SINGAPORE - Patients who require interim care while waiting for long-term funding will receive help for an extra six months under the HomeCare Assist programme. The programme is run by the Changi Health Fund, the charitable arm of Eastern Health Alliance.
Under this enhanced programme, needy patients with chronic illnesses will be reviewed every six months if they require continued help for their medical needs after being discharged from the hospital.
HomeCare Assist provides medical equipment and supplies to patients who need to be cared for at home. Launched in 2002, the programme includes subsidies for the installation of ramps and grab bars in homes. At a media conference on Monday morning, Eastern Health Alliance said that the scheme will be expanded to allow patients access to more medical services such as interim dialysis as well as hearing aids.
These new measures have been put in place to cater to the more complex needs of an ageing population, said Mr T K Udairam, the group chief executive officer of Eastern Health Alliance. The programme hopes to help 700 patients this year, more than double the number of patients who benefited from the programme the year before.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.