NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 23 MARCH 2009

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mdm Cynthia Phua
MP of Aljunied GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Health why a Government hospital has no flexibility to waive the medical fee of a Dutch national who sustained injuries arising from his exemplary deed to save a drowning woman.

Answer

1. Our hospitals do exercise flexibility to reduce or waive charges as they deem fit based on the circumstance of each case. Every year, many needy patients have their hospital bills waived or partially reduced. Such assistance to patients on ground of financial hardship is an acceptable practice in our hospitals.

2. But should they extend such assistance to also cover heroic acts? There are practical difficulties on the ground. For the staff working in the emergency department with a heavy load of patients, they may not have the time to establish which cases are the results of heroic acts. Their top priority is to treat the emergency and save life, not to ascertain the full circumstances behind each incident unless they are relevant to the treatment.

3. After the news of the Dutch national was published, I was heartened to see many Singaporeans offering to pay the bill. This is a good indication of Singaporeans' social spiritedness and a better way for us to show our gratitude to someone who has risked his life to save another person.