Debated in Parliament on 14 Jan 2026.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider listing additional congenital conditions, such as hypogonadism, as chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP); (b) if not, why not; and (c) what is the rationale for extending Community Health Assist Scheme subsidies to patients under CDMP, but not other publicly-supported subsidies, such as MediFund.
Conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) are regularly reviewed by a Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Family Physicians and specialists from the public and private sectors. In assessing the inclusion of conditions onto the CDMP, the CAC consults clinical experts in various healthcare settings and considers factors, such as disease burden, potential benefits of early interventions to patient outcomes, the cumulative cost to the patient from long-term treatment and the availability of evidence-based clinical guidelines for appropriate care of the condition.
The management of congenital conditions, such as hypogonadism, are largely specialist-led, involves complex therapies and is not routinely managed in primary care. They are also less prevalent in the general population. As such, they are not suitable for inclusion under the CDMP.
Subsidies and MediSave use for chronic disease management are available at both polyclinics and private general practitioner (GP) clinics. At GP clinics, the subsidies are available under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS).
MediFund is an additional financial assistance available to needy patients, over and above regular subsidies. It is extended only to institutions which the Ministry of Health has greater financial governance oversight and more stringent controls over. It is therefore available for management of chronic conditions only in the polyclinics and public hospitals. CHAS patients who need additional financial assistance, such as MediFund, can be managed at polyclinics for their chronic diseases.
PAPERCUTS