THE Health Ministry will set up an expert group to review the range of healthcare screening available here, and recommend a framework to determine what is appropriate health screening to ensure that Singaporeans do not get fleeced.
Professor Lee Hin Peng, a senior public health specialist who has a special interest in cancer screening and prevention, will chair this expert group, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
The group will come under the auspices of the Academy of Medicine, said Mr Khaw, responding to calls from several MPs to allow Medisave to be used for health screening, subject to certain limits and guidelines.
Mr Khaw added that the Health Ministry will also study the financial implications of health screening 'so that should we decide to open up Medisave for it, we will know how to prescribe the necessary withdrawal limits.'
'This was the approach we took when we opened up Medisave for outpatient chronic disease management. It is a prudent approach to exploit the benefits of Medisave liberalisation, while minimising the downside risks of over-servicing and over-consumption,' he explained.
A firm believer in prevention, Mr Khaw said regular screening and early detection followed by medical intervention and lifestyle changes can avoid future complications and costly medical treatment down the road.
Acknowledging that there is a case for allowing some Medisave withdrawals for health screening, he, however, posed several questions.
'The question is what kind of health screening? There is a wide range of health screening tests; not all are fully justified or necessary. More screening is not necessarily better,' he said during the debate on the Health Ministry's budget in Parliament on Tuesday.
' Some accrue benefits more to the provider than the consumer. We must be mindful of such pitfalls, as we may be opening a Pandora's Box. A mindless liberalisation of Medisave for health screening may not improve health outcomes, but instead prematurely deplete Medisave balances.'
Citing genetic testing as an example, Mr Khaw noted that there are many other sophisticated screening tests which are being promoted.
'All are expensive. The benefits or cost-effectiveness of such tests are often dubious. I call this unethical screening,' he said. 'Health screening is therefore a complex issue and the risks associated with unethical screening are real. We must not fall into the trap of such commercial practices.'
[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]
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