Patients at a polyclinic in Singapore. (File photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)

SINGAPORE: A total of S$143.9 million in Medical Endowment Fund (Medifund) assistance was provided in Financial Year 2016, less than the S$155.2 million provided in the previous year, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (Nov 27).

According to MOH in a press release, the drop in aid is partly due to the introduction of MediShield Life in November 2015, which has "provided Singaporeans with better protection for life".

Medifund assistance for care in public hospitals and institutions totalled S$118.9 million in FY 2016, down from the S$129.2 million the year before. Aid also decreased from S$26 million to S$25.1 million in the Intermediate and Long-Term Care segment over the same period, it added.

MOH said 99.9 per cent of Medifund applications received were approved, and about 91.2 per cent of the approved applications received full assistance. The number of applications for Medifund assistance approved increased 3.6 per cent from 1,096,628 in FY 2015 to 1,136,413 last year.

Introduced in 1993, Medifund assists Singaporeans who are unable to afford their medical bills, in spite of Government subsidies, and after tapping on their MediShield Life, private insurance, Medisave and cash payments.

Source: Channel News Asia