Keep politics out of healthcare, minimise market distortions
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Keep politics out of healthcare, minimise market distortions: Khaw Boon Wan
By Lin Jiamei | Posted: 30 March 2010 1517 hrsSINGAPORE: Keep politics out of healthcare and minimise market distortions so as to create a sustainable healthcare system - this was the Singapore Health Minister's prescription at the Healthcare in Asia conference.
Governments the world over are dealing with having to keep healthcare costs down, and yet providing quality care.
In Singapore, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the principle is to keep to the basics. This means recognising that healthcare can never be free, making sure people take charge of their own health, and keeping politics out.
He said: "The more politicians do not speak the truth...for example, 'healthcare is free, vote for me, I will give you free medicine'......(By saying this), you distort the market because you do not allow facts and rational thinking to surface.
"I gave a few examples of how healthcare need not fail. Not that it is possible to achieve a perfect market, but as a stretched target, I think, we must be clear which direction we must be going.
"Today all our healthcare systems are heavily distorted, Singapore included. But at least if you know the direction forward, I think each time whoever is in charge, you try not to bring in new distortion and try to remove as much distortion as you can."
Vijay Vaitheeswaran, health correspondent, The Economist said: "The thing to remember about Singapore is that it has an extraordinary value conscious health system with a relatively low spending per GDP and a high contribution by the individual.
"These things, sometimes called "Skin in the game", mean that individuals actually see the effects of cost increases and they are more likely to make smarter choices about what healthcare they want and what they don't want.
"So I think relative to other countries in the region, Singapore is well poised to manage health inflation."
Singapore's total healthcare spending is currently less than four per cent of its GDP, which is a relatively low figure compared to other countries. But Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said he expects the figure to continue to go up, especially with Singapore's ageing population.
He added that it would be a remarkable achievement if Singapore could sustain its healthcare spending at a single digit percentage of its GDP.
- CNA/sc -
I smell the polical trolls are a meter away...
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nothing but trolls..
