Debated in Parliament on 9 Jan 2017.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Health what are the outcomes of the pilot public-private partnership between SCDF and Raffles Hospital whereby emergency cases transported by SCDF ambulances are sent to the emergency department at Raffles Hospital on weekdays between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm.
The collaboration between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Raffles Hospital in emergency care started in June 2015. The objective is to improve access to emergency medical care in Singapore by tapping on available capacity in the private sector. Under the collaboration, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances send patients with non-life threatening conditions to Raffles Hospital for emergency medical treatment.
To support care continuity for patients, doctors at Raffles Hospital are given authorised access to the patients’ medical records and discharge summaries in the National Electronic Health Records. MOH provides Government subsidies to patients under the collaboration for their medical treatment at Raffles Hospital, similar to how they would receive means-tested subsidised services at public hospitals.
The collaboration with Raffles Hospital has served more than 3,500 patients so far, with comparable health outcomes to patients who went to public hospitals. More than 90% of patients surveyed have indicated that the arrangement has met or exceeded their expectations. The collaboration benefits other patients, too, as it increases our overall capacity for emergency medical care in Singapore. It has also reduced the travel time and turnaround time for SCDF ambulances.
MOH is open to partnerships with private sector healthcare providers, whether in hospital services, primary care or intermediate and long-term care. In deciding future extensions or expansions of such collaborations, we will continue to focus on achieving good outcomes for patients in terms of care quality and affordability.
PAPERCUTS