No more free Covid-19 treatment for short-term visitors to Singapore
SINGAPORE — Visitors holding short-term visit passes who seek treatment for Covid-19 in Singapore would have to pay for their treatment for Covid-19 from last Saturday (March 7), although testing for the disease will remain free, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday.
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SINGAPORE — Visitors holding short-term visit passes who seek treatment for Covid-19 in Singapore would have to pay for their treatment for Covid-19 from last Saturday (March 7), although testing for the disease will remain free, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday.
The ministry had previously said that the Government would pay the full hospital bills incurred by all Covid-19 patients in public hospitals. But this coverage did not apply to outpatient treatment at general practitioner clinics or polyclinics, or treatment at private medical centres.
The ministry said on Monday that the policy change is due to the need to prioritise the resources at Singapore’s public hospitals, in view of the rising number of Covid-19 infections globally and the expected rise in the number of confirmed cases in Singapore.
“MOH will continue to waive Covid-19 testing fees for all short-term visit passes holders as part of our public health measures to identify and initiate contact tracing for confirmed cases who may have been infectious while in Singapore,” it said in a statement.
“The Government will continue to pay for the Covid-19 testing fees and hospital bill in full for Singapore residents and long-term pass holders who are admitted to public hospitals for Covid-19.”
The ministry on Monday announced 10 more cases of Covid-19 infections, three of which are imported cases.