It feels like I’m still digesting my Christmas Eve dinner and the following dinner was a rich buffet at Kiseiki. It’s an annual thing with my army buddies going back some 30 years.
But as usual, something nauseating came up and I almost threw up when I read Mr Ng Ya Ken’s letter “S’pore cannot opt for slow growth” (Dec 26) in which he argued that rapid population growth is a prerequisite for rapid economic growth. I was worried nobody would rebut his nonsense, but fortunately, one Tan Si An came to the rescue in Slow Growth Is Not The Worry. Nothing much to add to the letter except that opening the gates and allowing a rapid influx of foreigners will only benefit the folks who monopolise public transport, utilities, telcos and housing. The rest of us only get longer queues at the phone shops and a better squeeze on the MRT.
Next, let’s take a look at the Primary Care Partnership Scheme. There are now 37,500 PCPS cardholders, up from 31,000 at this beginning of this year. However, since August the number of GP clinics under this scheme has only risen to 440 from 409, while the number of dental clinics stand at 210, up from 190. By any measure, such response is considered poor. Nevertheless, one of our newsPAPers has decided to “rephrase” things.
To take a closer look at why the scheme is not catching on, let’s take a look at what is covered under the scheme.
A delicious spread if the items listed were dishes in a menu. This is what attracts potential patients to sign up. If those who can’t read can have this explained to them, they can be easily convinced to apply. 37,500 is not an impressive figure, perhaps an indication that the “poverty line” may have been drawn a bit too low. But what about the service providers – the GPs. How does it benefit them? Or are they expected to contribute to society at their own cost?
$18.50? $80? I may not buy most of the medicines used by my medical colleagues, but I know how much they cost. Dental procedures $256.50? What can one do with that? Maybe a couple of extractions and fillings. Probably not even a decent denture. So here comes the problem.
“How much for a denture?”
“$300″
“$256.50 can or not?”
Get the picture? If the establishment is big enough such that the decision makers are cloistered in a posh, high security office on the top floor, this may be a problem for the haggler, but for a private clinic where the dentist/doctor seeing the patient is the decision maker, the patient literally has more bargaining power.
Another problem highlighted in the article in Today here is that GPs are reluctant to get on board because of the paperwork.
Year ago, when I was making claims with the SAF during my ICTs and arguments over the accounting were almost inevitable, the folks at the pay department would often tell me to “ask your girl to …..” and “don’t you have a computer software that ….”
As if my “girl” has a certificate in book-keeping. Make no mistake about it, many clinics out there don’t really need computers. Even those who have computers are only using them to cut down on time spent writing letters, receipts, MCs, address and medicine labels – like me. Besides, most private clinics are now staffed by aunties, school dropouts or foreigners who have not been accepted elsewhere. Ordering the right pizzas and getting the right information to the laboratories (also staffed by foreigners) is problematic enough. We don’t have the luxury of delegating error-prone admin work to our staff. And when you collect money from claims, errors will result in instant refunds. What’s more, these charges are below market rate. More work, more risk, less profit. Private doctors/dentists are already having a hard time competing with the super posh “restructured” establishments. It just doesn’t make sense.
