Affordability of health/welfare state (Research 2)

Role of government is to keep healthcare affordable.

Giving direct subsidies to government hospitals, polyclinics and some nursing homes.
· Ensure healthcare remains affordable for most Singaporeans especially lower income group government gives different rate of subsidies to different classes of wards in hospitals.
· For example, patients who choose Class C wards in public hospitals only pay 20% of their hospital bills.
· The Singapore government pays the rest.
· Shows that government heavily subsidies hospital bills for certain wards.
· Wards with better facilities like B1 & B2 wards also get subsidized. But less than Class C wards.
· Ensures that Singaporeans will get subsidized medical treatment if they choose to be admitted to ‘C’ or ‘B’ Class wards in public hospitals.

Providing some healthcare services.
· Voluntary welfare organizations and some private organizations are given grants by government to run community hospitals, nursing homes and day rehabilitation centres for patients who are discharged from hospitals but still need medical care.
· By giving grants, these organizations will help to take care of the medical needs of elderly. Therefore government does not have to be fully responsible.
· These organizations operate by using government’s money and their own money to take care of them.
· This allows government to spend money on the healthcare needs of other age groups.

Providing support services.
· Government gives support to organizations that provides specific healthcare support such as, NKF & Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution.
· These healthcare services cater to needs of specific groups of people, such as the poor or those with particular illness.
· Therefore, community is part of ‘Many Helping Hands Approach’ to lighten burden of the government so that the government is not solely responsible for providing healthcare needs to its people.
· Moreover, government can focus on others needs of people.