I refer to the article “Citizens should be active in seeking solutions to improve Singapore: Lawrence Wong” (Straits Times, Oct 17).
It states that “Singapore should strive to be a society which works on and values integrity and deeds, and where citizens are actively involved in finding solutions that will improve the country, Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong said on Friday .
For Singapore to get the next phase requires the effort of all Singaporeans.”The government will support, encourage and lead the rally – but it comes down to whether Singaporeans believe that this nation is worth striving for.Each of us must recognise the value, as well as the fragility, of what our people have worked so hard to build,”.
“Opposition for the sake of opposition will not promote or strengthen our democracy … But how does this sort of discourse help us in solving the real and vital problems affecting our nation?” he asked.
“This goes beyond partisan politics. It’s about the kind of democracy we want to be, and that I hope we can be – a democracy of integrity, and a democracy of deeds, made up of an active citizenry who get involved in developing solutions for a better society.”
Mr Wong called on all Singaporeans to play their part.”
No response to suggestions?
- In the last 15 years or so – I have written a few thousand articles, a few hundred letters published in the newspaper forum pages, about 50 videos on youtube, more than a hundred radio talkshows, made scores of suggestions, etc.
In particular, I do not think I have hardly had any response to my suggestions.
Past suggestions on healthcare?
For example, one of my past articles on some of my suggestions on healthcare alone are reproduced below (with some slight edits).
“1)Increase public spending on healthcare from the current approximately 1.4 per cent of GDP, as it is one of the lowest in the world.
2) Reverse the trend of increasing private healthcare spending’s share of total healthcare spending from the historical 25 to the current approximately 67 per cent. In other words, increase the public healthcare share from 33 per cent back to the former 50 per cent.
3) Allow the use of Medifund for the needy who cannot afford polyclinic out-patient treatment, instead of transferring $86 million of Medifund surpluses to the Protected Reserves.
4) The rejection rate of Singaporeans who apply for Medifund because they could not pay for their medical bills has never been disclosed. The Ministry of Health (MOH) discloses yearly the number of successful applications (number of times), but not the number of patients who were rejected.
5) Make public the criteria for approving Medifund applications.
6) Singapore’s Standard Drug List is not made public. If made public, we may know what drugs are non-subsidised.
7) Does Medishield make a profit? What is the surplus if any?
8) How many people who were discharged from hospital were unable to pay their medical bills? The latest statistics from Credit Counselling Singapore is that about 21 per cent of Singaporeans who sought credit counselling were due to medical fees.
9) Review the change in the Workmen’s Injury Act reducing employers’ and insurers’ liability for medical expenses arising from an accident in the course of employment to $25,000. According to MOH, 5 per cent of industrial accidents’ medical fees exceed this $25,000 cap, which places the burden of the excess medical fees not covered on the employee.
10) Review the policy of public hospitals in not giving any subsidy for subsidised wards hospitalisation for industrial accidents. This means that for example, Class C ward fees would cost five times more compared to non-industrial accident hospitalisation.
11) Reduce the pressure on public hospitals to raise medical fees such that hospitalisation costs at public hospitals have gone up by as much as double over the last four years, by reimbursing hospitals for the actual subsidy shown in medical bills, instead of using the MOH’s average treatment type subsidy computation.
12) Review means testing for patients who request for down-grading to lower-class hospital wards. The last disclosed 99 per cent rejection rate in Parliament, for down-grading applications may be forcing more Singaporeans to choose lower class subsidised wards.
I would like to urge and call upon all healthcare stakeholders to work with and support our new Health Minister, Mr Gan Kim Yong, to reform our healthcare system.”
Some other recent suggestions?
Here’s another past article recently on various suggestions.
Leong Sze Hian
P.S. Come with your family and friends to the 5th Return Our CPF protest on 25 October 4 pm at Speakers’ Corner https://www.facebook.com/events/446619505476438/