'More Singaporeans going to Malaysia for Healthcare' The New Paper , 13 Feb 2011.
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Transcript of 'More Singaporeans going to Malaysia for Healthcare' The New Paper , 13 Feb 2011.
REPORT: NG WAN [email protected]
SHE was halfway through her pregnancy and see-ing a doctor here.
Then Madam Hiuk Mee Yiun decided shewould give birth in Malaysia, to save some money –about half of what she’d pay if she were to deliver inSingapore.
She’s not the only one heading to Malaysia to saveon medical bills. (See other report on page 10.)
That number appears to be growing.
Since Mar 1 last year, Singapore residents have beenallowed to use their Medisave for elective hospitalisa-tion overseas.
The scheme kicked off with 12 hospitals and medi-cal centres in Malaysia run by two Singapore-basedprivate health-care providers – Health ManagementInternational (HMI) and Parkway Holdings.
HMI and Parkway Holdings said they’ve had morepeople enquiring about their services in Malaysia.
Growing numberHMI said there’s been a 60 per cent increase in the
number of Singaporeans and Singapore permanentresidents (PRs) in its hospitals in Malaysia since lastMarch compared to 2009. It declined to give specificnumbers.
“The patients come for a wide range of medicaltreatment, including ENT (ear, nose and throat), obstet-rics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics,endoscopy and health screening,” said an HMI spokes-man.
At Parkway, 34 patients to date have been referred toPantai group of hospitals and Gleneagles KualaLumpur.
“The majority of the cases we have processed are
women in their 20s to 30s who have undergone obstet-
rics procedures,” said a Parkway spokesman.
Patients are also using their Medisave to cover their
medical bill overseas.
From Mar 1 to Dec 31 last year, 58 patients who
went overseas to seek elective medical treatment
claimed just under $125,000 from Medisave, said a
Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman.
But it wasn’t just cost that persuaded Madam Hiuk
to deliver her first baby in Malacca.
She’s a Malaysian citizen and a Singapore PR.
Her parents live in Malacca, her hometown.
But being allowed to use her Medisave to offset her
hospital bills and the hospitalisation fees in Malaysia
sealed it for her.
The 32-year-old corporate secretary has been living
and working here for the past six years.
She said she was comfortable returning to Malacca,
including the hospital where she was going to give birth
in.
Said Madam Hiuk in an interview with The New
Paper on Sunday: “It is much cheaper for me to do it
this way. I saved a lot of money.” (See graphics.)
And there was very little inconvenience despite the
distance from Malacca to Singapore.
Also, she regularly returned home – once every
two to three months – to see her parents and
parents-in-law.
Her husband, a fellow Malaysian, also has Singa-
pore permanent residency. The couple own an HDB
flat.
When Madam Hiuk first discovered she was
pregnant, she went to a private obstetrician and
gynaecologist in Toa Payoh. She had five check-ups
here, spending about $100 plus each time.
She did not ask about any maternity packages at
that point.
“After that, I calculated that it would not be
worth it for me to sign up for the maternity package,
where you pay one lump sum for a series of
check-ups, including delivery of the baby, as I had
already lost out on the first few check-ups.
“Anyway, I had also thought that I might be
giving birth in a Malaysian hospital,” she said.
She contacted Mahkota Hospital herself and
made her own appointment with a doctor there.
“I sent all my medical reports to the doctor in
Mahkota. I also informed the doctor here that I was
going to Malacca to deliver my baby,” she said.
After that, she had her check-ups in Malacca at
the Mahkota Hospital, run by HMI.
PreparedTwo weeks before her due date, she went on
maternity leave and went home to Malacca.
“People told me the first baby could come earli-
er, so I went back two weeks before I was due,” she
said.
As it was, her baby boy was born on the actual
due date – Nov 6.
“I was very happy. Everything went very smooth-
ly. The room in the hospital was very nice,” she said.
She stayed in a two-bed room in the hospital for
a night. Her baby had some issues with “high blood
sugar”.
“It was a minor issue and he was taken care of by
doctors in the same hospital,” she said.
Continued onPAGE 10
News
Stapled HaemorrhoidectomyHernia RepairCoronary AngiogramPercutaneous Transluminal
Coronary AngioplastyHysterectomyNormal DeliveryCaesarean DeliveryCataract SurgeryTotal Knee ReplacementTotal Hip ReplacementGastroscopyColonoscopy
Functional EndoscopicSinus Surgery
2,9561,684
1,8708,968
3,7501,600
2,9001,530
8,33310,416
341
500
2,651
2,7261,578
2,4709,675
3,1501,200
1,9501,832
7,8059,108
152
283
3,044
3,1513,827
4,66520,215
8,0132,955
6,1113,075
17,06516,525
596
1,424NA
6,8809,740
NA
29,123
NA
5,5629,119
4,50326,181
NA
1,0311,701
7,000+
PRICE COMPARISON FOR COMMON PROCEDURESREGENCY$S
Parkway group of hospitals in Malaysia: Normal Delivery - $840, Caesarean Delivery - $1,600
MAHKOTAS$RESTRUCTUREDHOSPITAL $S
SINGAPORE
MALAYSIA
MOUNTELIZABETH$S
CHEAPER: Some Singaporeans are going toMahkota Medical Centre in Malacca for medicaltreatment PICTURE: HEALTH MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL
“I’m also veryhappy that I didn’thave to come up
with a single cent outof my pocket. In
Singapore, I estimateit would have cost meat least twice as much.”
– Madam Hiuk Mee Yiun, a Singapore PR(below), who gave birth to her boy in Mahkotahospital in Malacca
More Singaporeans aregoing to Malaysia formedical procedures.The reason? It’scheaper there.But are lower priceseverything inhealth care?
TNP INFOGRAPHICS: TEOH YI-CHIE
She cuts medicalfees by HALF
8 13 February 2011 ● THE NEW PAPER ON SUNDAY THE NEW PAPER ON SUNDAY ● 13 February 2011 9