70 year old breast cancer patient jumped to her death due to
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70 year old breast cancer patient jumped to her death due to financial reasons
Written by our Correspondent
A 70 year-old breast cancer patient has chosen to end her life by leaping to her death from a HDB flat.
Madam Chen Baozhu used to sell prawn noodles with her husband Mr Yan Qingji in Geylang. They live together with a son who suffers from cerebral palsy.
Due to their ill-health, they have to stop working and depend on public assistance from the government to support themselves. Mr Yan had a stroke three months ago and is still recuperating.
According to her nephew, Madam Chen was worried her medical bills may impose a financial burden on the family.
Mr Yan has been sent to a old folks’ home and his son to a nursing home. There is nobody else in the family to take care of them.
As recipients of public assistance, both Mr Yan and Madam Chen would have received a monthly allowance of $330 from the state and they do not have to pay for their medical bills at government clinics and hospitals.
Singapore’s aging population is a perennial headache for the government which is exacerbated by the declining birth rates.
The government has encouraged Singaporeans to work as long as they can. Retirement age is extended to 62 and eventually to 67.
Immigration is also encouraged as a means to increasing the flagging population. 36 per cent of Singapore’s population now consists of foreigners.
There are few social welfare benefits for Singapore citizens. CPF, which is originally intended as a pension fund is now deemed inadequate to meet the retirement needs of Singaporeans.
Singapore’s cash-rich government has so far refrained from expanding the social safety net out of fear that it will lead to a crutch mentality among the populace.
“Welfare” is a taboo in Singapore officialdom which has consistently exhorted Singaporeans to be self-reliant.
Singapore’s income gap has widened considerably in the last decade. It is the second highest among the thirty most developed economies after Hong Kong whose result was skewed by the extraordinarily large numbers of billionaires.
MM Lee Kuan Yew brushed aside the widening income gap as an issue of concern during a recent forum saying that it “does not matter” for long as the government continues to create jobs for Singaporeans.
News source: Lianhe Wanbao, 19 November 2009
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She got breast cancer, Husband got stroke, son got special illness...omg! sad and unlucky indeed, but this is once in a blue moon case, I believe LKY is speaking at a marco level and larger mass.
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my friend's uncle also committed suicide soon after his cancer diagnosis. he left behind a letter explaining that he didn't want his cancer treatment to cripple his family financially.
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Singapore healthcare do suxs...i must say...they really should consider providing free medical services to the population....the docs in singapore are one of the richest in the world as far as i know..lame..><"
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Singapore 3M ie Medisave, Medishield and Medifund are set up to cater to Singaporeans' medical needs.
But many do not know that those patients who are really not able to pay their mdeical bills, they can apply to Medifund and once it is assessed that the patients really do not have the money to pay the bills, Medifund will then pay all the medical expenses of these patients.
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Singapore's public health care system is too expensive (consider other countries like Hong Kong), that's why folks always say "Singapore can die but cannot get sick", because when you get sick you put alot of financial burden on your other family members.
Subsidized healthcare my ass, they priced all the services really high, then give you a discount and claims that it's a subsidy.
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Originally posted by deepak.c:
Singapore's public health care system is too expensive (consider other countries like Hong Kong), that's why folks always say "Singapore can die but cannot get sick", because when you get sick you put alot of financial burden on your other family members.
Subsidized healthcare my ass, they priced all the services really high, then give you a discount and claims that it's a subsidy.
nonono. put it in a nicer way - value added services, thats why
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just imagine one time MRI cost 600 plus
in govt hospital
if just a few patient go for MRI, 600 x 5 = 3000 per day
one month = ?
Seriously this MRI Machine cost how much?
10 million ar?
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"Singapore is not a welfare state" - MM Lee
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If there was financial assistance rendered by the government, such tragedy and others would have never happened.
But the PAP government is more focused on their salaries than the welfare of the poor and under privileged in Singapore.
Viva la PAP!
More good years ahead!
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Originally posted by av98m:
my friend's uncle also committed suicide soon after his cancer diagnosis. he left behind a letter explaining that he didn't want his cancer treatment to cripple his family financially.
The uncle should have kill that old Lee first than commit suicide -
SOmething is wrong with this country.
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Now they showing those old folks in their 80s picking up cardboard boxes for a living on ch8.
They showed two elderlies without any housing, picking up cardboard boxes for a living.
When the "Frontline" staff asked MCYS why they did not render assistance to these elderlies, their reply was "because they want to be independent eke out a living selling cardboard boxes, that's why MCYS respect their decisions".
Does this mean that anybody who wants to commit suicide, MCYS will also respect their decision?
Singapore is a very sad society driven by money hungry politicians who only cares about how much money they are getting.
Haiz........more adverse selection and moral hazard.
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If I were stricken with a terminal illness, I will choose euthanasia too.
And one word about 'free' public healthcare... I work in a country that provides 'free' healthcare but it isn't really 'free' because the tax burden on the working populace is very very high. Think about it, the govt has to foot the bills for 'free' healthcare to the public somehow. Would you be willing to pay, say, more than 30% in taxes for this provision? I wouldn't, because I've witnessed a massive abuse of the system here just because it is free.
And also, if the healthcare system is free, there will be massive cost-cutting measures - standards will drop, corners will be cut, resulting in a healthcare system that is close to shambles. I live in a developed country with a free healthcare system so critically lacking, it really isn't funny and in comparison, Singapore's healthcare system is actually a shining beacon of light, and this is a consistent observation made by the health professionals here who've straddled the Singapore system before too and therefore have the first-hand knowledge and experience to pass this judgement.
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Originally posted by deepak.c:
If there was financial assistance rendered by the government, such tragedy and others would have never happened.
But the PAP government is more focused on their salaries than the welfare of the poor and under privileged in Singapore.
Viva la PAP!
More good years ahead!
From MOH's website
"Medifund is an endowment fund set up by the Government to help needy Singaporeans who are unable to pay for their medical expenses. Medifund acts as a safety net for those who cannot afford the subsidised bill charges, despite Medisave and MediShield coverage. Set up in April 1993 with an initial capital of S$200 million, the Government will inject capital into the fund when budget surpluses are available. The Government utilises the interest income from the capital sum, which stands at S$1.66 billion (FY 2008), to help needy patients who have exhausted all other means to pay their medical bills."
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Originally posted by noahnoah:
just imagine one time MRI cost 600 plus
in govt hospital
if just a few patient go for MRI, 600 x 5 = 3000 per day
one month = ?
Seriously this MRI Machine cost how much?
10 million ar?
A MRI machine costs between US$1 million to US$3 million.
Other costs include the construction cost of the MRI lab (US$0.5 million), radiologists' professional fees, technicians' salaries, repair and maintenance costs, utilities etc.
So, it is costly to have a MRI scan. A private or full-fee paying patient will have to pay S$2,300 for a scan of the whole spine ie backbone.
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i really think our gahman need to seriously wake up n see wat is happening to his countryman not sit down say thing that cant help his countryman.if gahmen MP have pay cuts u know how many people can get help. i have a thinking i tot MP is here to help people not make people suffer right than why are we voting someone that really cant help us except "listen to people session"but really have to wait for long long time to get help.and i mean damn long time to help but always say still working for on it .our time now is hard i cant imagine by the time our little ones grow up wat will happen to our country really....cant think
"to help needy patients who have exhausted all other means to pay their medical bills." read this exhausted all other means poor is poor how to gauge exhausted
dun eat , walk to work than drink tap water to save the money for medical bill..
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Let's express deep condolences to her family....
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Originally posted by Seowlah:
From MOH's website
"Medifund is an endowment fund set up by the Government to help needy Singaporeans who are unable to pay for their medical expenses. Medifund acts as a safety net for those who cannot afford the subsidised bill charges, despite Medisave and MediShield coverage. Set up in April 1993 with an initial capital of S$200 million, the Government will inject capital into the fund when budget surpluses are available. The Government utilises the interest income from the capital sum, which stands at S$1.66 billion (FY 2008), to help needy patients who have exhausted all other means to pay their medical bills."
It's good to show all these figures, but how effective is it?
If it's all that effective then this old lady and the old uncle won't have taken their own lives.
I also have an endowment fund to help the needy, those that are totally penniless, you believe me?
Actually those that qualify for these kind of endowment are probably to the extent of beggars (with no house or anything), it doesn't include those that have flats and jobs, which will probably end up bankrupt after being stricken by a terminal disease. That's why this old lady knowing that she will end up a financial burden took her own life. I would have done the same in Singapore. And they tell us that medical expenses are affordable in Singapore.
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Originally posted by Seowlah:
A MRI machine costs between US$1 million to US$3 million.
Other costs include the construction cost of the MRI lab (US$0.5 million), radiologists' professional fees, technicians' salaries, repair and maintenance costs, utilities etc.
So, it is costly to have a MRI scan. A private or full-fee paying patient will have to pay S$2,300 for a scan of the whole spine ie backbone.
How come Singapore need to pay S$2,300 for a scan full-fee patient?
Hong Kong only cost HKD 4,000 for private laboratory.
http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/forums/medical-and-health/threads/127959/cost-of-mri-in-hk-??/
The diagnostic tests, including the cost of flying to Norway and two nights' accommodation, was £500, compared with the £325 price tag for an MRI scan done privately in Wales...Most countries only cost around S$700, how come Singapore government charges S$2,300??? -
Originally posted by noahnoah:
just imagine one time MRI cost 600 plus
in govt hospital
if just a few patient go for MRI, 600 x 5 = 3000 per day
one month = ?
Seriously this MRI Machine cost how much?
10 million ar?
Yah!
Cost is from US$1 million to US$2.5 million with installation cost at around $500,000.
But do we know the average MRI scans performed a year in a hospital?
There are around 12,000 scans performed in Hartford Hospital, they have 2 MRI machines, so one machine handles 6,000 scans a year. But all these information regarding Singapore's hospital statistics is a national secret, they don't reveal, else everybody will know that they are not subsidizing but making a hefty profit.
6,000 scans x $700 (say average cost of a scan) = $4,200,000
$4.2 million dollars for a year, 2 years of operation should rake in more than $8.2 million dollars, which more than covers the machine's cost at $3 million. Unless the radiologist is making million dollar salaries like our Ministers.
The service life of these machines stated in the report is 8 to 14 years.
http://www.ct.gov/ohca/lib/ohca/condecisions/03-30015dec.pdf