Statistics of Persons Sued by Public Hospitals for Arrears of Hospital Bills

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Health for the last two years, how many persons have been sued in Court by public hospitals for arrears of hospital bills.

In the last two years, 26 individuals were issued writs of summons for the arrears of bills by our public healthcare institutions, of which 15 cases were settled out-of-Court, one case resulted in default judgment and was resolved with the individual making payment, and the remaining 10 cases are still in progress. These figures exclude employers who are required to pay for their employees' medical bills but have not done so.

It is important for patient bills to be paid promptly so as not to deprive public healthcare institutions of the resources they need to deliver healthcare services to patients. For Singaporeans, Government subsidies and MediShield LIFE cover a significant proportion of public hospital bills. MediSave can be used to help defray the costs of the remainder of the bill. Singaporeans who face difficulties with their healthcare bills can approach our medical social workers for assistance.