Lily Neo
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I ask Minister for Health on MOH's capacity in coping with serious cases of COVID-19 in terms of adequacy in respirators and in our ICU beds. Am I correct to say that already half of NCID's ICUs are taken up? What will happen when it reaches its full capacity?”
“But even so, with the right measures of social and medical assistance in place to assist them with their daily living, they can still age gracefully in the comfort of their own homes.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Yes, I will keep it short. Minister earlier said that MSF will proactively reach out to families in HDB rental homes to assist them, to possibly buy their own HDB flats. Many of these families lamented that they cannot afford it. How does the Minister plan to do it?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. May I ask the Minister whether there is a possibility of more widespread community spread of COVID-19? And will MOH be able to cope with this? And whether does our Government have more specific measures in place to cope with this scenario?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Earlier in my speech, I asked whether there are assessments by HDB for applicants of Joint Singles Scheme (JSS) to ensure that they are free from mental illnesses and medical conditions before compelling them to stay together.”
“Many of them have lived in rental housing for more than six years and some more than 10 years. Thus, there are signs of entrenchment. What are the schemes in place and the success rate of such schemes, to assist them in looking for better options in their housing needs and to help them get out of their predicaments?”
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“Another point is that the extra long-term burden on the wife may indeed disadvantage her in getting into another relationship. It is because the potential new partner may not be comfortable with having his future wife supporting another person permanently. Putting the child's interest first in a divorce through an MPP for divorcing parents with children below 21 years old is welcome, indeed. Children do suffer from broken marriages through no fault of theirs. Studies have shown that children suffer from physical and psychological repercussions from the divorce of their parents. Such children are at a higher risk of social and psychological problems later in their adult lives. Studies have also shown that children whose parents are married throughout the early childhood years are less likely to suffer from breathing problems, such as asthma, from becoming overweight and from being injured in accidents before they are five years of age. On the other hand, children troubled with parental divorce are particularly prone to develop problems with anger, disobedience, rule violations, prolonged sadness and even depression. Their performance in school can be adversely affected, too. The emotional, social, health and economic costs associated with marital conflict and family dissolution causing delinquency, depression, poverty and crime and, especially, the devastating harm done to children, have been well-documented. The numbers of children below the age of 18 who were affected by the divorce of their parents in 2014 were 5,172 and 1,689 for marriages under the Women's Charter and the Administration of Muslim Law Act respectively.”
“Mdm Speaker, I stand to support the Women's Charter (Amendment) Bill. However, I would like to comment and seek clarification on some issues. On maintenance for incapacitated husbands, whilst I consider it as a right and humane thing to do, there are some who argue that we are drifting towards the equal rights issue where, in the past, such responsibility rested solely on the men with the traditional role of men supporting women Page: 45 instead of vice versa. Some have also asked if this is going to be the beginning of change towards equal rights with more amendments to come on the Women's Charter to equalise in all aspects. I can understand this argument because with our Asian values-based society here, we have yet to reach the level of gender equality to be looking at equal rights in all aspects. For example, women are still under-represented at senior management levels; child-rearing and care-giving responsibilities are still considered roles for women with many young women having to put their jobs on hold; and also, some women are not paid equally as their male counterparts for similar jobs and so on. Another issue with this amendment, Madam, is the resultant burden being too excessive for some, if not all, of the divorced wives with incapacitated spouses. This would be especially so for those with young children. It will definitely be doubly difficult for a wife to look after the children and also the long-term needs of the incapacitated ex-husband. In the past, the siblings or even the parents will take care of or share the care of the incapacitated spouses. With this Bill, this past norm of the extended family's responsibility will be shifted to the ex-wife and thus the possibility of leaving the entire long-term care to her.”
“Mdm Speaker, may I ask the Senior Minister of State what is the stand of MOH on Zika-affected microcephaly? What sort of directive will MOH give to practising doctors looking after Zika-affected pregnant patients with microcephaly foetuses with regard to termination of pregnancy? Lastly, should circumstances arise, would MOH provide multiple free ultrasound screening follow-up for Zika-affected pregnant patients to ascertain microcephaly?”
“May I ask the Minister what is the new update on the new dengue vaccine? What was the outcome of the dengue vaccine which was on trial in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and whether there are now enough safety studies done for us to administer this vaccine more widely?”
“Yes. May I ask the Prime Minister whether he will consider favourably the request by many Singaporeans to name our airport after Mr Lee Kuan Yew? Was it not Mr Lee Kuan Yew who decided to relinquish Paya Lebar Airport and to change to Changi in the mid-1970s in spite of the consultants at that time not recommending it and in spite of a reluctant Cabinet because of the cost of relocating plus a loss of the $800-million investment already put into Paya Lebar Airport? Does the naming of this remind generations to come of Mr Lee's always forward-looking vision plus the good value of bearing short-term pain for Page: 51 long-term gain? I would also like to ask the Prime Minister whether he is in agreement that a strong Singapore currency associated with a successful Singapore is a legacy attributable to our first Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew who built a successful nation based on what he said earlier – meritocracy, multiracialism, incorruptibility and a fair and just society. Thus, by having his picture on our currency notes, it will remind present and future generations of his important fundamental principles that have worked for us as we handle the notes each day.”
“Mdm Speaker, may I seek clarifications on the two questions I have posed in the Order Paper today?”
“How about the use of devices for registering the noise levels in decibels and specifying the acceptable noise levels? This is being done in construction sites to keep level of noise of construction down. Such decibel meters can be placed in the home of a complainant by the Police to ascertain the merits for prosecution. There is a possibility that certain people who are anxious or suffer from anxiety may be more sensitive to certain noises, smells, vibrations and so on. Those with depression also frequently suffer from insomnia and are, therefore, very often sensitive to any noise at night. Is there a channel for medical assessment to ascertain the medical conditions of complainants available? This is especially useful when an accused is very sure that there is no cause for the complaints. All said, the majority of Singaporeans live in harmony and are usually tolerant of some minor disturbances as part and parcel of daily living. However, can there be better public education on the "dos and don'ts" of high-rise living and the common etiquette? Can there also be promotion of neighbourliness on the ground and encouraging "Kampong Unity" to be adopted by neighbours living in the same precinct? May I also ask which Ministry will be taking on the task of following up and pursuing complaints? Is there a one-stop centre for "community disputes" where the complaint can be received and resolved or mediated and followed-up on? 3.31 pm”
“Mdm Speaker, I stand to speak in support of the Community Disputes Resolution Bill. A dispute between neighbours is one of the most difficult situations on the ground to resolve. Each neighbour in any dispute is usually adamant that the other party is at fault. Grassroots leaders are frequently accused of taking sides by the parties when they try to mediate and the dispute is invariably unresolved. A dispute makes residents very unhappy and problems usually drag on for weeks and months with increasing acrimony. Real physical fights may even happen whilst anxiety and depression are occasional consequences for some. This Bill is, thus, timely and welcomed, indeed. This Bill is very relevant because our people live closely to each other in densely populated housing estates with high-rise living. It is also relevant because of the diverse cultures, traditions and habits of our society requiring people to be very thoughtful and tolerant at all times. The arrival of new immigrants who may not be familiar with the Singapore norm can frequently complicate the neighbourhood in this respect. Page: 92 Madam, may I seek the following clarifications on some aspects of this Bill? What will constitute the fair level of interference with enjoyment and use of place of residence? Is this going to be based on subjective perception? This will then depend on the sensitivity and tolerance of a person or his attitude towards noise, smell, vibration and so on. It is also a possibility in a case of fussy neighbours who may just want to find faults with other neighbours. Will there be some specified definitions on the level of interference and some criteria to be put in place? Can there be a specific measure of excessive noise?”
“Madam, two clarifications, please. I spoke on these two issues earlier in my speech, but the Minister has not replied. Firstly, does the Minister have any scheme in place to assist physically weak elderly living on their own with no family members to depend on and how does MSF assist in attenuating this trend? Secondly, could the Minister comment on my suggestion earlier on assisting cases of families with chronic needs by taking a holistic approach and helping the family as a whole in adopting the same concept as "teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"?”
“Only with such holistic assistance can the needy families achieve sustained and long-term benefits. Madam, we need to adopt this policy urgently to lift this group and especially their children out of their disadvantaged predicament by the next generation. Let us put into action this proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". Mental Capacity Act”
“Just as with medical care where no Singaporeans will be deprived of any medical care due to the lack of funds, I would like MSF to adopt a similar policy that no single parents and especially their children will be deprived of assistance to ensure their well-being. In fact, such children should be given total assistance in terms of their health, physical, psychological and educational needs as well as their social needs. Next, family with chronic needs. Could MSF take a holistic approach in helping those families with chronic needs? There is an urgency to assist this group of needy Singaporeans with more lasting solutions. Most times, these families may have a slew of needs such as housing, inadequate income, caring for the children and ill-health of family members and so on. They are usually families with low skills and low-paying jobs. Some of them are single-income families. Whilst they need immediate cash assistance to tide them over, it is more important that they acquire long-term capabilities and are able to sustain themselves. Their needs have to be looked into holistically in order to lift the family up altogether. For example, in equipping parents with skills and finding them employment, assisting their wives to move away from prejudices and mental barriers to employment. Their housing needs may also need urgent Page: 12 fixing. Their children should be assisted for the sake of their well-being, health and education. More social workers and MSF staff are required to undertake such hands-on personalised approach to solve the various needs of each family. Most times, many of their issues cannot be solved overnight. Thus, these families are assisted with continued follow-up.”
“Page: 11 Five, could MSF also look into provision to better protect our elderly from financial abuses? May I ask the Minister whether there is an increasing number of elderly seeking MSF's assistance due to the lack of family support? Does Minister see this to be the increasing trend in view of our ageing population and smaller family units? What steps can be taken to attenuate this trend? How would MSF plan to give support in caring for the group with no family support, especially the physically weak elderly living on their own? For those with family support, would MSF look into the availability of support services to give respite to caregivers especially those looking after elderly with demanding needs such as dementia or who are terminally ill to prevent the burnt-out syndrome of the care providers? Next, single parents. Many single parents are in the predicament they are in because of unforeseen circumstances rather than by choice. Our policies are much geared towards supporting the nuclear families. Hence, single parents are frequently not eligible for the many subsidies and pro-nuclear family incentives. I would like to bring the plight of single working parents who are facing difficulties. In the culture of Asian societies, many of them do face the stigma of being unmarried mothers; but they still have to bring up their children single-handedly. I am concerned about the upbringing and support these children get. How does MSF ensure that single parents and their children are provided the assistance they need?”
“Mdm Chair, I would like to raise three MSF social policies. They are: (a) elderly abuse and elderly care; (b) single parents and their children; and (c) families with chronic needs. First, elderly abuse and elderly care. The social ill of elderly abuse is unacceptable in any society, but sadly, abuse of the elderly happens and will increase in tandem with our fast-ageing population. I first raised this issue of elderly abuse in 1999 and had been raising this issue regularly in this House subsequently for some regulations to be put in place for better protection of our vulnerable elderly. I am, therefore, very glad that MSF will be proposing a new Bill for this purpose called the Vulnerable Adults Act. I support and commend the Minister for adopting it. I would like the Minister to consider the following points concerning the vulnerable elderly for this Bill. One, empowerment of social workers, doctors, family members and home caregivers to report cases of abuse, in the same way as they can intervene on behalf of abused children. Two, identifications on the various kinds of abuses such as infliction of physical pain and injury, debilitating mental anguish, unreasonable confinement, wilful deprivation by caretaker of services necessary to maintain mental and physical health and financial abuses. Three, raising the awareness on vulnerable adults, encouraging victims to report, facilitating the relatives and friends of the victims to report and seeking support and care for victims. Four, care and support for the victims of abuse to be provided for to encourage reporting of cases. Many abused elderly are unlikely to report on their own families for fear of losing whatever care and support they may have.”
“During the transition to the contracting model for bus operators, apart from the usual specifications for safety and reliability of bus services, could we make sure that there are specifications to ensure the employability of local Singaporeans? There should also be consideration of the "pleasant travel index" for commuters. Inconsiderate drivers with their bad driving habits can often make journeys very unpleasant for commuters. Perhaps we should allow commuters to judge our bus service standards through feedback from their Page: 48 journey experience. I would also like to raise some issues over taxi transportation. The average taxi utilisation rate is at 68% as of 2014. May I ask the Minister whether there can be further steps to increase the utilisation rate of registered taxis? Many taxi drivers also complain that they have to pay high rental for renting their taxi to earn their living. What kind of costs and profitability are the taxi companies facing? Is there any better way to ensure better equitability between taxi fares to consumers and rental rates to taxi drivers? Madam, as what I have said in the debate on the Budget Statement, let us move towards further improving the quality of our public engagement as a Government in meeting the higher public expectations so as to strengthen trust, support and confidence of the public. Train Improvement”
“30 pm Our MRT trains during peak hours are no different from those in major cities, such as Tokyo or Hong Kong. Commuters may have to be "packed" into the trains at peak hours. Female commuters will frequently experience a more uncomfortable journey to their destinations and this situation could be worse when trains are packed to their fullest at peak hours. The threats to their modesty, with possibilities of sexual harassment, are always imminent. Many countries have implemented "ladies only" cars for their trains. I have written to Minister of State Josephine Teo to suggest similar "ladies only" train cars in Singapore in June 2013 and I would like to now ask the Minister if any plans to implement this "ladies only" train cars in Singapore are coming online soon. I feel that allowing our female commuters this facility is only fair and wise. Singaporeans welcome the plan to increase our rail capacity. Many welcome the setting up of new MRT stations at their doorsteps. But during the construction time, this will also mean inevitable inconveniences for residents, which can last for four to five years at their doorsteps. I know that MOT had tried to engage local residents affected to mitigate those inconveniences. Can there be better public consultation at earlier stages of planning, in order to get better buy-in from local residents, as some of their feedback can still be taken into consideration at the planning stages? Issues of contention can be on repositioning of bus stops, routes, paths and setting up of foreign workers' dormitories at their precincts.”
“Mdm Chair, I would, first, like to commend MOT on the many improvements made so far on public transport. The latest "customer satisfaction" survey showed that the satisfaction levels for bus and train services have both turned around and improved from last year despite train disruptions. I am sure MOT will continue to make even further improvements. Could the Minister elaborate on what further improvements are planned for our land transport, especially for Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains and buses, for the coming years? A new record of passenger traffic was registered at Changi Airport last year although the growth was slower compared to previous years. My concern is on the capacity of our two runways. May I ask the Minister whether these two runways will be compromised anytime soon by the increasing traffic? Are plans for the construction of a third runway in the pipeline? If so, when will the third runway be operational? In the meantime, what can be done to improve and increase the use of the two runways productively? Page: 47 Could the Minister give an update on the project progress of Jewel Changi Airport since the groundbreaking last year? Madam, this Jewel Changi Airport will be the pride of Singapore, and many Singaporeans were excited about it when it was first announced and its perspectives were shown by Prime Minister Lee. Many Singaporeans are, indeed, looking forward to its completion. Could MOT involve the public in the building of this project right from the beginning, from the early stages? Could there be more public consultations and more inputs from citizens? Would it not be nice if MOT could turn this project into a truly Singaporean-centric one, one that many Singaporeans can say they have had a hand in it when it was being built? 1.”
“Under existing rules, there is a restriction of three years before eligibility for a new application. I urge HDB to review this policy to help such a divorcee and the children. Mdm Chair, I congratulate the Minister for his tremendous efforts in the last four years in trying to re-balance the demand and supply of homes for Singaporeans. Prices are adjusting downwards whilst supply of properties favours buyers. The current number of homes stands at about 1.28 million – 960,000 HDB and 320,000 private. The projection for the year 2018 is 1.43 million. Given the reduction in foreign workers allowed in, the restrictions in policies for permanent residents and the additional stamp duties, I wonder if we have gone too far. I agree that it is a difficult balancing job and I wish the Minister well. However, I urge for caution and for sensitivity to murmurs and ramblings on the ground. Also, would it be feasible to de-link the rules for public from private sectors so that all Singaporeans can always afford a heavily-subsidised HDB home and not have to follow the trends in the private sector? Page: 124 Home Prices and Retirement Adequacy”
“HDB ruling requires a buyer of another public or private property to sell off their HDB flat within six months. Given the "short-circuit effect" of the TDSR, the "knock-on effect" is that such buyers face difficulty in selling their HDB flat within the six-month grace period Page: 123 because the pool of buyers has dwindled. Another group of people caught out are new buyers of HDB flats who are truly unable to go through their purchases because of insufficient loans in view of the TDSR restricting them to lesser HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) amounts. To go through with their purchases, they could either fork out the difference in cash or borrow the difference from banks. However, given their ineligibility to qualify for higher HLE, they are most unlikely to qualify for commercial borrowings or to have the extra cash. They are forced to forgo their purchases and, as a result, lose their deposits amounting to tens of thousands of dollars, which they can ill-afford, to HDB. Madam, I appeal for compassion to not confiscate their deposits when they are proven unable to go through with their purchases. When they get married, it is unusual for our young people to have contingency plans for if and when marriages fail. Divorce is the last thing on their minds. However, when a divorce happens, many people get hurt and more so the children who are innocent parties. Again, I appeal for compassion to help these victims of fractured relations when the division of matrimonial assets include the HDB flat. Many a time, in a divorce, the one with the custody of the children is caught out, at best, being unable to pay for the matrimonial home, but worse, being left with no roof over their head.”
“Mdm Chairman, there is a Chinese saying, "天有不测之风云, 人算不如天算" that essentially means, "Although chance favours the prepared, many things remain unpredictable". In spite of the cooling measures, property prices in Singapore had risen by more than 60% by 2013 from 2006. Back then, many were lamenting the fact that prices of many properties were costing more than a million dollars and prices of several HDB flats were approaching towards that also. Many were worried that their children may never be able to afford a property of their own. Many people may have forgotten that some 12 years ago, we were facing a chronic glut of about 12,000 units of unsold HDB homes! It was not until 2006 that people began buying these unsold flats despite accompanying rising prices. The onward march of demand and rising prices caused untold worries. In attempting to control the runaway property prices, a slew of cooling measures was introduced. I wish to bring to the Minister's attention that there are people who are much affected by these cooling measures and appeal to his compassion to extend a helping hand where possible. Our Government makes policies aimed at addressing problems that crop up every now and then. In the case of policies aimed at arresting possible runaway property prices as well as to ensure that Singaporeans do not over-stretch their finances, a slew of cooling measures had been introduced. Some people are lamenting that we should have started this earlier whilst many others are making a loud hue and cry that these cooling measures have already achieved their intended aims now that prices have come down somewhat. But there are many others who are caught out, wittingly or unwittingly, as a result of the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR).”
“Mdm Speaker, let us move towards improving the quality of our public engagement as a coordinated entity and meeting the higher public expectations in order to strengthen our public trust, support and confidence. 3.28 pm”
“The call is for all to adopt the larger resolve for collective contribution to overall priorities and not to focus on individual interests. I would like to elaborate on my point with these examples and I am not finger-pointing at any Ministry but just to illustrate my point. These examples illustrate how the decision of one Ministry concerned with only its own divisional stake can cause untoward repercussions further downstream. If the subsequent maintenance issues are not considered at the architectural or even building state of housing blocks, the project will pose tremendous burdens on the Town Councils when they take over after completion for maintenance. Take, for example, a Town Council having to take over two housing blocks that have many inaccessibly high beams that collect litter which are in direct sight of residents just outside their windows. The Town Council staff cannot clean them off effectively due to the height constraints and inaccessibility. This brings angst to residents as they are irritated by the eyesore daily. Another example concerns cost of maintenance. One Town Council had taken over a precinct of seven housing buildings that were painted with "cool" and "marine" paints. The cost is $8 million every five years for repairing and repainting (R&R) for these seven blocks. The whole budget for the R&R of this Town Council is $20 million per year. This Town Council has about 600 housing buildings to look after. How then can it justify maintaining these seven blocks for R&R at such high costs and needing to eat into the sinking fund unwisely? This is my point on the importance of having a united team working as a single entity to achieve good service delivery to the residents.”
“This is when collective feedback can be more effectively sorted out. For instance, if there are more than several units of an HDB block with the same complaints received, then the department should take suggestions from the officers to proactively find the fault that can be rectified and taken in totality, solve the issues before similar complaints surface. By tackling the tasks en mass, the department can cut down on work-effort and save costs. In the end, the relevant department will get better goodwill and also lesser complaints. Such communications among staff will promote understanding, sharing of good practices and airing of grievances. The combined ideas and collective effort on solving complex cases are useful in finding new solutions. An excellent service motto begins from each Ministry being able to recognise the excellence of service delivered by each and every staff in the Ministry. At Tanjong Pagar Town Council, staff that has received commendation letters or any other commendable mentions from residents is being recognised each month by the team of managers in a little ceremony where the staff is being presented with a gift token. We have an efficient Civil Service that is well known in all over the world. Many countries have sent their government officers to study our local system. Our Civil Service has been deemed to be excellent in its execution of policies over the years. Let us now continue Page: 76 to be also excellent in getting the public's understanding, support and trust. In another area of importance for good service delivery by our Ministries, may I seek our Government to encourage all Ministries to be united and have a concerted picture of the whole Civil Service?”
“Skills required by staff include being able to listen empathetically, to stand on the side of residents, to find solutions, to solve the problems and to close the loops with satisfactory results. In these times of more angst than gratitude, there is a need to change our handling of residents in terms of expanding communications and improving our engagement strategies. Page: 75 I hope all Ministries can adopt and adapt strategies to this new landscape. In any situation, there will always be areas that we cannot accede to and there will always be the minority of residents that can be unreasonable. The approach will still be for us to show that we have tried our best and hope we get better understanding from residents. Three, excellent service motto. What is the yardstick for evaluating the performance of public service delivery presently? Is it based on the number of cases of complaints closed by each officer or by each department? Customer satisfaction should be used as an indicator of the achievement of a public sector organisation rather than the work or projects completed. I agree that customer satisfaction is a less tangible and quantifiable yardstick; but it is being used by the corporate world with good outcome. From the top, leaders must set the right direction. Since there are many layers in our Ministries, this direction should be adopted at every level, especially at the level of managers and supervisors of every department, in order to effect change. Intervening at multiple levels is key towards transforming to achieve outcome. Better communications should begin from the inside of each department of our Ministries. The feedback from the ground should be discussed and considered by the officers of the unit or department.”
“Workplace-specific scenarios can also be used to better equip officers on the ground to handle their tasks better. This calls for good judgement of the officers on their scope of work and expertise in matters at solving or facilitating to solve issues. Only with such service deliveries in place can we get trust and respect and, more importantly, goodwill from residents. Investment in technology for data entry, feedback management and follow-up should be further expanded to better solve problems surfaced by residents. Customer feedback data and the use of IT is a good source for data analysis on service delivery outcomes. Use of IT and automation of certain services will enable reduction on manpower and thus save on cost and at the same time facilitate effective delivery. Skills that are useful for staff to have are in logic interpretation and interpreting evidence and data. Ease of workload on the ground can also tap on technology such as mobile applications. Two, resident-centric. Good communication is key to mitigating problematic issues on the ground. Many a time, even unfavourable news can be made more palatable through good communication. Officers that handle residents, especially frontline officers, should be equipped with good communication skills. It will be a good idea to send our staff who deal with residents, especially frontline staff, for communications courses. For instance, the Tanjong Pagar Town Council is sending its entire staff for the SQ Customer Management Course to better equip them to service residents. The Town Council also has a team of service ambassadors on the ground in every estate; their job being to seek out complaints and feedback and act on them proactively.”
“By now Mr Tan was angry and fed up with that Government agency, even with his Member of Parliament and was left with a bitter feeling due to that unpleasant experience and having to live with continued annoyance every time it rained. Many Members in this House may be familiar with such scenarios. Many such incidents can only add to the groundswell of unhappiness and discontent. It is a pity considering that the intentions of our policies are well-planned and well-intended to bring benefits to residents. We need to change our style of service delivery and communication. I would like our Government to consider the following suggestions that we can reflect on to achieve better service deliveries going forward: (a) effective leadership; (b) resident-centric; and (c) excellent service motto. One, effective leadership. The heads of departments are the vital effectors to make changes and shift towards better service deliveries, better engagement and better responsiveness. They are the ones to set the right trends in service and service priorities. They have to consider the importance of outcome and support for staff in charting the change for the better. A good initial directive would be to adopt appropriate openness and humility by accepting residents' views or suggestions. The essential goal of each agency or department Page: 74 should be to achieve good public relationships. Getting the right staff with the appropriate skills for the scope of duties is vital in good service deliveries. It is worthwhile to invest resources in having adequate numbers of personnel to prevent excessive workload, especially for frontline staff. It is also worthwhile to use resources in the provision of skills training, upgrading of skills and communication courses for all staff.”
“Thus for the rest of my speech, I would like to touch on the topic of how to better cater to the higher expectations of our present and future populace. The better-educated and better-informed citizenry of Singapore today has higher expectations from our Government agencies. I would like our Government to consider better service delivery to residents to meet the changing needs of today's and tomorrow's populace. Page: 73 Most times, our policies are well-intended for the greater good and benefit of the residents, but, the execution of policies, if badly delivered, will only bring unhappiness and even wrath upon those in-charge and the Government. I would like to emphasise on the three service deliveries that we can further improve on. These are better responsiveness, personalisation of service and empathy. Empathy means better understanding of citizens' needs, seeing things from their perspectives and willingness to provide well-rounded solutions to their problems. I shall illustrate with one example. A Mr Tan – not his real name – received a visit call from a Government agency officer after seeing his Member of Parliament three times at the Meet-the-People Sessions. One of the first things the officer told Mr Tan was that his complaint of water flooding into his kitchen every time it rained was his own responsibility to rectify. But in actual fact, Mr Tan could not rectify the problem even after calling his own contractor to do the repairs. This is because the problem was due to a structural defect of the building making it impossible to be solved from within the unit. In the meantime, the Member of Parliament in charge had received the same complaints from other units in the same block with no resolution to the matter.”
“Mdm Speaker, I stand in support of the Motion raised by Minister for Finance Mr Tharman Shanmugartanam. I am most heartened by the announcement of the Silver Support Scheme. The concern and care for the needy seniors are most welcome indeed. This vulnerable group may have little or no savings due to lower wages during their working lives and they may have little or no family support for various reasons. This package speaks volumes that our Government has empathy to care for the needy seniors who had contributed to our nation building in the past. It also sends the right message that we can be a society that respects our elders and a nation that is grateful to our Pioneers; in much similar way to the Pioneer Package. These are desirable attributes that we can inculcate in our young. Coming from our Government, it is the best example to emulate and it will leave a lasting legacy. I have been a long-time advocate of "lifelong learning" and have spoken on it five times since 2007 in this House. In 2009, I dedicated my main Budget Debate speech to suggest adopting "lifelong learning in a learning society" as the way forward. A society organised for learning has the crucial ingredient to cope with the fast changing world of today and tomorrow. I therefore whole-heartedly support the SkillsFuture Credit for every Singaporean to spend on future education. Our Government is charting the correct path; this augers well for us to continue succeeding as a progressive nation. The title of the Budget Statement this year is "Building Our Future, Strengthening Social Security". I feel that building our future should begin with our Government Ministries.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I would like to seek one clarification. May I ask the Minister how big is this Premium Support Fund and should this become depleted, will those in dire need tap on the MediShield Fund down the road?”
“Therefore, will MediShield Life be robust enough, taking into consideration our fast-ageing population, for the future when we will have exponential risks for medical care? Has MOH done any postulations to chart the sustainability of MediShield Life with the ever-increasing expectations of our people and the increasing availability and costs of new medical technologies? Should some basic tenets not be in place from the beginning to address these concerns on sustainability of MediShield Life? In car insurance, there is a "no claims bonus" component; what similar scheme can there be for MediShield Life? Mdm Speaker, I have always been an advocate of preventive medicine and I feel that there should be some incentives built into MediShield Life towards encouraging the tenet of "prevention is better than cure" and for people to take the route of "it is better to keep fit and healthy rather than to depend on the use of MediShield Life". 4.14 pm”
“There are also situations when patients were shielded from the real diagnosis of their diseases, especially cancer, from their loved ones and leaving them unaware of their own conditions. They would have then declared incorrectly rather than trying to withhold medical information. Those with pre-existing conditions need to pay 30% more of corresponding MediShield Life premiums for 10 years. This Bill gives the CPF Board the power to access medical records of patients, presumably, from the health records of Government institutions. What about those who do not visit Government hospitals and may have medical records only with private hospitals or hospitals overseas? Even for those with local medical records, the records may not be comprehensive enough to capture all their conditions, especially when they have multiple medical illnesses being treated by various and multiple doctors. In this respect, what scheme is in place to ensure the capture of relevant medical records? This is an important factor to ensure the equitability of MediShield Life for its viability and sustainability in the Page: 90 long term. As in any insurance scheme, its long-term sustainability is paramount. The young subscribers will expect to have the proclaimed benefits of MediShield Life when the time comes for them to tap on it. May I ask the Minister how far is the planning for this MediShield Life? Will it be good for at least two or three generations of Singaporeans? Although the Government is putting in $4 billion into the Scheme presently, we cannot expect this subsidy to be perpetual as it has to depend on good economic growth.”
“The prevalence of chronic conditions and the incidence of serious illnesses rise with advancing age, resulting in more frequent need of inpatient hospital services and care. This is especially true in the last few years of life when a final illness very often requires one or more hospital stays. This is the period when the cost of medical care will be at its highest and it is for this eventuality that people take up health insurance. It seems that non-premium-paying PRs residing overseas will be taxing our system if they choose to come back when their medical needs are at the highest. In fact, this Bill may encourage them to do so because, after all, we do have a high standard of medical care and, of course, with this Bill, we will also have MediShield Life Scheme. Since MediShield Life is a universal policy, there should not be preferential treatment for PRs with premium-paying exemptions. It would be better to give the non-resident PRs the choice to be in the MediShield Life Scheme or to withdraw from it completely. If they withdraw and are not paying the premiums anymore, they cannot expect to be covered under MediShield Life ever. Under the Bill, it is an offence to knowingly provide false or misleading information or omit material information. Individuals convicted of such offences may face up to $5,000 fine or 12 months' imprisonment or both and additionally be required to pay penalties pegged to the amount of premiums undercharged or benefits or claims overpaid. Madam, my concern is for those who may have omitted in declaring due to lapses in memory or lack of information. For instance, he or she may have had a "minor" operation for a then "non-serious" condition 10 or even 15 years earlier, which he or she had forgotten.”
“Mdm Speaker, I stand in support of the MediShield Life Scheme Bill. I would, however, like to raise my concerns over several issues on this Bill. This Bill provides and requires the timely payment of premiums coupled with penalties for late payments. The annual premiums can range from only $130 for those who are young to as much as $1,530 for those who are older than 90, and, although there are Additional Premium Support and various subsidies available for the less well-off, there is still a likelihood for some needy folks to default on premium payments. They, especially the older people with high premiums to pay, will then fall through the cracks of the Scheme. The Ministry of Health (MOH) must spare no effort in assisting them in such instances. Those with depleted Medisave balances in spite of Government top-ups are vulnerable. This group may have exhausted their Medisave due to their multiple medical needs either through private clinics or Government hospitals. May I ask the Minister whether Medifund can, if necessary, be used to pay for the premiums of those in dire need? Madam, may I ask whether MOH is intending to exempt Permanent Residents (PRs) who are residing abroad from paying MediShield premiums? If so, would MOH not consider Page: 89 this as unfair to the others, considering that these residents may choose to truly reside permanently here later in their lives when their need for medical care will be greater? They will have full use of the MediShield Life Scheme without having to pay premiums that were normally due. Mdm Speaker, it is likely that the majority of Singaporeans will not require intense use of hospitals or claim the use of MediShield when they are younger and usually healthier.”
“Madam, may I ask the Minister whether NEA will further co-fund Town Councils on vector control, especially rodent and mosquito control? The other question is: will NEA step up preventive measures in rodent control at food centres, especially in taking those with unhygienic practices to task? Lastly, is there any update on vaccines for dengue?”
“I am not sure what to make of it, but this is the first year when we have such a statistic. So, we will probably use this as a basis for study going forward. I assure Members that we do not spend time doing a count; I am sure it is by some estimation. NEA has also tightened surveillance and enforcement efforts in high-risk premises, such as construction sites. Since January 2014, 120 Stop Work Orders have been issued to construction sites to ensure that proper mosquito control measures are in place before construction resumed. In the longer term, NEA is exploring the suppression of the local dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito population through biological control, which is, the use of Wolbachia-carrying male mosquitoes. All home and premises owners, Town Councils and managers of public areas have to take responsibility to minimise the breeding of these vectors. NEA's officers cannot be everywhere anytime, all the time.”
“Madam, Question No 15, please. The Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien) (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources): Mdm Speaker, I am afraid I have to disappoint the Member for not being able to provide statistics on some of the very specific categories of vectors that he has mentioned in his Parliamentary Question (PQ), particularly on flies, cockroaches and rat fleas. But the Member has our assurance that the National Environment Agency (NEA) actively monitors the disease-bearing vector situation. NEA implements an integrated rodent surveillance and vector control programme comprising surveillance, control, public engagement, law enforcement and research. From January 2014 to November 2014, over 35,000 rodent burrows were detected and treated by NEA. This reflects how important it is for the owners of premises, especially operators of food establishments, to practise good housekeeping habits, such as adopting good refuse management regimes. The key to rodent control is to eliminate food sources. Dengue continues to be a problem. As of November 2014, more than 16,000 mosquito breeding sites were found, a drop of 19% from the same period the year before. Amongst Page: 37 the new measures introduced in 2014, NEA piloted the Gravitrap surveillance programme in clusters and high-risk areas as a control tool and a guide for pre-emptive control operations. Now, there are some statistics we can gather from this Gravitrap programme. But let me explain that this is by no means a comprehensive surveillance of the entire country. But where we have placed Gravitraps, we estimated from the start of the programme that some 32,000 mosquitoes have been caught in these Gravitraps.”
“Madam, may I ask the Senior Minister of State whether she will take into consideration the lack of means or poverty as one of the mitigating criteria in appeals for the Pioneer Generation Package, so that we can be more flexible to applicants in such circumstances?”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. In order to provide better support to the community for psychiatric patients, may I ask the Senior Minister of State whether there can be provision of more healthcare workers, nurses or psychiatrists to give early detection care, follow-up and treatment to the psychiatric patients in the community which is pretty lacking at the moment?”
“Mdm Speaker, three supplementary questions, please. May I ask the Minister of State whether MOH can step up information dissemination on the Ebola virus, especially on its epidemiology scientific data which had been available for almost four decades? Does the Minister of State agree that the better informed the healthcare workers and the population are, the better will be the success on the control of the Ebola virus, especially on awareness and prevention and early detection treatment? Therefore, will the Minister of State adopt and promote actively on the policy of choosing facts over fear for everyone? May I also ask the Minister of State how adequate is our protocol to vigorously train healthcare workers to handle Ebola patients and, lastly, what are the contingency plans for contact-tracing and the control of the spread of the Ebola virus here?”
“Will the Minister consider appointing a related specialist agency for doctors to refer all suspected abuse cases to trained social workers or medical personnel, preferably those trained in psychology? These personnel should have Court skills, including how to provide high quality assessments of clients, especially victims of physical abuses. This will relieve referring doctors from attending Court cases or having to provide full medical records on the patients for Court purposes. Lastly, although there is a temptation to quicken the pace and expedite an end to broken marriages by simplifying process, it may also lead to undesired results. There is a saying, "Justice hurried is justice buried". There had been cases where after a lengthy process in the divorce proceedings, parties cool down and are prepared to compromise better. We should not try to over simplify matters just to settle the issues faster. We should treat each case based on its own merits and do justice to all parties concerned, especially when children are involved. Sometimes, it may be necessary to let the due process of law take its course and try to avert too much suffering by providing opportunities for parties to rationalise and allow extra judicial processes to work out the best solution for all. Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“After identification by the frontline, there must be avenues for good follow-up by specialist agencies with personnel trained in the legal processes and procedures of the Family Justice Court. Particularly, they should know what the Court expects them to present and how to present it. But training frontline personnel will take time and we may not have the critical number of them to be able to service the increasing number of cases. Perhaps, Madam, private doctors should be roped in to identity and to refer as well. At this juncture, I want to declare that I am a general practitioner (GP). There are about 2,000 GPs presently and their outreach can be extensive. GPs usually have good relationships with patients who are more willing to share personal difficulties they are facing. GPs are also able to pick up the tell-tale signs of mental anguish or depression and to probe more into the causes. This is particularly relevant in detecting psychological trauma showing withdrawal symptoms, abnormal or changed behaviours in young children who cannot express themselves verbally. Such cases can be referred early to related specialist agencies to get assistance, in order to protect the well- Page: 75 being of the children. On the reporting of cases of abuse, may I ask the Minister whether it can be made easier for doctors to report suspected cases of child abuse? Doctors sometimes tend to not report even when they are suspicious. This is because in the event of Court prosecution of the child abuser, doctors who lodged the complaints will be called as witnesses. The other reason is infringement of doctor and patient privilege and confidentiality. May I ask if this Bill will grant the doctor a waiver expressly to erase any doubt?”
“The environment for such processes should be more relaxed and less acrimonious, so that the parties can share thoughts and feelings with each other and with Page: 74 the counsellor or mediator freely. To hold it in a Court of law would make parties feel very formal and rigid. The interests of the child should be paramount in divorces. Children and young people should be given age appropriate information to explain what is happening. This should be offered to them as early as possible. It is good that a child representative be appointed for the child's view to be represented in divorce proceedings. However, I would suggest that the trained representative should always visit the child in the home environment to better understand the needs of the child and also to evaluate which parent can take better care of the child after the divorce. There are situations where one dominating parent will overwhelm the child into taking a position against the other in a custody battle. A child may also be compelled by the dominating parent and appear so willing to follow that parent, that the other parent gives up the fight for the sake of not wanting to hurt the child. The dominating parent may be awarded custody to the detriment of the child. In other words, the trained representative must be able to "see through" such situations and render a correct report about the family situations. The trained representatives must therefore be like a social worker looking into the child's actual situation and making the correct recommendations to the Courts. I agree that the frontline personnel at hospitals and Family Service Centres should be trained to identify and refer divorce-headed families to the appropriate agencies.”
“Mdm Speaker, I stand to speak in support of the Family Justice Bill. This Bill sets out to restructure the Court's divorce processes to better serve the needs of families in distress. Divorces are unfortunate outcomes that some couples face in their marriages. The parties, especially with children involved, are often so aggrieved with hardship and mental anguish during such times that many also end up with depression. Children suffer the most when their parents are going through divorce and their interests must be taken care of during such trying periods of their lives. The recommendations in this Bill for simpler and better divorce proceedings are indeed welcome and will make the divorce processes less agonising for affected families. The other thrust of the recommendations of this Bill is to save marriages where possible. This is timely when the trend of divorce has been climbing. Last year, divorces hit the second highest annual figure on record. May I suggest that there are avenues for prevention of breakdown of marriages at early stages? For instance, at pre-filing consultation sessions for couples, marriage counsellors should be provided to counsel and to solve acrimonious issues in the hope that couples can come to terms and resolve their differences. Related agencies such as Family Service Centres should always prioritise early detection of troubled marriages and refer such couples for early counselling with qualified marriage counsellors. I would like to suggest that for the initial stages of divorce proceedings, when couples are made to attend compulsory mediation and counselling, as suggested by the Committee, a less intimidating venue like a Community Centre rather than the Family Justice Courts should be used.”
“I feel that MOH should also emphasise on that communication is the collective responsibility of everyone as this will be the factor that decides the long-term sustainability of MediShield Life. Medisave, in itself, also needs a revamping message. Many people may not value Medisave or treat it like it is not their own cash. They may, therefore, be less prudent with it, especially when using it to pay for Integrated Shield Plans. Many healthy people have said that they may never get to use their Medisave in their lifetimes and this is a misconception that has to be explained. Many are also not aware of the minimum Medisave sum required to be put aside. MOH is only starting to embark on the implementation and dissemination of information about MediShield Life. It is not going to be a straightforward task. I hope MOH will put in its best efforts here in order to succeed in its aim of giving peace of mind and secure healthcare for all Singaporeans. 3.18 pm”
“Older folk may like non air-conditioned wards but, in today's context, a majority of people, especially from the younger generation, prefers having air-conditioned environments. Will MOH consider phasing out non air-conditioned wards as a plan, going forward? Page: 44 At the end of the day, Mdm Speaker, it all comes down to good communication. Good policy must be accompanied by good communication and communicators. With the slew of major policy changes taking place since early this year, I wonder if we have over-estimated our citizens' propensity to absorb all the good intentions of our Government. Nevertheless, seeing how vital it is to provide a buffer to the many challenges of an ageing population, the many changes to improve the quality of living for Singaporeans as we age gracefully is necessary. We must plod on smartly. For sure, there is a continuous need to communicate the details of the Pioneer Generation Package, CPF LIFE and, now, MediShield Life, by all means. I hope MOH will go all out to better inform the public on MediShield Life. I welcome the communication emphasis of the benefits of MediShield Life on the affordable premiums and no lifetime claim limits, lower out-of-pocket medical expenses due to reduced co-payment rates and higher annual claims. I hope MOH will continue to publicise these points so that more can understand and appreciate the very good intentions of this life-time insurance for all. More importantly, we must counter doubt-mongers over the differences in opinions or the personal preferences on MediShield Life so as not to drown the original beauty and intent that the MediShield Life Plan was meant to be.”
“Perhaps, MOH could tie insurance premiums to modifiable health-risk factors, such as healthy lifestyles or adherence to health treatments, for chronic diseases? May I ask MOH if more incentives or innovations can be aligned and tied with MediShield Life to reward MediShield Life policyholders in good health, similar to the "no claims bonus" for car insurance? Presently, about 60% of residents have Integrated Shield Plans. Many have expressed concerns on the affordability of the increasing premiums of Integrated Shield Plans, especially as they grow older. Many who opted for this plan gave the reasons of the flexibility to choose preferred hospital doctors and the dislike of non-air-conditioning of C and B2 wards. Those on Integrated Shield Plans now may be hesitant to give up their existing Integrated Shield Plans, as they will lose all the benefits that they have been paying for. They are also stuck with it because health insurance companies provide full coverage only for people who are healthy at the time they join. They cannot easily change plans or, worse still, they may become uninsurable should they change their minds later on. May I ask how MOH plans to solve their dilemma here? How would MOH facilitate people to get at least B1 Integrated Shield Plans, even for those with existing illnesses, albeit with a higher premium? Could MOH ensure that the products offered are truly beneficial to policyholders and are standardised? Could MOH also consider capping premiums of B1 Integrated Shield Plans within certain parameters and regulate the premium increases? With this B1 plan in place, it will set the benchmark for other Integrated Shield Plans and, thus, it will be easier for policyholders to compare and to make choices before commitment.”
“It is prudent to adopt an evidence-based approach, with proven scientific values on evaluation of their effectiveness and cost, for all new drugs, new treatments and advanced technologies. There is increasing practice of defensive medicine by doctors to protect themselves from lawsuits. Can this be addressed as this will inevitably drive up healthcare costs? MOH can consider better incentives and encourage innovations to achieve better care and higher benefits. Could MOH be flexible on managing large patient pools where healthcare providers can treat patients before their conditions become acute and require hospitalisation? Could MOH also look at how to change the delivery of healthcare to more patients, focused more on patients' needs and less on the need for doctors and hospitals? A good example of this would be the announcement by MOH last month for palliative care Page: 43 where funding was to be based on the number of patients looked after rather than on the number of home visits made. May I ask MOH if MediShield Life will cover this group of patients under homecare? Individual responsibility is very important for the long-term sustainability of MediShield Life. Dr Christopher Wild, director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Agency for research on Cancer and co-editor of The World Cancer Report 2014, said nearly half of all cancers that occur can be prevented and "tobacco use, infections, obesity and physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, high exposure to sunlight and workplace hazards" are all major factors. Could MOH have a component of preventive care as part of MediShield Life?”
“This will be especially so for those who have exhausted their Medisave in servicing their private plans all the previous years. This means that many pay for private insurance when they were young and healthy, and requiring few claims, only to switch to MediShield Life when they are older and likely to require more claims due to illnesses. In effect, Mdm Speaker, people will be paying private insurers when they least need the coverage, only to let MediShield Life cover them when they become older. Integrated Shield Plan is profit-orientated, not like MediShield Life, and, as with any other private insurance, there may be occurrence of the cherry-picking phenomenon. Integrated Shield Plan insurers can entice healthy individuals to take on enhanced benefits and features at higher premium and thus stand to reap actuarial profits, but avoid or divert the older age groups to MediShield Life by raising premiums as they age when they are more likely to claim. How does MOH plan to minimise this occurrence at the expense of MediShield Life? Will MOH be able to extract a share of the actuarial profits, enjoyed by private Integrated Shield Plan insurers, in addition to the basic MediShield premiums? Insurance premiums are determined based on retrospective data. Actuaries do not take into account possible medical advances, new drugs or technologies. All of these are advances that policyholders want. But these come with a higher cost. MOH can mitigate challenges by having good practices at its public hospitals. There is the never-ending demand for the newest drugs, the latest treatments or the most advanced technologies.”
“With medical providers, there should be guidelines on the provisions and fees structures for medical services so as to discourage over-servicing and over-charging by any groups, regardless of whether they are in the public or private sector. More importantly, I hope there can be collaboration amongst all stakeholders for better transparency and bench markings to mitigate escalating costs. Mdm Speaker, one of the challenges for MediShield Life, in the longer term, will not be the inevitable premium hikes. It is the rate of increase of the premium hikes. May I ask MOH if it can enlighten the House on this issue? Will the future cohorts of older residents have difficulty with MediShield Life premiums as they grow older and as they become non-employed? How does MOH plan to keep MediShield Life as affordable as possible for these future cohorts when the subsidies end? Is there a need to keep a close tab on the MediShield Life fund? My concern is on the excessive claims on MediShield Life due to the present inherent insurance structures. Healthy young people are attracted to the enhanced benefits of Integrated Shield Plans at affordable premiums whilst they still earn steady employment Page: 42 incomes and when insurance premiums are usually partly or fully covered by their Medisave. Such Integrated Shield Plans are thus painless compared to paying out with hard cash. Many such private plans also provide riders that take care of all co-payments for hospital bills. This may lead to the "buffet syndrome", thereby taxing the MediShield Life fund. However, as people age and retire, together with increasing premiums of private insurance, they are likely to downgrade their insurance to MediShield Life.”
“Research suggests that half of one's lifetime medical expenses accrue past 60 years of age. There will be a tripling of the number of Singaporeans aged over 65 years to 900,000 by 2030. The level of chronic ailments, such as diabetes and hypertension, continues to creep up; thus the need for hospital care will soar. The spiralling healthcare costs, which have doubled in less than a decade, hold uncertainty for the future and are a main concern for many. I support the risk-pooling concept of MediShield Life with the universal health insurance model. This will mitigate healthcare affordability and sustainability for all. Universal health insurance must be accompanied by collective responsibility from everyone. This will ensure sustainability and long-term fiscal soundness through social prudence. May I ask MOH if more considerations can be given to this important fundamental? Collective responsibility should involve all policyholders, healthcare providers and insurers. The "right to treatment attitude" by policyholders and the "right to claim as much as possible" can be the devastating ill-effect of universal health insurance. Over servicing by healthcare providers and over-zealous insurers in selling products that policyholders do not need are the others. May I ask MOH whether the formula for MediShield Life includes incorporation of regulations and checks to address these unsavoury practices? Some regulations and checks to achieve long-term fiscal soundness must be put in place. For instance, Mdm Speaker, with private insurance, there should be better clarity on product structures and transparency to enable informed choices.”
“Mdm Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion to endorse the "MediShield Life Review Committee Report" raised by the Minister for Health. I want to declare that I am a general practitioner in private practice. I want to start by saying that MediShield Life must be one of the best forward-looking and caring policies of our Government. The component of MediShield Life I like best is the "cradle to grave" coverage for everyone. This gives peace of mind to all. This initiative will be most appreciated by those who are presently disadvantaged; such as those afflicted with illnesses that are deemed uninsurable by insurers, or those uninsured due to the lack of means to insure themselves. Last week, in my house-to-house visit, one retired gentleman anxiously asked me to reassure him that he and his wife will be eligible for MediShield Life. He told me that his wife was still in hospital and had been in and out of hospital for many months. Due to the multiple medical hospital bills of his wife, he had exhausted all his lifetime savings and he was very concerned for his wife's and his own future medical bills. You should have seen how happy he was when he got the confirmation from me that MediShield Life is for everyone, irrespective of age and existing medical conditions. At another grassroots event with young families, one young mother came forward to thank the Government for MediShield Life. She said that she had one son born with congenital heart problems that still required him to undergo more heart operations as he grows up. She was very appreciative and she said MediShield Life took a heavy load off her worries for her son's future medical hospital bills. Page: 41 The implementation of MediShield Life will be timely indeed.”