Are our public hospitals making profits or losses?
I refer to the article “MOH allegedly sidesteps question on whether government hospitals make profits from blood donated by the public” (The Independent, May 5).
It states that “MOH’s response was allegedly “very evasive,” according to Lim: “My question to them was a simple and straightforward question, however, their reply to me was anything but simple and straightforward. They completely and conveniently ignore my question about whether they make a profit from public’s donated blood.”
Lim said that this was what MOH replied to him:
MOH subsidies the cost incurred by the blood bank in processing the blood.
There is a further subsidy at the hospital level, depending on the patients’ choice of ward and mean-test status.
Patients who are PRs will also be subsidised at the hospitals but at a lower level then for citizens.
Should you need to obtain the charges of the services/procedure, you may wish to contact the practicing public hospitals for advice on this matter.
Patients who experience financial challenges to manage their medical bills can approach the Medical Social Workers””
In this connection, according to MOH’s web site – “They (public hospitals) are to be managed like not-for-profit organisations. The public hospitals are subject to broad policy guidance by the Government through the Ministry of Health.”
In this regard, according to the National Healthcare Group’s (NHG) annual report – it has profits of $14 million in FY2016. I don’t seem to be able to find the financial statements in the Singhealth Group’s (SHG) latest annual report on its web site. So, what is the combined profits or lossess of NHG and SHG for last year?Leong Sze Hian
