is a way for healthcare to become more affordable.
Government support also ensures healthcare is kept affordable.A most basic example would be the subsidies that government gives us.Subsidies means that government will pay for a portion of medical bills.This portion varies,but up to 80% of 'C' class ward charges can be covered by the government.This meant that individual need only pay a small portion of money and ensures that even poorer people can afford medical care and treatment.This will mean that less money are spent on medical bills,hence healthcare become more affordable
I agree to a large extent that the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance.
Self-reliance is one of the ways to manage healthcare in Singapore. One of the ways to be self-reliant is to have a medical insurance. The government has introduced an insurance scheme called the Medishield. In the Medishield scheme, Singaporeans will only have to pay a small premium to get insurance coverage of a major illness. With insurance coverage from Medishield, there will be no Singaporean that is financially ruined by high medical bills since Medishield pays for most of the medical cost. In fact, with Medishield, the person himself may not need to pay for any medical bills. With Medishield, healthcare becomes affordable for all Singaporeans if they have a Medishield account. Therefore, this is how Medishield, a form of self-reliance helps make healthcare in Singapore affordable. Another form of self-reliance is saving money through Medisave. Medisave is ‘forced’ saving of our own money from our salary to be put into an account called Medisave. This Medisave account may only be used for medical expenses. A Medisave account also has an interest rate, which is 4% (which is relatively high compared to banks). With this high interest rate, money will accumulate until it becomes a large sum. With Medisave, Singaporeans will have enough money to meet their medical needs. Therefore, healthcare is now affordable for all. In conclusion, with Medishield and Medisave account, healthcare is now affordable for Singaporeans, and this proves that self-reliance ensures healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through government support. One of the ways the government gives support is through subsidising. A medical subsidy is a form of financial assistance from the government to the citizens by paying for a portion of the citizens’ medical cost. For example, the government pays for as much as 80% of ‘C’ class ward charges through subsidies. This will mean that the individual only has to pay for a small portion of the medical bills. Therefore, they will not need a lot of money in order to receive health care, and even the poorer people can now afford medical care. Less of an individual’s own cash will have to be spent on the bill. Thus, subsidies help ensures Singapore’s healthcare is affordable. Another way that the government gives support is through restructured hospitals. Restructuring hospitals aims to increase the productivity and efficiency in managing hospitals in Singapore. The government realised that they did not know exactly how to manage hospitals as efficiently as they should. So, they left the management of hospitals to experts from two medical semi-private companies; Singhealth and National Healthcare Group (NHG). After they left the management of the hospitals, the productivity of the hospitals increased. With less resources, the hospitals could do more and provide better healthcare. The overall cost of providing healthcare soon fell, which means that less cost is needed to be passed to patients. Therefore, the patients do not need so much money for medical care. Medisave and Medishield also developes a personal responsibility, as in Medisave and Medishield we still have to pay our own medical bills, but the difference is that we are now managing our funds in a better way, so that we will have enough money to meet all our needs. Thus, self-reliance will then develop a personal responsibility in the citizens of Singapore. Thus, government support ensures that healthcare in Singapore is affordable.
By: Indira and Grace
(Part 2)
A way to manage healthcare is through the help from the community and organizations. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is a way that the community can help in. A healthy lifestyle emphasis on health equation to stay fit. Through community centres, the government can spread the message on how to lead healthy lifestyles by teaching on choices on physical activities and diet. This will make it easier for Singaporeans to maintain their health lifestyle and equip them with the adequate know ledge how to live in the pink of their health. So, leading a healthy lifestyle means that a person does not often fall sick and will not often need to pay medical bills. Working with orgnisations is another way the community can help too. The community provides healthcare support services to meet the needs of people as the government is unable to manage all the healthcare services by themselves. So, they have to get voluntary welfare orgnisations and private orgnisations help them. Both are given grants to run the community hospitals,nursing home and day rehabilitation centers. Examples are National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the Singapore Chung Hwa Medical institution. This therefore makes it easier for Singaporeans to maintain a healthy lifestyle & equip them with adequate knowledge to take responsibility for their health and therefore not so much money will be spent on medical bills. Therefore, the community is a way to manage healthcare.
In conclusion, the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore is affordable must be the one that has the greatest impact in keeping healthcare at an affordable price. Therefore, the only factor that qualifies for this would be self-reliance. When we develop a personal responsibility towards ourselves, we will soon realize the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. When we realize this, we will soon take actions to lead a healthy lifestyle and when this happens, we will not fall sick so often. Therefore, we will not have to pay so much medical expenses, and thus, this ensures that healthcare in Singapore is kept at an affordable price. A healthy lifestyle is also more important than community support as it is essential to have healthy, robust and productive people in the workforce. If people lead a healthy lifestyle, the government will also not have to spend so much money on the healthcare, and increase expenditures on other needs, such as infrastructure.
By: Indira and Grace
By:Ken Wong and Yvonne
I agree to a large extend that best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance when best way means the most effective way for all singaporeans to be able to pay for their healthcare.
Being self-reliance is to depend on oneself to pay for their medical bills.One of the ways to be self-reliant is to have medical insurance like the medisheild.The medisheild is to have singaporeans pay a small premium to get insurrance coverage in the event of a majour illness.This means that with insurance coverage from medisheild no singaporean will be finacially ruined by high medical bills since medisave pays for most of the medical cost making healthcare in singapore affordable.Hence,making medisheild a form of self-raliance being able helps healthcare affordable.Therefore,I agree to a large extend that best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance.
However,Government support is also a way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.One type of government support is sudsidy medical bills.Sudsidy means that the government pays for a portion of medical cost.This able to be done by the government paying as much as 80% of 'c' calss ward charges.This means that the individual pays for only a samll portion of the medical bill and allowing poorer people being able to afford medical care.Thus,individuals pay less on medical cost.Therefore,government support is also a wayto ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Furthermore,community support is also a way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.One type of community support is promoting a healthy lifestyle.Promoting a healthy lifestyle is to encourage people to have healthy habits like doing regular exercise.This would allow people to take up healthy habits like having a balance meal and doing regular physical exercises.As a reslt people would not fall sick easily.This means that people would not need to have go for constant medical treatment due to illness and would not burn out the saving they have to treat their illness.Therefore,community support is also a way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Finally,the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is government support since it is able to decrease the burden of patential paying by a large amount while being self-reliant is to pay for medical cost with most of your own money and illness would follow easily as one get older even if they are very health due to their habits.
NIXON &WEIRU :
I agree to a large extent that the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is through self-reliance. Best way means that is the most effective way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Self-reliance is one of the ways to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable. One of the ways to be self-reliant is to have medical insurance. The medshield government insurance scheme is where Singaporeans pay a small premium to get insurance coverage in the event of a major illness. With insurance coverage from medishield, no Singaporean will be financially ruined by high medical bills since medishielf pays for most of the medical cost. Thus healthcare becomes affordable for all Singaporeans if they have medishield insurance. This meant that the person himself, need not pay for the medical bills. Hence, this is how, medishield, a form of self-reliance helps make healthcare more affordable. Therefore, self-reliance is one of the ways to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Another way to ensure healthcare remains affordable in singapore is through working with community organisations. The community provides healthcare support services to meet the needs of people.This is because the goverment is unable to run all healthcare services efficiently.Hence,welfare organisations and private organisations are given grants to run community hospitals,nursing homes and rehabilition centre so that they can run them better then the goverment and more efficiently and would benefit the goverment more.At the same times,support is also given by the goverment to organisations.Hence,the burden of the organisations can run smoothly and lessens their burden as the organisations are more experienced. Therefore working with community organisations is also another way to ensure healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
NIXON &WEIRU:
Another way to ensure healthcare remains affordable in singapore is through goverment support.Direct subsidies are given to goverment hospitals,polyclinics and some nursing homes for the elderly to ensure that basic healthcare services are available for all singaporeans.This way,the poorer population of singapore is still able to afford their medical bills.Hence,they are able to keep healthy by going to checkups or buying medicine to recuperate.To ensure that healthcare remains affordable for all singaporeans,the goverment also gives different rates of subsidies to the different classes of wards in hospitals.Hence,medical fees and hospitality fees would not cause a bomb for singaporeans.This way,singaporeans can keep healthy without worrying about the bills.Hence,the whole population of singaporeans,be it poor or rich,is able to afford their medical fees to stay healthy. Therefore government support is also another way to ensure healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
In my opinion,self reliance is the best way to ensure that healthcare is kept affordable in singapore.
This is because for goverment support,the richer population do not need the help on the goverment in order to pay for their medical bills.Hence,the goverment's support is not really effective or needed.For the community organisations,having community organisations might be more effective in running the healthcare business in singapore.However,having community organisations does not mean that the medical bills are subsidised for all the clinics and that people would visit them.This mostly only benefits the goverment because it only lessens the burden the goverment has.Hence,community organisations is not so effective. Therefore self Reliance is the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
I agree with the statement to a certain extent. The best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable means that the solution has immediate effect and will stay as a long-term solution.
Self reliance is a way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable. Self-reliance is one of the ways to be self-reliant is to have medical insurance,which includes Medishield and Medisave. Medishield is a government insurance scheme. Singaporeans pay a small premium to get insurance coverage in the event of a major illness. With insurance coverage from Medishield,no Singaporeans will be financially ruined by high medical bills since Medishield pays for most of the medical cost. This means that the person himself need not pay for the medical bills and healthcare becomes affordable for all Singaporeans if they have Medishield insurance. Hence,this is how Medishield,a form of self-reliance,helps make healthcare affordable. Medisave is 'forced' savings of our own money from our salary to be put into a Medisave account. Money accumulates monthly till it becomes a large sum,interest earned is 4% p.a and Medisave can only be used for medical expenses. This means that Singaporeans will have enough money to meet their medical needs. Hence,healthcare is now affordable for all. Therefore,self-reliance is a way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
However,another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is government support. One for ways that government gives support is subsidy. The government pays a portion of the medical cost and it pays for as much as 80% for 'C' class ward changes through subsidies. This will mean the individual pays for only a small portion of the medical bill. This means even the poorer people can now afford medical care and less cash of an individual's own spent on the bill. Restructuring hospitals is another way that government gives support. The aim of restructuring hospitals is to increase productivity and efficiency in Singapore. Government realised that they did not know exactly how to manage hospitals as efficiently as they should,so they left the management of hospitals to experts. When productivity increases,with less resources,the hospitals could do more providing better healthcare and overall cost of providing healthcare fell as less cost is passed to patients. Therefore,government support is another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
Another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable is community support. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is one way of coping with rising cost of healthcare for both the government and individuals. Schools and workplaces have programmes to emphasize the need to maintain good health. With good health,less money will be spent on healthcare. The community also provides some healthcare support services to meet the needs of people. Voluntary welfare organisations are also given grants to run community hospitals,nursing homes and day rehabilitation centres for this group of patients. This means that it is not possible for the government to run all healthcare services and these healthcare services cater to the needs of specific groups of people such as the poor or those with a particular illness. Therefore,community support is another way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
In conclusion,I feel that government support is the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable. The government plays the more vital role as it makes major decisions and has the power to implement policies. The success of any healthcare services in any country will depend a lot on them. Without government’s policies for compulsory Medisave and government subsidies, healthcare will be unaffordable for everyone in Singapore. With Medishield and Medifund, and efforts put into improvement of government hospitals and polyclinics, every citizen gets to enjoy quality healthcare services. Therefore,government support is the best way to ensure that healthcare in Singapore remains affordable.
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